It was when the Film Festival opened its doors to the international film scene in 1992 that Thessaloniki audiences first became acquainted with the New Horizons program, appearing alongside the International Competition and Greek Film segments. As their name indicated and as they would go on to show, New Horizons revealed an unknown world and brought filmgoers in contact with a kind of cinema to which they would never otherwise have access – an alternative, subversive cinema that offered them valuable audiovisual experiences. Two decades later, New Horizons are no older – in fact they’re keeping up with the times, expanding their range and making the most of the invaluable experience of previous years. Renamed Open Horizons, they scour the world for films which, through their sharpness of vision, their aesthetic daring and their topical choice of subject matter, lay claim to a special place on the map of contemporary cinema. Though unique in their style and their cinematic approach, the films that make up this segment are linked by a common denominator: the broadening of the limits and the expectations of the viewer, and the molding of his/her perception towards a new way of seeing and conversing with images. In the films selected by Open Horizons, nothing can be taken for granted besides the need for communication along a joint course of artistic experimentation, inquiry and achievement. After all, out in the open sea, everything becomes an adventure full of unexpected turns. I’m happy to welcome you on the new and unpredictable adventures of Open Horizons – I hope you enjoy them!

Dimitri Eipides