‘Thank you for banking with us’ by Palestinian filmmaker Laila Abbas Among Meet The Neighbors+ Competition Titles – DNyuz

EXCLUSIVE: Twelve new works, including a feature photograph by Palestinian filmmaker Laila Abbas, will be shown as part of the Meet The Neighbors+ competition sidebar at this year’s Thessaloniki Film Festival.

The jury for this year’s Meet The Neighbors+ comp includes Ukrainian filmmaker Maryna Er Gorbach, actress Manal Awad and distributor Vassilis Sourrapas.

The main prize in the Meet The Neighbors+ comp is the Golden Alexander “Michel Demopoulos” for Best Feature Film. The gong carries a cash prize of 10,000 euros, which is divided equally between the producer and the film director. The Silver Alexander – Best Director Award comes with a cash prize of 5,000 euros.

Abbas’ Thank you for banking with us is a co-production Palestine-Germany-Saudi Arabia-Qatar-Egypt. The film arrives in Greece after screening at the London Film Festival. Abbas, a filmmaker and academic, first gained international attention in 2013 with the documentary film Ice and dust. The Thank you for banking with us The synopsis reads: When their father dies and leaves a large sum of money in the bank, two sisters put aside their differences and join forces against Sharia law, which says their brother has the right to take double what he is entitled to has finished.

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There are four projects in Meet The Neighbors with Greek producers. The winner of the Meet the Neighbors Competition 2023 was Murderess by Eva Nathana.

Check out the full 2024 lineup below.

HuntChristos Pitharas, Greece, 73΄

Yannis, a lonely man, finds solace in hunting and working on handmade jewelry. His neighbor, Elias, constantly abuses his dog. While Elias works night shifts, the dog stays on the balcony barking, keeping Yannis awake. When Yannis’ estranged mother dies, he falls apart. The clash with Elias will be inevitable.

KillerwoodChristos Massalas, Greece, 84΄

Titos, a young director, is preparing his new film: a thriller that investigates a series of unsolved murders in contemporary Athens. Could these murders be the work of a serial killer? Is it just fiction?

RivieraOrfeas Peretzis, Greece-France, 84΄

A dying palm tree, a doomed summer romance and a mother who wants to move on. This will be Alkistis’s last summer on the Athenian Riviera.

The exilesBelén Funes, Spain-Chile, 108΄

Anabel and her mother, Delia, mourn Julián, Anabel’s father. An eviction notice forces them to leave their home in Barcelona and return to the olive groves of Jaén they once left in search of a better future. Together they look for a way to rebuild their future by returning to their abandoned roots.

Sacred electricityTato Kotetishvili, Georgia-Netherlands, 95΄

When young Gonga and his cousin Bart find a suitcase full of rusty crosses on a scrap heap, Bart comes up with the idea to turn them into neon crucifixes and sell them door-to-door to the gullible residents of Tbilisi. Their crusade through the city’s outskirts becomes a search for love and friendship.

Wash inkSarra Tsorakidis, Romania-Greece-Denmark, 89΄

Among the mountains, lakes and trees, far away from her real life, she fell in love with the one she least expected: herself. When her work partner cannot accompany her on the job, Lena is forced to move into the largest hotel she has ever had to paint. In doing so, she opens herself up and discovers her inner strength and moral values.

The MohicanFrédéric Farrucci, France, 87΄

In the Corsica of overtourism and the contractor mafia, a shepherd who keeps his flock in a privileged spot by the sea is threatened several times by the mafia, but he resists it. When he commits murder while defending himself during a skirmish with an accomplice, both the mafia and the police launch a manhunt across the island. But the fugitive will find allies in the most unexpected people; his activist niece, as well as the community of humble islanders who take him under their wing and call him “the Mohican” – the only one who endures despite the region’s degradation. It’s not just that The Mohican is an impressively well-crafted chase film, made with the bare necessities, and that breathes new life into the archetypal myth of the “simple man against a corrupt system”; What makes the film a must-see are its chilling similarities to everything happening along the entire Mediterranean coastline, and especially its clear – but never cheaply accusatory – political stance, as well as its call for solidarity and moral integrity.

New dawn fadesGürcan Keltek, Türkiye-Germany-Italy-Netherlands-Norway, 130΄

Akin is an emerging actor who, after graduating, is admitted to a psychiatric facility and diagnosed with severe bipolar disorder. After fleeing the hospital but unable to remember the lines, he is fired from work in small roles on TV series and then at a community theater. He hides his illness and works as a guardian for children in the indoor playground of a shopping center. His body, which initially responds well to lithium, develops tolerance. As Akın loses touch with his true self, his mind shifts to another reality. He sees a dead girl he saw on a missing girl poster and she promises to “take him to the other side.” While he is controlled with heavy chemicals, we stroll outside, in the dark streets of the city, in the squares, among the crowds. The streets of overcrowded neighborhoods, where evil became banal and grace perished, are now home to “devils” and “demons.” They are among us now and they exist. In the industrial districts and creepy hometowns of Istanbul, evil gradually begins to appear.

Red toadLotfi Achour, Tunisia-France-Belgium-Poland-Saudi Arabia-Qatar, 100′

Mghila Mountain, Tunisia, November 2015. When a jihadist group attacks two very young herders, 14-year-old Ashraf is forced to take a macabre message back to his family. Traumatized and trying not to lose his mind, Ashraf is confronted with the powerlessness of his elders, abandoned by the authorities. Inspired by true events, Red toad is a dreamy dive into a child’s wounded psyche and his incredible ability to overcome trauma.

Thank you for banking with usLaila Abbas, Palestine-Germany-Saudi Arabia-Qatar-Egypt, 92΄

When their father dies and leaves a large sum of money in the bank, two sisters put aside their differences and join forces against the Sharia, which says their brother has the right to take double what they are entitled to.

VittoriaAlessandro Cassigoli, Casey Kauffman, Italy, 80΄

Jasmine is forty and has everything she ever wanted: a devoted husband, three loving sons, and a thriving hair salon just south of Naples. But after her father’s death, she experiences a recurring dream in which a young girl runs into her arms, offering Jasmine a new sense of fulfillment and completeness that she cannot ignore. She decides to follow her dream of having a daughter and dives into the challenging world of international adoption – risking her marriage, her sons’ well-being and her own moral compass. The entire family is in crisis until they finally realize that the only way out is together. Based on true events and with non-professional actors portraying their own lives. Vittoria delves deep into the complexities of family dynamics and the seemingly irrational desires of the human psyche.

You are the universePavlo Ostrikov, Ukraine-Belgium, 102′

The near future. A Ukrainian space truck driver, Andriy Melnyk, transports nuclear waste on the cargo ship to the desolate Jupiter moon Callisto. During his routine flight, the Earth explodes, but Andriy manages to survive. Andriy becomes the last person in the universe until the French Catherine calls him from the distant space station. Andriy decides to see her despite all obstacles.

The jury consists of filmmaker Maryna Er Gorbach, actress Manal Awad and distributor Vassilis Sourrapas

The awards

· Golden Alexander “Michel Demopoulos” – Prize for best feature film, accompanied by a cash prize of 10,000 euros; the amount is divided equally between the producer and the director of the film

· Silver Alexander – Award for Best Director, accompanied by a cash prize of 5,000 euros; the amount is offered to the director of the film.

· Best Actor Award

· Best Actress Award

· The jury may also award a Best Screenplay Award or a Best Artistic Achievement Award

· The Jury may also award a maximum of two entries.

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