Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival

Marianne Lévy-Leblond Honored with the European Doc Network Award 2016

Sydney Levine — Sat, 26 Mar 2016 17:00:00 GMT

The 12th EDN Award was presented to Marianne Lévy-Leblond. She received the award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the development of the European documentary culture, with her work in the field of online and interactive documentary.

As Head of Web and Transmedia Productions within the web department at ARTE France, Marianne Lévy-Leblond has supported innovative cross-platform and interactive projects allowing innovative creators to work with new forms of documentary storytelling. Upon the presentation of the EDN Award, EDN Film & Media Consultant Ove Rishøj Jensen stated: "Marianne Lévy-Leblond has been part of creating structures that many of us will operate in, in our future work with documentary stories. She had been part of developing projects that we in the future will refer to as early interactive classics. For this pioneering work, we are paying tribute to her, by presenting her the 2016 EDN Award."

Among the many unique projects Lévy-Leblond has passionately supported are titles such as "Do Not Track," a web project illustrating how data shared by users on the web benefits large corporations like Google, Facebook and other global players in the field. Interactive works like "Alma" and the webseries "Affaires Familiales" are also on the long list of projects she commissioned and supported. With a view on "Alma," a story about social issues and preventing violence in war-torn Guatemala, Lévy-Leblond explained: "Interactive documentary is not a geek affair, it can bring stories to life from a world that is far away when seen from our sometimes very abstract western preoccupations. And it can do so by using these new tools to make viewers meet characters on very different terms from the ones we're used to through papers or television".

Prior to her current position, Lévy-Leblond has worked as a documentary commissioning editor at ARTE France for 10 years, having been an executive producer for numerous documentaries and TV programs. The award was presented to Lévy-Leblond at The EDN Award ceremony on 18 March 2016 during the EDN workshop Docs in Thessaloniki. The workshop was held in the framework of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival Images of the 21st Century.

The EDN Award is presented annually during Docs in Thessaloniki to an institution, group or private person for outstanding contribution to the development of the European documentary culture.

Previously The EDN Award has been presented to:

2015 Caspar Sonnen for his pioneering commitment to interactive documentary work
2014 Tue Steen Müller for a lifelong commitment to the documentary genre
2013 Stefano Tealdi and Joan Gonzales for initiating and running Documentary in Europe and DocsBarcelona, respectively
2012 Diana El Jeiroudi, Orwa Nyrabia and The DOX BOX Team for initiating the DOX BOX festival in Syria
2011 Dimitri Eipides: Director of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival
2010 IRDFA - Iranian Documentary Filmmakers Association: Director's guild in Iran focusing on documentary filmmakers
2009 Nenad Puhovski and Zagreb Dox For initiating Zagreb Dox in Croatia
2008 IDF Institute of Documentary Film: Prague based institute promoting documentary films from East- and Central Europe
2007 Svetlana and Zoran Popovic: For initiating and running Magnificent 7 in Belgrade, Serbia
2006 The Jan Vrijman Fund: Dutch film fund supporting filmmakers and festivals in developing countries
2005 YLE Documentary: The documentary department of YLE, the national public service broadcaster in Finland

Meet the 2014 Tribeca Filmmakers #12: Tyler Measom and Justin Weinstein Expose Deceptive Truths in 'An Honest Liar'

Ziyad Saadi — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 14:10:56 GMT

Documentaries are prone to exposing surprising truths, which makes Tyler Measom and Justin Weinstein's film "An Honest Liar" all the more complex given the nature of its subject: the art of deception. Measom and Weinstein chronicle the life of famed magician James "The Amazing" Randi and his attempt to expose the numerous frauds who use their tricks to con people out of money, which ultimately proves to be quite the trick itself.

Tell us about yourself.

Tyler Measom: I am but a humble chimney sweep and documentary filmmaker laboring to put bread on the table. "An Honest Liar" is my third feature to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. The others: "Take" (2008) starring Minnie Driver and Jeremy Renner and the documentary "Sons of Perdition" (2010). I live and work under the shade of a large oak tree in the lovely town of Salt Lake City. And no, I'm not a Mormon.

