With the film Maria starring Angelina Jolie, the Thessaloniki Film Festival kicks off

In Maria, Oscar-winning Angelina Jolie portrays Maria Callas, the most iconic performer of the 20th century. The film focuses on the legendary Greek diva during her final days in Paris after a dazzling yet tumultuous life. Maria revisits Callas’ life, offering a glimpse into her identity and revealing unknown aspects of her personality.

The Oscar-nominated and Cannes, Venice, and Berlin award-winning director takes us deep into the life of a mythical figure who struggles with the weight of her immense fame and legacy.

Jolie’s performance, which received rave reviews and applause at the recent Venice Film Festival, portrays the woman behind the myth — a tragic heroine confronting the ghost of her unparalleled past glory, the fear of mortality, and the unhealed wounds of a life filled with extraordinary triumphs and deep scars.

Centered on the final days of Maria Callas, the festival’s opening film completes Pablo Larraín’s informal trilogy about three extraordinary women who left their mark on 20th-century history and culture, following Jackie (about Jackie Kennedy) and Spencer (about Princess Diana).

Featuring the captivating operas uniquely performed by Callas, and interspersed with flashbacks to pivotal moments in her tumultuous life — from the harrowing years of World War II to her stormy relationship with Aristotle Onassis — Maria sheds light on the human darkness lurking behind the dazzling façade of universal recognition.

The film will be released in theaters by Cinobo and Faliro House.

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