Thessaloniki Int'l Film Festival goes online amid COVID-19 pandemic

With the motto "Cinema: no matter what," the Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF) went online amid the coronavirus pandemic, celebrating its 61st anniversary and bringing together movie lovers from Greece and abroad.

TIFF, which kicked off on November 5, had to adapt to the new circumstances with a smaller program due to COVID-19. Though they were prepared to present a hybrid festival with physical screenings and some events taking place online, the general lockdown imposed by the Greek government last week led them to go completely virtual.

"Even though the festival is a big success and viewers are happy, the online festival cannot substitute the experience of attending a physical event and watching films with an audience on a big screen," Yorgos Krassakopoulos, head of Programming Thessaloniki International Film Festival, told Xinhua.

Running until November 15, the festival hosts 177 films from across the world, with 15 avant-premieres. It includes 18 Greek full-feature films, as well as 21 Greek shorts and some Chinese movies.

"We are looking into strengthening our bonds with the Chinese industry and we are always open to collaborations and discovering new and interesting voices from the country," Krassakopoulos added.