Justin Weinstein: My work is a mix of indie docs and broadcast journalism - "Frontline," "Peter Jennings Reporting," ABC News, etc. My last film before "An Honest Liar" was "BEING ELMO," as writer/editor with Philip Shane. I live in Brooklyn, which I swear has the highest concentration of doc filmmakers per square foot of anywhere in the world. That's a good thing - it's a great community to be a part of.

What was your biggest challenge in completing this project?

TM: James Randi seemingly lived his life for someone to make a documentary about him. He kept every letter, every photo, and recorded on VHS hundreds of his television appearances. This archival material was great for crafting the story, but when the time came to online the film, we spent weeks tracking down high-resolution copies, clearing the rights, claiming fair-use and making 30-year-old VHS tapes look presentable. But in the end, it was worth it.

JW: Aside from the archival element that Tyler mentioned, the post-production has been an incredible challenge. 4 different cameras, tons of different source & archival material, and a short time-frame.

You'd think that by the time you reach the DI & color correct that the hardest work is behind you...

What do you have in the works?

TM: I am in the process of finishing up a really fantastic documentary that I produced entitled "Jesus Town." The film tells the story of a small Oklahoma town that puts on a massive Easter Pageant in a bison pasture. Fun stuff. Of course, like all filmmakers, I also have a few dream projects that I'm pushing up the proverbial hill.

JW: I'm an Executive Producer of the film "Bronx Obama," directed by Ryan Murdock, a great film that's now showing in fests, and I've got several other projects in different stages of birth that I'm quite excited about.

Did you crowdfund? If so, via which platform? And if not, why?

TM: We kicked ass on Kickstarter. "An Honest Liar" raised $247,000 and gained a large cadre of ardent followers. Although our campaign has been over for a year now, we have continued to raise tens of thousands of dollars by selling film merchandise on our website. Needless to say, we are very thankful for everyone who has supported our film over the past three years.

JW: Yes, Kickstarter. Wonderful, loads of work, love our supporters for helping us get the film made. I would like to have a big party just to thank them, but I don't think that's how they want us to spend their money.

What camera did you shoot on? We utilized a variety of cameras during the making of "An Honest Liar." We started production with the Panasonic AG, then we purchased a Canon C300 and a Canon 5D. We also shot with the Panasonic HPX and for the main interview we used a RED Epic.

Did you go to film school? If so, which one?

TM: I did a couple of years of college, but not film school. I was something of an autodidact in the film world. I read every book I could get my hands on and religiously watched thousands of movies. At the age of 17, I talked my way onto a film set and started working in essentially all film departments for another ten years. This granted me the opportunity to learn the art of directing and producing by watching others.

JW: I went to NYU film school planning to be a narrative director and screenwriter. I loved it but wanted to learn more about other things. I also love science and was on my way to becoming a scientist. I went on to get a PhD in Genetics (Columbia University), but decided I'd prefer to help communicate science rather than do the experiments. Much of my work has had a science component, but the type of scientific thinking I learned is actually extremely valuable for journalism and filmmaking.

What films have inspired you?

TM: At the age of ten, I watched "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and realized that I wanted to be a filmmaker - indeed a heady goal for a young Mormon boy growing up in a small Utah town. I have always been, and will continue to be inspired by my absolute favorite film, "Network" (1976). The dialogue, pacing and shot placement are well ahead of its time. The wonderful political documentary "War Room" (1993) made me not only a hopeful documentarian, but a Democrat. When making" An Honest Liar," we studied the art of non-fiction storytelling by re-watching such works as "Man on Wire," "Bill Cunningham New York," "The Imposter," "F is for Fake," and "Marjoe," among others.

JW: My formative time watching films as a child was during the heydey of the 70's directors - Kubrick, Coppola, Altman, Scorsese, etc. My father would show me foreign films like Di Sica's "The Bicycle Thief." Bertolucci's "Il Conformista" (The Conformist) was a visual inspiration for me, and films like Antonioni's "Blow Up" and Coppola's "The Conversation" are also big influences. Godard's "Pierrot Le Fou" was a revelation for me in film school - but it can be unbearable if not watched on a big screen! Most directly, "F is for Fake" was an incredible inspiration for this film.

Indiewire invited Tribeca Film Festival directors to tell us about their films, including what inspired them, the challenges they faced and what they're doing next. We'll be publishing their responses leading up to the 2014 festival. Go HERE to read all the entries.

