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- Ελληνικά
February 28, 2024, K-CINEPLEX PREMIERE
It is with great pleasure that I introduce the premiere of the film IMAN by directors Korina Avramidou and Kyriakos Tofaridis, a co-production with the Deputy Ministry of Culture, which takes place in the presence of so many important actors of our Cyprus cinema.
The two directors of the film have honoured us abroad with their multiple awards and participations in various festivals around the world, starting with their short films "Dead Zone", "The Secret of the First Day" and "The Other Artemis".
The feature films followed. In 2007, the Film Advisory Committee financed the feature film "The Last Turn" directed by Korinna Avraamidou and produced by Kyriakos Tofaridis. The film won the Best Emerging Director Award at the Alexandria International Film Festival. Later, in 2013, Kyriakos Tofaridis' film "Plot 12", having won the Jury Prize at the Cyprus Film Festival, was nominated for the European Film Academy Awards.
The film we are about to watch has participated in over 40 International Film Festivals, winning 16 Awards (Screenplay, Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor) and a nomination for Best European Film at the Septimius Awards 2023.
The support of film production is part of the wider policy of the Ministry of State for the development of contemporary culture. In 2023 alone, 42 new proposals were funded out of 77 submitted, with six feature films and four shorts completed in 2023. At the same time, four feature films start shooting within the year, 14 are in production project development, nine in feature script development, three in short script development, 29 short films and six documentaries are in development, while Cyprus supports five Minority Co-productions.
The effective Funding Programmes Regulation, the accountability of the respective members of the Film Advisory Committee and sector officials, the talent of Cypriot filmmakers and the recent increase in the budget for film production are the ingredients that have contributed to the flourishing of Cypriot cinema that we see today, of which the film IMAN is a prime example.
Our policy is of course not limited to these, but extends to the country's presence in the various institutions of the European Union (EU), in Film Networks and Organisations, in major market festivals, where Cypriot productions are promoted as well as Cyprus as an ideal filming location, thus helping the general networking on which all national cinematography is based.
At the same time, we aim to create a network of film routes for the screening of our films, in order to introduce our film product to the international audience. The benefits are numerous, both culturally and economically. The promotion of a Cypriot film in the international arena is the most important proof of the country's ability to support the shooting of foreign films, while at the same time boosting the attraction of tourism.
As far as film education is concerned, our effort is to increase the film-loving public, combining qualitative excitement with the intellectual and aesthetic upliftment offered by the seventh art. This is achieved through a series of events, lectures and workshops, by organizing film festivals through which the public has the opportunity to experience all categories of films, as well as by supporting institutions to screen special tributes to alternative trends in cinematic art, important directors and independent cinema. Our effort and vision is to have even greater contact and interaction with the public, by creating touring cinemas in the countryside and expanding our activities to all underprivileged and marginalized groups in society, for example in nursing homes, hospitals, shelters, shelters, other social shelters and even in the penitentiary).
With a view to helping social and professional reintegration, one of our objectives is also to find ways to provide practical training for unemployed young people in a film crew, while feeding the film production chain. Cinema, and the audiovisual industry in general, is at the heart of what we call the creative industries. The sector can stimulate the economy and be an important factor in services and entrepreneurship, while contributing to cultural diversity.
Our concern is also for children and young people, tomorrow's viewers and creators, who must be given the opportunity to create, to express themselves, to free themselves, but also to experience and judge what they see.
Cypriot cinema is undoubtedly on the rise, with film production on the rise, Cypriot producers achieving collaborations abroad (co-productions) and multinational crews of professionals, while a new generation of creators with vision, opinion and a strong socio-political critical disposition is dynamically imposing itself in the field. Before wishing you good viewing, I would like to congratulate the film family on these great steps and assure you that we will do our utmost for the even greater development of this important sector.
Corinna and Kyriakos, congratulations on your progress so far with the wish for even greater successes.
(Ephys/MS/NG)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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