Vanessa McMahon

December 06, 2010 at the 51st Thessaloniki Film Festival (3-12.12-10) marked the grand event of its Agora Market Awards to independent Balkan filmmakers headed by Marie-Pierre Macia.

The International Jury, consisting of Alex Baciu, screenwriter (Romania), Panos Iossifelis, screenwriter (Greece), Richard Kwietniowski, screenwriter/director, (UK/ Poland)

1) The jury of the 8th Balkan Script Development Fund awards 3 development grants of 7.000 euros each (out of 10 projects):

SEPTEMBER, writers: Kallia Papadaki, Penny Panayotopoulou director/ producer: Penny Panayotopoulou, co-producer: Thanassis Karathanos, Twenty Twenty Vision - Greece/Germany

THE LAST SLEEPLESS: writer/ director: Ilke Yesilay, co-director: Gulsen Akbas, producer: Emre Yeksan, YXN - Yeksan Film - Turkey.

This award is sponsored by CNC (Centre National du Cinema et de l' Image Animée)

And ex aequo to:

THE BARBARIANS, writer/ director: Ivan Ikic, co-writer: Boban Jevtic, producer: Milan Stojanovic, Sense Production D.O.O - Serbia

THE HOUSE, writer: Sanja Kovačević, director: Zoran Sudar, producer: Igor A. Nolan, Mainframe production - Croatia.

2) The jury of the 6th Crossroads Co-production Forum awards one of the 15 projects with the KODAK Cinelabs Greece Award, which will support the winning project in its film production with materials and services up to 10.000 euros.

The jury consisting of Gabor Greiner (Films Boutique, Germany), Claire Launay (ARTE, France) and Dionyssis Samiotis (Film in Mind, Greece) appointed the award to the project:

YOUTH, director: Tom Shoval, producer: Gal Greenspan, Greenproductions, Israel

The producer of the winning project will also be granted a free accreditation to the Producer's Network, Cannes Film Festival 2011 session and the opportunity to present the project at the Sofia Meetings of the Sofia Film Festival 2011.

The jury also decided to appoint a special mention to the project

HOME SWEET HOME, director/producer: Kyriakos Tofarides, Avra Production, Cyprus

III.  By honouring their partnership with Thessaloniki International Film Festival, The Mediterranean Film Institute (MFI) Script 2 Film Workshops decided to award a scholarship to the film project THE HOUSE, writer: Sanja Kovačević, director: Zoran Sudar, producer: Igor A. Nolan, Mainframe production - Croatia

IV.   Graal  S.A & Kodak Cinelabs Greece, a leading post- production house in Greece has decided to join forces with the Industry section of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival,

Graal  S.A & Kodak Cinelabs Greece will award one of the Works in Progress films presented in Agora / Market during the 51st Thessaloniki Intl Film Festival with in kind services up to 70.000 euros.

The jury consisting of Juliette Schrameck, (MK2 - Head of Acquisitions, France)

Karel Och, (Program Director - Karlovy Vary Intl Film Festival, Czech Republic) and Konstantina Stavrianou, (Producer - Graal, Greece) award the film:

UNFAIR WORLD, director: Filippos Tsitos, screenwriters: Filippos Tsitos/Dora Masklavanou producer: Alexandra Boussiou, Wrong Men, Greece