Thessaloniki Doc Fest's Sweet 16: Award Winners and a Look at Future Films from the Region

Basil Tsiokos — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 14:16:37 GMT

The 16th edition of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, a popular companion event to the city's 55-year-old November fiction fest, came to a close in Greece's second largest city this weekend. Over ten days, the event hosted 185 films, including a healthy representation of new Greek and Balkan regional productions, recent highlights from the festival circuit, and tributes to French filmmaker Nicolas Philibert, in attendance for a nine-film retrospective; and to the late Canadian producer/director, Peter Wintonick, who passed away last November.

Concurrent with the public side of the event is the Doc Market, a meeting point for filmmakers and industry professionals from across Europe and beyond, which featured masterclasses on documentary distribution, daily conversations, lectures, a pitching forum, and the festival's annual Docs in Progress, which offers an advance peek at scenes from upcoming nonfiction from the Mediterranean, Balkans, and Central Europe. An extended look at these follows below.

A competitive festival, Thessaloniki revealed this year's award winners at a ceremony on Saturday evening. This year's accolades were slightly truncated, as the government-directed dissolution of Greek public broadcaster ERT last year resulted in the discontinuation of the two awards that station previously sponsored. The feature winners included FIPRESCI winners Claus Drexel's "On the Edge of the World" and Elias Yannakakis' "Kalavryta - People and Shadows;" and Audience Award winners Erlend E Mo's "Four Letters Apart - Children in the Age of ADHD" and Dimitris Koutsiabasakos' "Becoming An Actor," the latter by the winner of the same award last year for "The Grocer." A full list of winners is included at the end of this article.

Docs in Progress

A unique element of the TDF is this program, open to accredited industry only, which offers a glimpse at the future of filmmaking from the Mediterranean and neighboring regions through a series of short introductions and clip presentations of feature or series nonfiction currently in progress. Now in its third year, Docs in Progress already has demonstrated consistency in the overall quality of its selections - as was the case last year, several now-completed alumni of the program once again made their way into the main programming selection of the festival this year, including two of the projects I highlighted last year: "Affection to the People," about cinema censorship during Greece's dictatorship; and "Time for Heroes," on the secret connection between a Washington DC-based Greek reporter and the Watergate scandal. This year's projects represented several Greek productions, as well as films from or focused on Cyprus, Bulgaria, Israel, Italy, France, Turkey, and Germany. Those which proved most intriguing included:

"Eni Got Her Gun"

Director: Polly Vlachou

Producer: Dimitris Vernikos

Country: Greece

Budget: €90,000

Synopsis:

“I would rather they take away my house than my gun or my truck!” This is the story of a woman’s long struggle to survive and become independent after a marriage which was doomed to fail. But in the small male dominated society of the mountain village she calls home, she ends up losing her feminine identity.

Of all the portraits presented, Vlachou's proved most compelling, suggesting that her protagonist could hold an audience's attention for a feature-length film. Through a simple scene showing Eni on a hunting excursion, her affability and humor was showcased, while her unorthodox attire, nearly passing as a man dressed in flannel and a hunter's cap, begs questions that invite the viewer to want to see more.

"The Invisible Hands"

Directors: Marina Gioti and George Salameh

Producers: Athina Rachel Tsangari, Maria Hatzakou, Marina Gioti, Laura Sestito
Country: Greece/Italy
Production Company: Haos Film
Budget: €260,000

Synopsis:

Alan Bishop, groundbreaking American-Lebanese musician and ethnomusicologist (Sun City Girls, Sublime Frequencies, Alvarius B), moves to Cairo soon after the 2011 revolution, and teams up with young Egyptian musicians for an ambitious project: the translation of some of his older unreleased songs’ lyrics into Arabic. Two years later, while the Arab Spring is melting into a ‘winter’ of chaos in a bitterly divided country, this project evolves into a band called The Invisible Hands. How will this musical offering and translation experiment be received?

Like Vlachou's project, Gioti and Salameh have an immediately distinctive subject, who, in addition to being featured extensively in the film, will also serve as its narrator. Bishop makes a memorable impression, a sort of wry, gonzo commentator on Egypt, offering a unique Western perspective on a by-now well-covered part of the world. That said, his strong persona may not suit all viewers, so it remains to be seen what kind of balance will be struck between this figure and the music/translation elements, and how visually and cinematically-suited the latter will be.

