7th Thessaloniki International Short Film Festival

7th Short Film Festival

7th Short Film Festival

Just when the weather starts getting a bit chilly, we are entering the month of the film festivals, and we have the chance to get lost in the stories and atmospheres that they have to offer.

Let’ start with the 7th Thessaloniki International Short Film Festival

What is it ?

A challenging international short-film festival for outstanding and cutting-edge short films, promoting directors of good cinema and providing excellent viewing for the cinephiles attending it. Now in its 7th edition…

History

The festival was initiated in 2007 as AZA Short Film Festival, and in 2009 the Mayor of Thessaloniki recommended it changes its name to THESS SHORT FILM FESTIVAL as representing the city of THESSaloniki.  Numerous films selected and screened have reached nominations for OSCAR, Cesar awards, Cannes and other important distinctions.

When

20-26 October 2013

Where

Cine Alexandros – Ethnikis Amynis 1 ( Opposite the White Tower )

2nd Thessaloniki Night Half Marathon

If you are downtown tonight and see the main streets closed for cars, don’t panic ! It is time for the 2nd Thessaloniki Night Half Marathon !

Quite a few renowned long-distance runners will honor the 2nd International Thessaloniki Night Half Marathon, on Saturday Oct. 19, joining the party which will see more than 9,000 participants occupy the main streets of the city by night.

The competition will not only have a huge participation in all, but will also host quite a few elite Greek runners, who will have the rare experience of such an after dark event.

Top-class runners such as Mihalis Parmakis, Kostas Poulios, Antonis Papadimitriou and Kostas Drosos, accompanied by Dimitris Tsiounis, Yannis Krekas and Iason Ioannidis will fight for the top spots at the Night Half Marathon.

Moreover, there is going to be the triathlon champion Grigoris Skoularikis joined by his sister Hara Skoulariki, while the women’s list boast with more renowned runners, such as Magda Gazea (winner of last April’s 8th “Alexander the Great” Marathon), Denise Dimaki, Vasiliki Karageorgaki and Efthymia Pouliopoulou.

The participants list has got some important names registered for the 5000 m Road Race as well. Pavlos Apostolidis, winner of the respective race of the 8th “Alexander the Great” Marathon six months ago, will do his best for another medal. The Road Race will be honored by two of the greatest current Thessaloniki sporting stars and Olympians, albeit not representatives of track & field: Swimmer Aris Grigoriadis and cyclist Yannis Tamouridis, both world champions in their field of expertise, will join the nighttime party and enjoy running the streets of Thessaloniki.

If you want to participate but did not register in time for the event the organisers have some good new for you!  They decided to offer 1,000 more places for non-registered people who wish to participate in this nighttime running party.  These 1,000 additional places (300 for the Half Marathon and 700 for the 5000m. Road Race) will be distributed on a first come – first serve basis, at the Registration Center of the Kaftanzoglion Stadium, which will be open on Thursday Oct. 17 and Friday Oct. 18, from 10:00 to 20:00.

So if you want to participate in this huge party for all citizens and visitors of Thessaloniki you still have time !

Starting Time: 18:42

Route description: The race starts at Nikis Avenue

The Halfmarathon route follows the streets: Nikis Avenue, Alexander The Great Avenue, Paraskevopoulou, Vasilisis Olgas Avenue, Vasileos Georgiou Avenue, Andronikou, Tsimiski, Politechniou, Kountouriotou Avenue, Salaminos, Nikis Avenue where the athletes finish in front of the White Tower, after three rounds.

Route map

Route map

For more info you can visit their website or their Facebook page. 

Photography Exhibition – Of Ink and Light: a look into the soul of spanish american literature. Daniel Mordzinski

 

Until the 24th of October you have the chance to visit a photography exhibition of famous writers, hosted at an unusual space, as part of the Dimitria Festival.

Photo Exhibition at Bensouan Han

Photo Exhibition at Bensouan Han

Daniel Mordzinski, was born in Buenos Aires in 1960, and is considered the writers’ photographer.

This is something that has earned him various roles, from war correspondent, to a photojournalist based in France and author of more than ten travel guides. Over the last 30 years he has photographed every writer and great thinker that he could get his hands on, which has had him closely follow the evolution of literature over these last three decades.

Mario Vargas Llosa himself even said that, to say that Mordzinski has photographed authors is simply not enough, but rather he makes profound and respectful interpretations of their personality as is reflected in the features and characteristics of his photos.

The Argentinian photographer has photographed writers such as Jorge Amado, Martin Amis, Paul Auster, Francisco Ayala, Mario Bendetti, Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, Gabriel García Marquez, José Saramago and Mario Vargas Llosa.

http://www.danielmordzinski.com

26 September – 24 October 2013 / The exhibition is part of the 48th Dimitria Festival /  Curator: Miguel Fernández Belmonte

Venue: Bensouan Han (Edessis 6, Ano Ladadika, tel. 2313318212)

Opening hours: Daily 12.00-21.00

In collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes of Athens, Thessaloniki Museum of Photography and the Federico Garcia Lorca Cultural Center of Thessaloniki

The exhibition is part of the PhotoBiennale parallel program by TMP

Open House Thessaloniki 2013

Open House Thessaloniki 2013

Open House Thessaloniki 2013

Open House Thessaloniki is back for the second year !

