Thessaloniki: ‘Unorthodox’ Creator Anna Winger To Headline Greek Festival’s Agora Series Industry Programme

EXCLUSIVE: Writer and producer Anna Winger, best known for popular projects like Unorthodox and Deutschland 83 , will be the headline guest of this year’s Agora Series programme at the Thessaloniki Film Festival in Greece.

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Launched in 2022, Agora Series is Thessaloniki’s forum for series production in Greece and the broader Eastern Εuropean and Mediterranean region. This year’s edition will run from November 2-3.

Winger will take part in an onstage Q&A moderated by Rachel Eggebeen, Chief Content Officer at Amplify Pictures. The session will be held in partnership with Oxbelly and will be based on the work of a showrunner. Topics will include what exactly is involved in being a showrunner on a TV series.

The 2024 Agora Series will further feature a case study presentation on the forthcoming drama series Kabul , with producers Fabienne Servan Schreiber (Cinétévé), Matthias Weber (24 25 Films), and executive producer Sandrine Paquot in discussion with Faye Tsitipi, Head of Strategic Analysis and Productions at Cosmote TV. The group will discuss the challenges and opportunities of co-production financing. The upcoming series, which was filmed in Athens, is based on the true events of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 and will premiere in early 2025 on Cosmote TV. The discussion is presented in partnership with the European Producers Club. Elsewhere, in collaboration with MIDPOINT, producers Émilie Blézat and Hyppe Salmi will hold a talk on IP and its use as a tool for innovation and social change.

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The Agora series programme will end with film and TV consultant Tatjana Samopjan presenting a masterclass titled Real Imagination: Storytelling In the Age of AI. Festival organizers have said the masterclass will focus on “the relationship between the lives we live and the stories we tell, exploring how the vibrancy of our experience and the quality of our perception influence the stories we create.” Samopjan works as a creative consultant specializing in the development of TV series, films, and documentaries, and is the co-founder of Fractal Volcano creative retreats.

The Thessaloniki Film Festival runs from October 31 to November 10.

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