"Blend"

Director: Rachel Rusinek

Producer: Eyal Ben Moshe
Country: Israel
Production Company: 2Team Productions
Budget: €135,000

Synopsis:

Winemakers in the West Bank appropriate the land through the roots of their vines. The wine they produce is ideologically tainted. But as we follow three different stories, we discover that these people are not only here for reasons of principle, but because of a need to escape their past lives.

While there have been several recent projects about the occupation/settlement of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Rusinek seems to have found a creative angle that also offers much room for metaphorical exploration. Her characters, including a vintner and his wife, the latter legitimately concerned about her safety and that of her children, may or may not be sympathetic, depending on one's ideology, but their conflict adds a welcome level of family drama to the proceedings.

"Beloved Days"

Director: Constantinos Patsalides

Producer: George Avraam
Country: Cyprus
Production Company: Walking Around The World Ltd
Budget: €193,500

Synopsis:

The discovery of an old classic, "The Beloved," was a pleasant surprise for Yorgos, a young filmmaker. Starring Hollywood legends Raquel Welch, Richard Johnson, Jack Hawkins, Dame Flora Robson, and Jack Wolf, the film was directed in 1970 by George Pan Cosmatos, in the village of Karmi in Cyprus, which has been under Turkish occupation since 1974. Yorgos tracks down the cast to ask them about their impressions of Cyprus, and also talks to the villagers about their experience of the shooting of the film, culminating in a special screening in the village, as they never actually saw the finished project.

The most compelling element of Patsalides' project is the contextualization of the village's experience within the larger story of Cyprus. The meta-filmic aspects might threaten to simply descend into rarefied nostalgia, with villagers simply indulging in old memories, but if this project instead uses the existence of this little-known Raquel Welch film to provide a frame for understanding the later disruption of their lives due to the 1974 invasion, then there's greater potential here. I'm not convinced, frankly. If this does prove instead to simply focus on "The Beloved," the filmmaker will have to do a lot of work to foreground that all-but-forgotten film, as it's simply not the "classic" the synopsis suggests, and it will likely fail to resonate beyond a very small audience of Cypriots.

"Sad People Factory"

Director: Michèle Dominici

Producers: Karina Si Ahmed & Jean-François Lepetit
Country: France
Production Companys: Flach Film Production, ARTE France
Budget: €568,000

Synopsis:

In 2002 the WHO released a statement saying that depression had reached epidemic proportions: 350 million people live with depression – the leading cause of disability worldwide. What if we stopped reducing depression to a strictly individual phenomenon? The film is a worldwide investigation into the global nature and epidemic scope of depression, shown from a societal point of view, and brings together original points of view from those – sociologists, philosophers, social workers, neuropsychiatrists – who are on the subject’s cutting edge, in order to find the contextual evidence of what is creating this fertile ground for depression.

This year's winner of the Docs in Progress prize - €15,000 in services from Greek posthouse Authorwave - laudably aims to tackle a familiar subject on a more macro level. That said, beyond its intriguing title, the presentation failed to generate enthusiasm from me, or to distinguish itself from other treatments of mental illness - I hope the final project better realizes its promise of bringing new insight.

Go to page 2 for the full list of winners.

Awards

16th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival winners:

FIPRESCI Awards:

Two awards were determined by the International Federation of Film Critics:

Greek Selection:

"Kalavryta - People and Shadows"

Elias Yannakakis, Greece

A collective portrait of the survivors of a WWII-era slaughter of the male populace of a Greek town by occupying Nazi soldiers

International Selection:

"On the Edge of the World"

Claus Drexel, France

An exploration of the nocturnal lives of Paris' homeless.

Audience Awards:

Greek Selections:

"Becoming An Actor"

Dimitris Koutsiabasakos, Greece (feature)

Three years in the lives of aspiring drama school students.

"Social Conservatory - Notes"

Thekla Malamou and Alexandra Saliba, Greece (short)

About a collective of professional Athenian musicians who provide free music lessons.