In 2012 Thessaloniki joined the Open House family and started organizing an event that celebrates the city’s architecture and design.

Do you know what exactly is it ?

A simple but powerful concept: showcasing outstanding architecture for all to experience, completely for free. Open House initiatives invite everyone to explore and understand the value of a well-designed built environment.

The history behind it

The Open House event started in London in 1992, gaining in the past 20 years a lot of appreciation and support. Today 21 cities are members of the Open House Worldwide family and host annually this event, including New York, Dublin, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Helsinki, Melbourne, Barcelona, Chicago, Rome, Lisbon etc.

The second Open House event in Greece is taking place on 19th and 20th of October in Thessaloniki. Selected architectural sites will be open to the public during this weekend.

The event is organised by the non-governmental and non-profit organisation Open House Greece, founded in 2012.

Open House Thessaloniki aspires to expose the architectural treasures of this dynamic city, and make architecture accessible to all. Its aim is to contribute to the deeper understanding of urban design and public space, and enable all citizens and visitors to explore and understand the value of a well-designed built environment. You will find the detailed program with venues and times here.

We cannot wait !

Meet A Local – Christina Dimitriadou

Local ChristinaStarting today, LoveThessaloniki.com will introduce you to some local people of the city, who will share with you their most as well as their least favourite things about Thessaloniki, and give you their personal suggestions of things to see and do while you are in town.

Meet a local presents to you our first guest, Christina Dimitriadou.  Christina works in Trade and Public Relations, she was born and raised in Thessaloniki, but lives in Athens for the last 6 years.

How much of a local are you ?

Quite a lot. It depends on the mood.

Do you currently live in Thessaloniki ?

I live mostly in Athens,  I ‘ve been gone for almost 6 years, but I try to spend as much time as I can between the two cities.

Name the three things you love about this city.

1.Walking by the seafront.

2. The people.

3. The city’s downtown centre.

Name the three things you hate about this city.

1.  The fact that the city’s downtown draws all the attention in terms of renovated streets, sidewalks etc, and all the remaining neighborhoods remain the same, with an evident decay.

2. The subway works in progress.

3. Egnatia street in general.

Give us your top things for a visitor to do in Thessaloniki

1. Walk by the seafront, visit the white tower, have coffee in Café Nikis 35 and lunch at Kitchen bar, all in once.

2. Go to Chalkidiki which is so close by.

3. Visit the ancient market, and have a stroll in the local area.

4. Have a sunset drink at the rooftop of Electra Palace Hotel in Aristotelous square.

5. Visit Vergina, which is also close by.

6. Visit Gerovasiliou winery for wine tasting which is located outside Thessaloniki, in Epanomi.

Where do we find you right now ?

In Thessaloniki.

What are you doing ?

Working long hours in two jobs for the next two months.

Where would you rather be and do ?

New York City. I missed the big apple’s vibe.  Its been ages !

Thank you Christina ! We were hoping to get your favourite Thessaloniki city spot in the last question but obviously you are in a travel mood !

3rd Thessaloniki Performance Festival

performance festiva;A performance festival will take place in Thessaloniki next week in the context of the 4th Biennale 

After the successful conduct of the first and the second Performance Festival, the public’s positive response and how it contributed to the spread of performance as an artistic expression and practice, the 3rd Festival is aiming to be an important project that will explore the concept and the development of performance, will instigate awareness and will set down an indelible mark on the city.

The festival’s program will include live performances which will highlight the diverse elements that constitute the art of performance, master classes by artists participating in the festival and a workshop to be held a week before the opening of the Festival and will aim to broaden the relationship between performance and photography, as also the transition through the photographic lens.

In addition, the Festival will include an one day conference with theorists/art historians and interventions by artists and participants of the Festival, experimental electronic music concerts and screenings of video performances. In addition, underlining the historical background of this artistic practice, the Festival will make tributes to two major art figures that throughout their longtime artistic trajectories, they excelled in the area of performance.

