By Harry van Versendaal - Kathimerini English Edition

The festivalΥs regulations clearly state that the Greek content of the program should not exceed 30 percent. In recent years it became necessary to create another section where all Greek films that had been rejected were shown. Budget reasons, but also the fact that the program was now overwhelmed by Greek productions, often without any merits justifying their inclusion, made us decide to do away with this section. In addition, a law obliging all Greek documentaries to be previously presented at the festival in order to qualify for national awards, created another anomaly, where dozens of filmmakers found a way to secure access to the festivalΥs program without going through the process of selection, by simply declaring their intention to participate. I believe that the festival as an international event has to observe certain rules such as avoiding any favorable treatment of local production against international submissions.