The Film Office of the Region of Central Macedonia at the international film event “When East Meets West” in Trieste.
For the second consecutive year, the Film Office of the Region of Central Macedonia participated in the 15th-anniversary edition of the film market “When East Meets West” in Trieste, Italy, as part of the Tourism Promotion Program 2025. By participating in various events and activities, the Film Office strengthened its networking and outreach with Greek and international film organizations, agencies, and industry professionals.
During “When East Meets West,” the Film Office team held professional meetings with film organizations and regional film commissions across Europe, establishing new collaborations. In this context, a meeting was held with Kristina Trapp, CEO of the European organization EAVE (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs), to discuss hosting the 3rd week of the EAVE Producers Workshop in Central Macedonia. This is one of the largest professional training workshops for emerging film producers, scheduled to take place next fall in Thessaloniki.
As part of the presence of the Film Office of the Region of Central Macedonia at the event, a working meeting was held with the regional film commission of the Italian Region Friuli Venezia Giulia, headquartered in Trieste. During the meeting, the Film Office team was briefed by Gianluca Novel, Head of the Film Commission, on the competitive regional funding tools for audiovisual productions in the broader area and the potential for interregional collaborations for the training and development of local audiovisual professionals.
“We are enhancing the visibility of Central Macedonia in key film markets in Southeast Europe and strengthening our collaborations with other European film support offices in areas of common interest, such as green filming, regional funding tools, and film tourism.
In 2024, our Region doubled its participation in major international film events abroad, and we are already seeing positive results as Thessaloniki and Central Macedonia prepare to host the EAVE Producers Workshop in fall 2025, one of the most significant training workshops for emerging producers in Europe. We are strengthening our partnerships and steadily advancing the promotion of our region as a film destination,” stated Vicky Chatzivasileiou, Deputy Governor of Tourism.
It is worth noting that the Greek presence at “When East Meets West” was particularly strong this year, with four Greek films screened in the event’s programs (two of which were in competition for awards), while seven Greek producers and creators presented their projects at the Festival Market with the support of EKOME-Creative Greece.
“When East Meets West” (January 19-22, 2025), the film market of the Trieste International Film Festival, is one of the most important co-production forums, bringing together professionals and stakeholders from the audiovisual industry across Europe, with a focus on developing co-productions. This year’s edition featured 21 selected films from 14 countries, including ten creative documentaries, nine feature films, and two short animated films, presented for the first time to over 550 audiovisual industry professionals worldwide.
This year, the film market focused on new dynamic film production scenes from the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) and the Benelux countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands), aiming to foster new creative and business exchanges in the audiovisual sector with these regions.
Thank you for your collaboration.