ARTISTS 
Live performances: Maria Jose Arjona (Colombia), Ron Athey (USA/UK), Aymeric Hainaux (France), Clarice, Lima (Brazil), MaraM (Italy), Mohamed El Mahdaoui (Morocco), Monali Meher (India), Alekos Plomaritis (Greece), Tamar Raban (Israel), Maria Sideri (Greece)
Workshop + exhibition: Manuel Vason
Tribute: Dimitris Alithinos (lecture, re-enactments, video screenings
Screenings: VALIE EXPORT
Video-performance exhibition: Filippo Berta (Italy), Andres Galeano (Spain), Sarah Trouche (France), Mary Zygouri (Greece), Performance Voyage by Artists’ Association MUU (Finland)-Annette Arlander (Finland), Filippo Berta (Italy), Trine Hylander (Norway), Essi Kausalainen (Finland), Mikey Mc Parlane & Michael Mallis (USA), Maria Nikiforaki (Greece / UK), Anna Nykyri (Finland), Andreas Pashias (Cyprus) , Dana Sederowsky (Sweden), Surya Tuchler (Germany), Tracy Valcarcel (Peru / Canada), Eero Yli-Vakkuri (Finland)
Conference:“You had to be there.” Documenting, archiving and curating performance art. Coordinator: Angeliki Avgitidou, Key note speakers: Adrian Heathfield & Manuel Vason
Masterclasses: Aymeric Hainaux , Clarice Lima, Tamar Raban

Duration: October 15-19, 2013
Curator and Coordination: Eirini Papakonstantinou

THE FASHION ROOM SERVICE

roomservice

The Fashion Room Service Thessaloniki edition is back in town, tomorrow October 6th !

This Sunday, October 6. The Ozon creative team in synergy with OFF Radio present the established Fashion Room Service event in PORTO PALACE HOTEL ,Thessaloniki.

After two years, the event returns to the city, presenting new designers, collections and creations for this season- in one of the biggest deluxe class hotels.

Selected rooms in PORTO PALACE will transform into mini pop up showrooms giving the chance to stylists,  fashion editors, fashion bloggers, photographers, press and of course the public to explore and discover new up and coming Greek designers and promising creators/artists.

The participants of this year’s FASHION ROOM SERVICE are:

GEORGINA KOSTARA, PANDORA PSILOPOULOU, FOTIS GIAKOUMATOS, YIORGOS KOULASIDIS DRAMA QUEEN, POPPYSEEDS, KNIKATI, SPANAKI CLUTCHES, ASELELEONORA, LUCKY PIG, BORD DEL’EAU DESIGN, ZOI GIAKOUMATOU , 3RD FLOOR, ARCHITECTURAL FASHION BY NEFELIA

The Fashion Room Service event will complete its course with a party- DJ set, curated by OFF Radio’s radio producers while the guests will be able to enjoy free and cool cocktails made by the Absolut Vodka bartending team in the amazing Roof Garden of Porto Palace Hotel.

The rooms will be open from 15:30 – 22.30

Porto Palace: 26th Octovriou st, Thessaloniki Port.

Evening Party by ABSOLUT vodka from 18:00

For more info: 210 3634009

The Bar

The BarOne of my favourite bars all year long is The Bar in the White Tower area.  This bar last year celebrated its 10 years and I also celebrated 10 years of going there with my friends !

It is one of the few places I equally enjoy during summer and winter. and actually feels like home to me !  The decor itself is not the normal bar atmosphere but it has a unique colourful, ethnic mix style, which is exactly my style !  The stuff is very friendly and will always find you a place to sit even if it is fully crowded, which is a big plus if you go late on a Saturday night !

Since this October came with a cool attitude and temperature dropped very quickly … this is a great suggestion for one of your first indoors Friday night drinks.

If you are lucky, you might get the chance to see one of the live bands they house at some winter nights.  They have provided us with some excellent memories of good times !

The Bar
Bar
Nikiforou Foka 3

Near White Tower

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Fix in Art

fixinartFix in Art is an alternative art multi-space in the west side of the city, not far from the city centre.

It is located in an old building right next to the nightlife area of Fix. It houses concerts, dance lessons, theatre seminars, free movie screenings and a used bookstore all under one roof !

I first went there last spring after a friend suggested to go watch the classic movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and I was pleasantly surprised with this alternative art space.

The new dance season starts today so you can visit their facebook page for details on time schedule and prices. I have to tell you that this is not your regular dance class with latin and zumba. Here you can even learn how to dance Bollywood style !

I suggest you keep an eye on their page as various events come up throughout the year.

Φιξ In art
Performing Arts Venue and Other Nightlife
26th of October 15

Fix area

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Candybar

Candybar

Let’s say goodbye to September with a really sweet suggestion.

Candybar is a very cute coffee place that recently opened at Thessaloniki at the pedestrian street of Ag. Theodoras in the heart of the city !

It is very colourful and happy inside and out.  It offers home made sweets and beverages along with the usual coffee and drinks, all at very attractive prices.  While the weather is still good you will enjoy sitting outside by the swings in the pedestrian area away from the street noise.

If the wafers and marshmallows that come with your drink are not enough, you can always order one of the special sweets .

Candybar is a great choice all year long. When the weather gets colder just sitting inside this playful environment enjoying a delicious hot drink will make it a bit easier…

Candybar
Café, Cocktail Bar, and Lounge
Agias Theodoras 4

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