Scenes from the 49th Thessaloniki Film Festival

Blagging and blogging, ducking and diving. Another full day taking pictures during the film festival.

For more info on the 49th Thessaloniki Film Festival click here.

Willem Dafoe - The Dust of Time

It turned out that Theo Angelopoulos along with Willem Dafoe were giving the press conference. I hung around and took a few pics. I suppose I should have been Twittering as well but I wanted to be able to photograph freely without dragging around the laptop.

Angelopoulos is presenting his latest film, The Dust of Time here at the 49th Thessaloniki Film Festival.

Blogging live

Just managed to blag my way into the the press conference here at the Thessaloniki Film Festival and once again for some reason they've got a line of bouncers checking IDs . Actually, I'm not sure even why I did it as I don't know who is going to be speaking. Still, it's a challenge and it's pouring down outside.

Pictures will follow as soon as I find the cables to link my camera to my Mac

Scenes from the 49th Thessaloniki Film Festival

ΔIΟΝΥΣΗΣ ΣΑΒΒΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ/, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Oliver Stone at the 49th Thessaloniki Film Festival

Oliver Stone, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

I managed to get a few pictures of Oliver Stone as he left the press conference he gave during the Thessaloniki Film Festival. Couldn't get in though as a wall of bouncers barred entrance to anyone not accredited. To tell you the truth the security presence this year is overwhelming and quite intimidating. You'd think the city was hosting the Olympic games rather than a cultural event.

Diablo Cody

Today I'm hanging out at the Thessaloniki film festival, just taking advantage of their wi-fi connection and catching up with friends. By the way I came across Diablo Cody and grabbed a quick shot. Cody is best known as the writer of last years's indy cinema classic, Juno.

49th Thessaloniki film festival - yesterday

49th Thessaloniki film festival, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

'Faithful to its annual date with cinephiles, the 49th Thessaloniki Film Festival, Greece's grandest and most prestigious event for the 7th art, opens its doors on November the 14th, 2008, bringing about the transformation of the city of Thessaloniki to a youthful hive of life and creative association.

Multi-awarded Belgian auteurs Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, heretical Japanese actor and director Takeshi Kitano, unconventional English director Terence Davies, internationally renowned and two-time Academy Award winner Argentinean composer Gustavo Santaolalla and Brazilian director Walter Salles are only a few of the big names of modern cinema that are expected to honor this year's festival with their presence.'

49th Thessaloniki International Film Festival,

49th Thessaloniki International Film Festival,, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Today is the first day of the Thessaloniki film festival (still trying to find where they hid the festival programme in their website) here so I'm trying to get press accreditation but if the worse comes to the worse I'll just do what I normally do and just gatecrash. It is amazing the kind of access you can get with a confident attitude and a DSLR camera hanging round your neck.

Still, there was also plenty of other things going on in the centre this morning. Anarchists in a stand off with the authorities outside the police station in Aristotelous square, half the city's OAPs lining up for a free diabetes test at the other end near the sea.,

And it wasn't even midday.