The successful initiative Meet the Future, a collaboration between the Greek Programme and the Agora of the 65th Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF) that was launched in 2019, aiming at bringing forth the up-and-coming Greek professionals from different sectors of the film industry, was back in action for yet another year within the framework of the 65th TIFF. This year’s Meet the Future foregrounded the art of film scoring through the tribute Music in Motion: The Art of Film Scoring, welcoming film composers of the younger generation from Greece, taking the baton from film directing, cinematography, editing, acting and screenwriting that took center stage over the last years.

In the Meet the Future: Music in Motion mentorship program at TIFF65, musicologist and film music critic Eleni Mitsiaki served as a core tutor, providing critical behind-the-scenes guidance to eight selected up-and-coming Greek film composers. Moving past purely artistic concepts, Mitsiaki leveraged her deep industry expertise to equip the participants with the practical, legal, and business acumen required to navigate the international film score market. Alongside director and producer Dimitris Tsakaleas, she led these exclusive, closed-door workshops to help the composers refine their professional profiles, master pitch dynamics, and strategically position their portfolios for global audio-visual projects.

Her key roles during the event included:

Masterclass Moderator: She led and moderated the main masterclass session featuring Hollywood-based composer Kostas Christides, guiding the structural discussion on studio workflows, logic files, and director-composer dynamics.

Tutor for Emerging Talent: Alongside director/producer Dimitris Tsakaleas, Mitsiaki served as a core tutor for the eight up-and-coming Greek film composers selected for the Meet the Future program, guiding them on professional industry integration.

Closed, behind-the-scenes workshops: Exclusively for the eight up-and-coming Greek film composers selected by the festival included guidance on how to pitch their upcoming projects to global producers, culminating in their eligibility for a new orchestral scoring award presented by the Thessaloniki State Orchestra. Also, direct feedback sessions preparing the younger generation of composers to pitch their portfolios internationally and addressing the business, legal, and structural hurdles of the modern recording economy that happen entirely off-stage.