The 67th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, running from November 5 to 15, has revealed the lineups for its Meet the Neighbors+ and Film Forward competition sections — and two Sundance winners are set to go head-to-head.
Thessaloniki Film Festival (Credits: Variety)
Sundance Winners in the Spotlight
Among the films competing in Meet the Neighbors+ is Blerta Basholli’s “Dua”, a Kosovan War coming-of-age drama from the filmmaker who won at Sundance with “Hive.” The film already has festival pedigree, having won the SACD Award at Cannes Critics’ Week.
Also in competition is Myrsini Aristidou’s “Hold Onto Me,” winner of the Audience Award in the World Cinema – Dramatic section at Sundance. Variety described it as “a heartfelt drama” following “a plucky young girl smitten with her long-absent, scoundrel father.” Joining them is Pierre Le Gall’s “Flesh and Fuel,” a gay trucker love story that took best film at Zurich.
A Growing Regional Showcase
The Meet the Neighbors+ section has become a key launchpad for cinema from Southeastern Europe and beyond, giving festival breakouts a platform alongside the bigger international competitions. With award-winners from Sundance, Cannes, and Zurich all in the mix, this year’s lineup looks like one of the section’s strongest yet.
Thessaloniki’s full program arrives as the festival continues to cement its reputation as the essential autumn stop for discovering the next wave of festival favorites before awards season hits full swing.
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Source: Variety — read the full story there.