08/11/2013 - Wild Duck tops the view count charts at the market’s video room, while Grecobritish The Winter is the only non-competition title on the list

Toronto-screened Wild Duck (photo), Yannis Sakaridis’ feature debut, stands out as the most popular film in the Thessaloniki Film Festival’s video room, where industry professionals and press are able to privately watch films featured in the market’s catalogue.

Including almost all the films screening in the fest’s various programmes, as well as local titles that are seeking market interest, the video room is the fest’s go-to location for power-viewers looking to swiftly shift through the fest’s selection, or leisurely catch up on films they’ve missed.

Sakaridis’ character-centred take on the 2005 eavesdropping scandal that shook local politicians and resulted in the suicide of an involved technician, one of the two Greek titles competing for the fest’s Golden Alexander award, has been enjoying the view from the top of the list for the last few days.

Konsantinos Koutsoliotas’ The Winter, a dark-horse entry in the Greek Films section, has stirred enough interest with its sleek visuals and atmospheric look, to find itself in second place – the only non-competition title in the top five. Made on a shoestring budget as a passion project of Koutsoliotas, who works as a visual effects artist for Warner Bros in London, the film mixes a return-to-roots story with an Edgar Alan Poe-inspired aesthetic.

Sean Gallagher’s US competition entry Good Night, which comes to Thessaloniki straight from the South by Southwest fest, lands in third place, while Elina Psykou’s Berlinale-screened The Eternal Return of Antonis Paraskevas [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elina Psykou
film profile], also vying for the big award, finds itself significantly lower than its Greek contender. A mix of social commentary and personal identity drama, the film holds the list’s fourth spot.

Rounding up the top five is Katell Quillevere’s Cannes-screened family drama Suzanne [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Katell Quillévéré
film profile]. A competition entry from France, the film tells the story of Suzanne, a problem child looking for love and redemption.