How Thessaloniki’s Industry Arm Continues to Launch Regional Talent, Widen Its Focus With Partnerships ‘Across Europe and Beyond’

Nov 4, 2026 6:00am PT How Thessaloniki’s Industry Arm Continues to Launch Regional Talent, Widen Its Focus With Partnerships ‘Across Europe and Beyond’

Incoming industry head Thanos Stavropoulos dished on his plans for the influential Agora strand ahead of the 67th Thessaloniki Intl. Film Festival.

By Christopher Vourlias

Plus Icon

Christopher Vourlias

Latest

• Thessaloniki Film Festival Chief Hopes Event Can Help ‘Ease Pain’ in ‘Difficult’ Times: ‘Cinema Matters’ 43 minutes ago
• Rome MIA Market Takeaways, From Bracing for Netflix Fallout to Italy’s Production Slump and European Producers Fighting Back 2 weeks ago
• Asif Kapadia on Bringing the ‘Profound’ ‘7 Up’ Documentary Series to a Close After More Than 60 Years: ‘It’s a Dream Job’ 2 weeks ago

See All Add us as a Google Preferred Source "Hold Onto Me" (Courtesy of Sundance)

• Comments

It’s been almost two decades since Thanos Stavropoulos, the Thessaloniki Intl. Film Festival’s incoming industry head, was hired by the long-running Greek fest as a programming assistant, assuming a variety of roles before taking the reins of its widely respected industry program this spring.

That continuity is a hallmark of both the festival and its industry arm, Agora, and on the eve of this year’s event, Stavropoulos says he’s “committed to the same objective my predecessors served so very successfully” since the Agora launched in 2005. Namely, “to facilitate the growth of the local and regional industry through the establishment and continuous development of programs which will help bring the filmmakers and their projects out into the world,” he says.

Related Stories

Hannah Waddingham to Receive Crystal Award at Women in Film Honors (EXCLUSIVE)