Summary
- Eleven films from 15 countries were presented at Agora Works in Progress.
- The event took place on 10 November at the Frida Liappa theatre.
- Greek projects include AVANOS, MIGNON, SWELL and WINTER SEMESTER.
- The programme offers industry connections and awards to support completion.
Eleven films from 15 countries, all approaching completion, were presented at the 67th Thessaloniki International Film Festival’s Agora Works in Progress, seeking international partners and a route to audiences.
The presentation took place on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, at the Frida Liappa theatre in front of film-industry professionals. Agora connects works in post-production with sales agents, distributors, producers and festival programmers at a crucial stage in their development.
The 11 films and their directors
This year’s selection brings together emerging and established voices from the Mediterranean and wider Southeastern European region. Its stories explore adolescence, exile, memory, war, family ties and questions of belonging.
| Film | Director | Countries |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Darko Lungulov | Serbia, Luxembourg, Hungary, Croatia |
| AVANOS | Panagiotis Charamis | Greece |
| THE CROSSROAD | Mari Gulbiani | Georgia |
| HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN | Diego Llorente | Spain, Uruguay |
| THE LAW OF THE FLIES | Tunahan Kurt | Türkiye |
| THE LONGEST NIGHT | Ismet Sijarina | Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia |
| MIGNON | Sofia Georgovassili | Greece, Romania |
| RÍO MASACRE | Sylvie Weber | Austria |
| SWELL (out of competition) | Alexandros Voulgaris | Greece |
| WINTER SEMESTER | Dimitris Koutsiabasakos | Greece |
| YIANNIS | Kyros Papavassiliou | Cyprus, Greece |
A notable Greek project is SWELL by Alexandros Voulgaris (The Boy), shown out of competition. Based on the award-winning novel by Ioanna Karystiani, it is produced by Tanweer Productions and Black Orange. Greek films also include AVANOS by Panagiotis Charamis, MIGNON by Sofia Georgovassili and WINTER SEMESTER by Dimitris Koutsiabasakos. YIANNIS by Kyros Papavassiliou is a Cyprus–Greece co-production.
How unfinished films find a path to audiences
Works in Progress is not a regular public screening competition. Filmmakers present representative scenes from projects in post-production, seeking finishing funds, technical partners, international sales, distribution contacts and potential festival premieres.
The selected teams were supported by tutors Zeynep Güzel and Katarina Tomkova. The event opened with remarks from Head of Agora Thanos Stavropoulos, Head of Festival Programming Yorgos Krassakopoulos and Agora Program Coordinator Elena Gaitanarou.
Agora forms part of the wider 67th Thessaloniki International Film Festival programme, connecting screenings and public discussions with meetings for professionals working on film production and distribution.
Cash prizes and post-production services
The presentation also outlined the awards for which the projects are being considered. The EKKOMED Works in Progress Award offers €3,000 to a Greek project, while the ERT award provides €2,000. The independent €10,000 Onassis Film Award is open to a Greek film participating either in Works in Progress or in the Crossroads Co-production Forum.
Support is not confined to cash. The 2|35 Award provides post-production services, the 119 Marvila Studios Award offers sound mixing, and Neaniko Plano provides subtitling services. These are concrete finishing costs for independent productions.
The three-person jury consists of producer Maria Drandaki (Homemade Films), Wouter Jansen (Square Eyes) and Gabriela Trujillo (Directors’ Fortnight, Cannes). These are the announced awards, not winners declared at the 10 November presentation.
What we think
Anyone who has worked on an independent feature knows how difficult the final stretch can be. The shoot is finished, but editing, colour grading, sound mixing, subtitling and getting the film in front of the right people still demand money and time. This is where a platform such as Works in Progress can genuinely help.
What makes the format worthwhile is that meetings are built around actual footage rather than a polished pitch alone. A prospective partner can assess the filmmaking, performances and storytelling, while the director and producer can see what support they need to reach the next stage.
For Greek filmmaking, the international contacts made in Thessaloniki may be the most valuable part. They do not guarantee funding or distribution, but they place projects directly in front of people capable of helping complete them and bring them to audiences.
