Cyprus[/B] is present in the international film scene, the artistic directors of the Cyprus Film Days International Festival, the country's official international film festival, which is co-organised by the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Cyprus and the Rialto Theatre from 8 to 16 April 2022, told CNA.
The artistic directors of the festival explain to CNA the philosophy behind the selection of the films to be screened, present their vision for the future of the festival and express their views on Cypriot film production.
The selection of films
When asked by CNA about the criteria used to select the films to be screened at the festival, Dr Kostas Konstantinidis, member of the European Film Academy and one of the three artistic directors of the festival since 2009, says that the selection process starts from a number of films that each director will see individually.
Marios Stylianou, a director and producer of TV commercials, explains that the initial selection is made among the films submitted to the artistic directors via a platform on a specific schedule. Then, other films are added that the three-member committee considers worthy to be screened at the festival. The main condition, she stresses, is that they must be in their first screening in Cyprus.
For her part, director Tonia Misiali notes that "we want to have an equal number of entries from female and male directors. We also try to include as many films from other regions as possible, especially from the three continents surrounding Cyprus." An effort is made to cover different themes and different film genres, she adds.
Misiali clarifies that films that do not have many awards are selected for the competition section of the festival. On the other hand, for the Viewfinder section, films are selected that have won awards at major festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, which have better known directors and actors. This year, he adds, "we also have the parallel programme which is a collaboration with the Cinema South Film Festival in Israel". This cooperation, he says, started last year when a Cypriot delegation visited Israel and presented Cypriot films.
"We are interested in having in our programme voices from countries where survival and the assertion of basic freedoms is a daily struggle," Dr Konstantinidis tells CNA. "We try to put ourselves in the place of the audience, so we try to choose films that deal with themes that one could say are topical," he adds.
The festival's proposals for children and young people
Regarding the festival's children and teen section, Stavros Pampallis, the artistic director in charge, says he was looking for films that focus on the concept of Discovery, that is, understanding, empathy, an alternative point of view, one's own self. This year's programme, he explains, is aimed at young people aged 15-19, with two films from Poland and Canada that talk about the search for identity at the crossroads of a difficult adulthood with honesty and sincerity, without filters and embellishments. For the rest of the audience, two films from France and Mexico will be screened, starring young girls who seek a way out of the grief of losing a loved one in the magic of fantasy and music, respectively.
Asked by CNA how cinema can address the concerns of children and teenage audiences, Pampallis says he had in mind how difficult the past years were for everyone, especially children. "Especially in these days - of polarization, of extremism, of isolation - cinema is an invitation to dialogue, a bridge of communication that allows the creator and the viewer to listen to each other's concerns, to hear and voice their concerns, and, ultimately, to be relieved, discovering that they are not alone. To gain strength and continue to question and express what may once have seemed unspeakable," he says."
"Cinema is, and always has been, the rejection of the absolute and the apotheosis of the quest. And I can't imagine anything more youthful than that," Pampallis says, adding that preparations have begun for the 2023 festival. "In November we will organise screenings for European Youth Audience Awards", he concludes.
The organisation of Dot.on.the.map
An important addition to the International Film Festival - Cyprus 2022 is undoubtedly the Dot.on.the.map Industry Days, which will take place for the third consecutive year, between 14 - 16 April 2022. Asked about Dot.on.the.map, Tonia Misiali tells us that "it is something that I personally wanted to do very much". Over the last six years, she adds, a great effort has been made to organise a marketplace for training, networking and film co-production.map three years ago and unfortunately we had to transfer it online due to the pandemic", says Misiali, noting that this year is the first year that it will be held with the physical presence of professionals in the field.
"We hope for a great turnout of professionals, especially from Cyprus", says the director. In this context, seven projects will be presented, whose creators will present their proposals, which will be analysed in discussions that will follow. This is something common abroad, but new for Cyprus, she says. "We want to focus on training Cypriot filmmakers," he adds.
Marios Stylianou adds that Dot.on.the.map is "a big step", bringing producers, directors and writers from Mediterranean countries together with professionals from the international film industry. In this way, he notes, filmmakers are offered the opportunity to present proposals for the production of feature films.
The future of the festival
Inevitably, the discussion with the artistic directors of the International Film Festival Cyprus 2022, which this year enters its twentieth year of life, leads to the legitimate question of its future. Tonia Misiali says that the festival remains a small-scale event, but keeps pace with developments in the international festival scene in general. "It has acquired an international character and our goal is to strengthen this character year after year," she says. The vision is to expand Dot.on.the.map so that it can host more Cypriot films, as well as films resulting from the collaborations it seeks to achieve, he adds.
For his part, Marios Stylianou notes that "our effort is to attract more people to our screenings and to educate the audience to watch less commercial films that have food for thought and reflection. We also aim to develop partnerships with other international festivals abroad," he adds, citing as an example the hosting of Cyprus as a country of honour at the Raindance Film Festival in London, the producer of which will be a member of the jury of the Cypriot festival.
Cyprus' place on the world film map
And since the interview is about the official film festival of Cyprus, we couldn't help but ask its artistic directors about the development of Cypriot cinema in recent years, as well as its place on the international scene.
"There is a Cypriot presence in international co-production forums, there is mobility. Cypriot films participate in major international festivals, they have been awarded by major film festivals abroad", says Costas Konstantinidis. Directors belonging to the new generation are seeking collaborations with professionals from other countries in order to secure further funding and in this way the chances of more mobility and visibility of Cypriot films in the international arena are expanding, he adds.
Marios Stylianou points out that a small country like Cyprus has many limitations, but there are many talented people in the industry and this is proven by the successful feature films made by Cypriot directors in recent years. "This year our Festival will host 4 films by Cypriot filmmakers and there are other films in production or post-production that will be screened in future editions of our Festival," he adds.
"Cypriot cinema has taken off in the last ten years", says Tonia Misiali, adding that there are many films that have travelled abroad and won awards, putting Cyprus on the map of good productions in Europe, "This is very important and I hope it will continue", she stresses. The important thing is to have funding from the Ministry of Education, "because without help from your country you can't do anything," he concludes."
Source: CNA
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