International Selections:

The feature award has been renamed "The Peter Wintonick Audience Award" in honor of the late, beloved Canadian producer, a regular at the festival. This year's winner:

"Four Letters Apart - Children in the Age of ADHD"

Erlend E Mo, Denmark (feature)

Three Danish children diagnosed with ADHD take part in an alternative program for a year.

"Beach Boy"

Emil Langballe, UK (short)

A young Kenyan makes a living wooing romance-seeking female tourists.

Amnesty International Award (Human Rights section):

"Capulcu - Voices From Gezi"

Benedetta Argentieri, Claudio Casazza, Carlo Prevosti, Duccio Servi, Stefano Zoja, Italy/Turkey

Scenes from the occupation of Istanbul's Gezi Park and Taksim Square.

World Wildlife Fund Award (Habitat section):

"Winter"

Cristina Picchi, Russia

Northern Russia and Siberia, captured in the winter.

Docs in Progress Award (€15,000 in-kind services):

"Sad People Factory"

Director: Michèle Dominici, Producers: Karina Si Ahmed, Jean-François Lepetit – Flach Film Production, France

A global, sociological perspective on the epidemic of depression.

EDN Award, presented to an institution, group, or person for outstanding contribution to the development of documentary culture:

Tue Steen Mueller - founding director of EDN

Thessaloniki Documentary Festival To Rename Audience Award In Honor of Peter Wintonick

Peter Knegt — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 16:08:04 GMT

The Thessaloniki Documentary Festival -- honoring the memory of the late Peter Wintonick -- has renamed its Audience Award for a foreign feature documentary The Peter Wintonick Award.

The festival noted that Wintonick attended the first edition of TDF and was a regular ever since, never having missed a single one of its 15 editions.

"He was a faithful friend and staunch supporter of the TDF, as well as a mentor to many of the young filmmakers bringing their work to Thessaloniki," the festival said. "The Peter Wintonick Audience Award is the TDF tribute to this great man, a small token of gratitude and honor for his work and personality."

Wintonick -- a filmmaker, journalist, festival programmer and mentor who was a beloved presence in the international documentary film world -- passed away Monday in Montreal, Canada. Indiewire's initial report of his death brought an outpouring of love in the comments section, including notes from his family and collaborators.

It's All Greek To Me: Championing Regional Filmmaking at the 15th Anniversary Thessaloniki Doc Fest

Basil Tsiokos — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:39:39 GMT

Greece's second largest city celebrated the conclusion of its documentary festival's 15th anniversary this past weekend. The sister fest of November's long-running narrative-only Thessaloniki International Film Festival, which turns 54 later this year, the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival is overseen by the tireless Dimitri Eipides, who, beyond his duties at both Thessaloniki fests, continues to program Central Asian, Eastern European and Central European films for Toronto. For the doc fest, Eipides and his team assembled an extra-sized edition this year, showcasing nearly 200 features and shorts, including a retrospective of favorites from the event's past fifteen years, a tribute to Chilean doc auteur Patricio Guzmán, and a healthy selection of new and recent international selections and Greek productions.

Saturday night saw the presentation of several awards, including nods to a few familiar recent titles, such as Sundance multi-award winner "Blood Brother" (Audience Award, International), Berlin and Hot Docs winner "Call Me Kuchu" (Amnesty International Award), "Parts of a Family" (FIPRESCI, International) and "Winter Nomads" (ERT3 Broadcasting Award) -- as well as some new films - Dimitris Koutsiabasakos' "The Grocer" (Audience Award, Greek), Panayotis Evangelidis' "They Glow in the Dark" (FIPRESCI Award), and two prizes to Nikos Dayandas' "Little Land" (World Wildlife Fund and ERT3 Broadcasting Awards). A full list of winners is included at the end of this article.

