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48th Film Fest Ghent will focus on Greek cinema
After a physical, yet restrained edition in 2020, the festival will strive again for a physical collective film experience for its 48th edition in the autumn, paying attention to any possible corona measures in place at that moment. Thanks to a new website, the audience will be able to easily navigate through the festival programme.
Efthymis Filippou
The face of this year’s campaign image is Efthymis Filippou portrayed by photographer Yiorgos Kaplanidis. The Greek screenwriter regularly works with the award-winning director Yorgos Lanthimos. Their co-creations breathe a characteristically strange atmosphere and the duo has given the Greek film landscape a new impetus. Just think about Dogtooth (2009), The Lobster (which Lanthimos presented in the company of star actor Colin Farrell at Film Fest Ghent in 2015), The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017), The Favourite (2018) and Nimic (2019), which were all shown at Film Fest Ghent.
Focus on Greek cinema
Thanks to its rich history, the focus on Greece promises a remarkable festival programme packed with Greek film talent. After the heydays of Greek cinema in the 50s and 60s and the ‘modern’ cinema in Greece with the absolute star en great master Theo Angelopoulos, a new generation of of filmmakers rose up on the eve of the Greek sovereign debt crisis, including Athina Rachel Tsangari, Yannis Economides, Sofia Exarchou, Alexandros Avranas en Konstantina, and also Yorgos Lanthimos and co-writer Efthymis Filippou. Their Greek drama Dogtooth (2009) introduced an entirely new esthetic which inspired many young directors. The impact of the work of Lanthimos and Efthymis was of such an extent that people even speak of “Greek weird wave cinema”, referring to films that approach politically and socially sensitive issues in a subversive way.
"This year we present a focus on film and film music from Greece, the cradle of all that is drama. The programme proves that Greek cinema is much richer than just the Greek weird wave From the legendary music of Zorba the Greek, to a full retrospective of the great master Theo Angelopoulos and via the Lanthimos screenwriter Efthymis Filippou, to new voices such as Jacqueline Lentzou. All of this results in a programme that must be the catharsis after all corona waves."
New website
The reveal of the campaign image is this year accompanied by the launch of a brand new website. The FFG-website will be redesigned and will allow the audience to navigate easily through the extensive festival programme.
Edition 2021
The previous edition, despite restrictions and with much attention to the necessary corona measures, could largely take place in a physical manner. The Film Fest Ghent team proved how culture and safety can go hand in hand. It will be no different for the upcoming 48th edition of Film Fest Ghent. Although freer times are finally upon us, the FFG team is aiming for a physical, and if still necessary corona proof film festival in the autumn. Film Fest Ghent 2021 will run from 12 to 23 October.