In an emotionally charged atmosphere, amid the war situation in Ukraine, the hybrid 24th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival which took place once again with the support of EKOME, concluded on March 20th. Documentary aficionados had the opportunity to watch 233 short and feature-length audiovisual works in physical spaces and online.
Five works supported by EKOME’s cash rebate program were screened at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (three at a world premiere), receiving distinctions and excellent reviews. Also screened were 12 Greek documentary films as part of the tribute “Motherland, I See You” – a major sponsor of which is EKOME – and 10 student documentaries that have been created during the educational programs of Chania Film Festival in the framework of an action supported by EKOME in collaboration with the CFF.
Documentaries supported by the Greek cash rebate
The “Broken Sound” by Fivos Kontogiannis, produced by Foss Productions, which attempts a cultural and social depiction of the evolution of Greek society through the history of the bouzouki, won the Fischer Audience Award.
The “Arm Wrestler” by Yorgos Goussis, produced by Oh My Dog Productions, won the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Award for Best Greek Documentary απέσπασε το βραβείο της Διεθνούς Ομοσπονδίας Κριτικών Κινηματογράφου FIPRESCI along the Youth Jury Award for Best Greek Film.
The documentary “The students of Umberto Primo”, directed by Alessandra Maioletti and produced by Oneiro productions, was screened during the Festival and tells the story of nine Jewish students of the Italian school Umberto Primo in Thessaloniki during the Nazi occupation.
The film “The city and the city” by Christos Passalis and Sylla Tzoumerkas, had its Greek premiere following its world premiere at Berlinale’s 2022 Encounters competition section, while the episode of the dramatized documentary series “The generation of the ’30s: M. Karagatsis” directed by Giorgos Gikapeppas for Cosmote TV was also screened during the Festival.
“Motherland, I see you”
In this year’s 24th TDF 12 benchmark documentaries were screened as part of the program of rescue, digitization, screening, and study of films from the rich heritage of 20th century Greek cinema “Motherland, I See You”. The program is an initiative of the Greek Film Academy, under the auspices of the Greece 2021 Committee, with EKOME as a major sponsor.
“With my documentary I travel”
The 24th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival is the starting point of the action “With my documentary I travel” of the Chania International Film Festival, which takes place with the support of EKOME. Ten student documentaries – out of about 70 – that have been created in recent years in the framework of the educational programs “CineLearning” and “True Stories / GR.E.Doc” of the Chania Film Festival were presented as a unit, on the online platform of the 24th TDF.
Agora of the 24th TDF
EKOME believes in the networking of professionals of the audiovisual industry and strengthens it with the physical presence of its executives in the actions of the Documentary Festival Agora.
Stelios Kraounakis, Head of Investment Incentives and Finance Directorate of EKOME, participated in the Agora Talks on “Documentary development support: How to apply to funding programs” presenting the ways to support the documentary, in a panel constituted by Anna Kassimati, Head of the Creative Europe MEDIA Office of the Greek Film Center and Eleni Chandrinou, Vice President of the Greek Film Center.
Accredited directors and producers had the opportunity for one-to-one talks with Maria Arabatzoglou – member of the Investment incentives and financing directorate of EKOME, within the framework of the Doc Counselling Action, which offers private consulting meetings to creators from Greece and abroad.
Moreover, EKOME executives were at the stand in Warehouse C throughout the Festival, informing the public and professionals of the audiovisual sector about the financial tools of EKOME, the operation of the National Network of Film Offices, its educational program, and the overall effort to enhance audiovisual production.