Docs in Progress

At last year's festival, I attended the inaugural program of Docs in Progress, an addition to the event's concurrent Thessaloniki Doc Market which regularly draws hundreds of industry attendees to watch more than 500 available titles and participate in scores of panels and conversations. Docs in Progress saw twelve teams of filmmakers introduce extended clips of new projects on which they were then in production or post. Focused on filmmaking from the Mediterranean, Balkans, and Central Europe, I was intrigued by a number of the projects presented, as noted in my dispatch last year. Since then, four of these have been completed and were selected for this year's festival -- they are included below in my roundup of some of the local filmmaking in the 2013 lineup. Docs in Progress returned for a second year, presenting sneak previews of another dozen projects to buyers, co-producers, and other attending industry. A welcome sign showing the growing support of this initiative was the introduction of an award in the form of €15,000 in services from Greek post-house Authorwave, decided by an international jury consisting of Al Jazeera commissioning editor Flora Gregory, Jan Rofekamp from sales company Films Transit, and Greek public television station ERT's Ariana Meindana, head of co-productions. Among the in the works projects that showed the most promise:

"Aunty"
Directors: Salva Muñoz, Manu Gerosa
Producer: Manu Gerosa
Country: Italy/Spain
Production Company: Oneworld Documakers
Budget: €80,000
Synopsis: "Aunty" Teresa has lived a full life, but, in her old age, has become a needy, possessive person who feels entitled to the love and care of her younger sister, Ornella. Teresa hints at something that deeply hurt her a lifetime ago, but while the town whispers about her secret, Teresa refuses to discuss it with Ornella.

Muñoz and Gerosa's project took home the new award, impressing with intimacy, humor, and an intriguing premise about a family with a major open secret. If there's one criticism to be leveled against the project, it's that the original synopsis and the selects shown reveal too much, or at least very strongly suggest the critical revelation at the core of the film. While that may be fine for presentations to industry, the filmmakers might be better off showing more restraint when it comes time to attract a public audience's attention.

"Affection to the People"
Director: Vassilis Douvlis
Producers: Panos Kouanis, Aris Fatouros
Country: Greece
Production Company: Hellenic Parliament Television Station
Budget: none provided
Synopsis: A documentary about cinema censorship during the period of the dictatorship in Greece (1967-1974), based on unpublicized state archives of the era and including interviews with Greek film directors, secret documents that come to light for the first time, and short clips from 75 films, both Greek and foreign, which were either banned or censored during the time.

While the project is very culturally and historically Greek-specific, this has a chance to garner international attention as well. The unearthing of the censorship office records, and even, in some cases, physical film cuttings of the material deemed objectionable, provides insight into a repressive regime and how it manipulated cultural works to bolster its own view of not only how Greece should be represented to its people, but also what Greeks should be exposed to from other nations.

"A Family Affair"
Director: Angeliki Aristomenopoulou
Producers: Rea Apostolides, Yuri Averof
Country: Greece/Australia
Production Company: Anemon Productions
Budget: €120,000
Synopsis: The Xylouris family is Greece's most famous musical clan, its three generations upholding the vibrant tradition of Cretan music across the world. But with economic problems facing fifty-year-old Giorgis, the family is at a crossroads. He must perform non-stop to make ends meet while his Australian wife and manager, Shelagh, struggles to keep the family together. An intimate portrait of a contemporary Greek-Australian family brought together and torn apart by their love of music.

Aristomenopoulou's doc smartly focuses on one of Greece's most recognizable exports - its music - and on performers with an existing fanbase. Beyond that, it brings a human dimension and family dynamics that should engage those viewers who might not necessarily be interested in this specific musical genre, or even those who may not be drawn to strictly music docs.

"Teaching Ignorance"
Director: Tamada Erde
Producer: Tatiana Bouchain
Country: France/Israel
Production Company: Iliade &Films
Budget: €220,000
Synopsis: Tracing the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as it is presented and taught in different forms of both Israeli and Palestinian systems. Through portraits of several history teachers and educators interviewed and filmed in their classes, the film reveals the different narrations and approaches for teaching the complex and charged history of the conflict.

Erde's clips only presented half of her subjects, and some were more engaging than others, but what was shown was promising as a whole. Her premise offers a new framework from which to view the seemingly neverending story of the region, and, perhaps, one which may open eyes among viewers who share some of the perspectives to be featured.

"Time for Heroes"
Directors: Angelos Kovotsos, Kalliopi Legaki
Producer: Maria Gentekou
Country: USA/France/Greece
Production Company: Portolanos Films
Budget: €110,000
Synopsis: Robert Manthoulis, a Greek filmmaker who lived in exile in Paris during the military junta, meets with 83-year-old Elias Demetracopoulos, a Washington DC-based reporter whose commitment to the struggle against the junta brought him in contact with Greek and American secret services and corrupt governments in the 1970s, revealing unknown aspects of modern history.

