The Evia Film Project, his green initiative Thessaloniki Film Festivalwhich was launched last year with the aim of supporting Northern Evia after the devastating fires of 2021, returns renewed from 20 to 24 June.

The 2nd Evia Film Project brings together Edipsos, Limni and Agia Anna with films, educational activities, open discussions, music and summer mood. The event is held with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, and entry to all its events is free.

The artistic director of the Thessaloniki Film Festival, Orestis Andreadakis, spoke to the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency about the successful action aimed at promoting North Evia as a global center for green cinema: “The Evia Film Project, in its first event last year, hosted more than 350 cinema professionals in North Evia who discovered the beauties of the region and were informed about the best practices emerging worldwide for green cinema. This year we return to this beautiful area with the same love in order to support the local community. We will show outstanding films of ecological concern, which inform, call to action, reveal the consequences of human actions and celebrate the magic of nature.”

“We are also planning an intensive workshop for the students of the cinema department located in Psachna in Evia, original educational activities for students, unexpected musical evenings and a surprise concert. Finally, we will organize a specialized tour – for producers, directors and location managers from all over the world – to the magical locations of the region that could be filming locations for major international productions” added Mr. Andreadakis.

In particular, the 2nd Evia Film Project will develop in eight axes:

  • Films of ecological interest, classic as well as recent productions, fiction or documentaries, will be screened in the summer cinemas of Apollo in Edipsos and Elymnion in Limni. In fact, last year, the Festival, in collaboration with the Municipality of Istiaea-Edipsos, remodeled the Cine Apollon in Edipsos, which had been closed for decades. The cinema continued to operate throughout last summer.
  • The most modern VR technologies will be presented through films that discover different aspects of an extended reality. With the same environmental theme, as part of the Immersive: All Around Cinema section of the Festival, the VR films will offer the audience of North Evia an exciting viewing experience, transcending cinematic genres and immersing the viewer in the environment of each creation.
  • A leading international meeting will take place in North Evia, at the Agora of the Thessaloniki Film Festival. This is the CIRCLE Women Doc Accelerator, a specialized documentary development workshop aimed at women and femininities producers and directors. The participants will be in North Evia and will receive guidance from documentary experts for the development of their projects, while masterclasses open to the public will also be held as part of the program.
  • An exciting film tour of North Evia will highlight the magical locations of the region that could be filming locations for major productions from Greece and abroad. Recognized location managers from all over the world will participate in a special experience that includes location tours and a unique masterclass.
  • Meetings to get to know each other and to network among film industry professionals. Every morning, the Festival organizes in an idyllic landscape, in a friendly atmosphere, a working brunch with the participation of leading film professionals (producers, sales agents, festival programmers) from all over the world, with the aim of networking and promoting fiction and documentary films . Also, every evening, after the Evia Film Project events, Festival guests will have the opportunity to network at a happy hour by the sea.
  • An intensive workshop for students. Important filmmakers and cinema people will share their valuable experiences and knowledge in a specialized workshop, specially designed for the students of the Department of Digital Arts and Cinema of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in Psachna, Evia. The workshop is being held for the second year, after last year’s great success.
  • Original educational actions are planned in North Evia. With the central theme of the relationship between man and the environment, the Festival invites students aged 7 to 12 years to attend the educational workshops and through interaction and play to familiarize themselves with cinema and discover the magic of cinema close to nature. As last year, the children of the guests of the Evia Film Project will also participate in the meetings.
  • Unexpected musical evenings invite the public to Northern Evia: the Festival organizes a surprise concert and an original musical event for the European Festival of Music.

The Evia Film Project is the third activity pole of the Thessaloniki Film Festival after the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in November and the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival in March. It takes place with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports and in collaboration with the Region of Central Greece, the Hellenic Film Center, the Municipality of Istiaia-Edipsos and the Municipality of Mantoudi-Limni-Agia Annas.