Despina Mouzaki

Thessaloniki is historically a Crossroads – military roads, trading routes; it is a place today where history meets a contemporary, even young
city. Crossroads Co-Production Forum has its initial year this year at the 46th Thessaloniki International Film Festival to extend the tradition
of the city being an essential meeting point, an epicentre, this time for cinema production and development.
Mediterranean and Balkan producers have different needs and special industries when compared to the producers to the north and west.
The other European Union producers need not just budget savings but talent and the collaboration of equals as their financing structures
become less and less supportive while their budgets increase. Co-production offers producers a most attractive opportunity to make
pleasing, challenging films together.
The programme this year offers a wide variety of activities, perhaps too many choices, but they all have one clear goal: allowing the
Crossroads Producers and the Crossroads Partners to learn more about each others’ films, film industries and to allow them all to find
beneficial ways to make the movies all of us want to see.
This year’s Crossroads is off to a wonderful start with an unexpectedly high number of applications from all ends of Europe which resulted
in a group of 27 high quality, experienced producers participating; and a large industry contingent willing to meet them, hear their ideas and
work out ways to make dreams happen.
Welcome to Crossroads, Year One!
Linda Beath
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