Watergate, in particular, plays a singular role in Demetracopoulous' background, with interviewees in the clips weighing in that he was instrumental to the fall of Nixon's administration and never got his just deserts. While this proves to be a hook, I'm curious about the larger story here, and hopeful that the film doesn't just hang on what might otherwise be a Greek-specific footnote to the Watergate scandal.

"Aegean Odyssey"
Director/Producer: Omiros Evangelinos
Country: Greece/USA
Production Company: Aegean Odyssey Films
Budget: €150,000
Synopsis: The historic island communities of the Cyclades are facing the danger of extinction due to the degradation of their natural and cultural environment. Fishing communities are barely surviving because of the transformation of their industry away from long-term sustainable artisan fisheries to short-term industrial overfishing, environmental pollution, and sometimes the islanders' own illegal practices. At the same time, farming is all but extinct, a victim of the monoculture of tourism. As tradition gives way to economic incentives, what can be done before it's too late?

I'm less interested in the overfishing angle here -- there have already been a number of other docs looking at that particular environmental issue -- but I am drawn to the idea of exploring its impact on the traditional culture of these islands and its people. The consideration of the further consequences of a tourism-focused economy serves as an additional layer, and, again, suggests a way to broaden the scope of the film beyond Greece to other nations affected by climate change, environmental recklessness, or rampant industrialization.

Go to page two to learn about the Greek films that played at the festival and for the full list of awards winners...

Greek Films

This tightrope between local and international accessibility is something the festival contends with in their expansive presentation of completed Greek films as well. Thessaloniki champions Greece's national cinema, including Greek productions in each of the thematic programming sections, as well as a standalone Greek Panorama. It's clear that, at least in the case of some of the selections, that these docs - many of them television productions - are really offered as an an opportunity for locals to access information about a number of pressing social issues facing the country as it endures during the economic crisis, as well as a more diverse body of work that reflects Greece's culture and history or in some cases explores non-Greek subjects. The festival's commitment to serving local filmmakers and audiences, and the latter's enthusiastic receptiveness, is demonstrated further by the increasing popularity of Thessaloniki's expanded live-streaming project, which offers select screenings to six universities around Greece and in Cyprus; its touring program, which brings films to dozens of smaller regional towns over the next couple of weeks; and an initiative that presents docs in prisons.

Beyond this homegrown focus, other Greek work presented simultaneously serves international viewers with universally accessible portraits or insider views of socioeconomic issues that are sadly factors in far too many other nations. The following titles represent just a taste of these, focusing on award winners and now completed projects that made an impression in last year's Docs in Progress section.

At the top of the list is Dimitris Koutsiabasakos' Audience Award winning "The Grocer," which follows Nikos, his wife Sophia, and their grown sons over five seasons as they sell fresh produce out of a truck to the aging population of dying mountain villages. Delivering on the promise shown in last year's Docs in Progress, this accomplished observational doc thrives on the interactions between these otherwise forgotten people, whose sons, daughters, and grandchildren have long ago left for better economic opportunities in the cities, and Nikos and his family, who provide not only a service, but a sense of connection to the world outside the village. Often humorous, with a selection of truly memorable characters, Koutsiabasakos' film also serves as a poignant portrait of another, slowly fading, way of life.

Another award winner, Nikos Dayandas' "Little Land," which picked up two prizes out of the Habitat programming strand, follows Theodoris as he relocates from the economic challenges of Athens to the remote island of Ikaria to become a farmer. Profiled in the New York Times magazine for its people's longevity, Ikaria has drawn other unemployed Greeks to its shores to search for a better way of life. Dayandas, whose last film, "Sayome," also won at last year's Doc Fest, occasionally overnarrates here, but ultimately crafts an engaging exploration of the different rhythms and expectations of island life, and an accessible "back to the land" profile that should resonate beyond Greece.

Also universal in its central premise is Marianna Economou's "Food for Love," which was another project that caught my eye at last year's Docs in Progress. The film's three main subjects are Greek mothers whose children are attending university some distance away, including out of the country. Beyond Skype calls and occasional visits over school breaks, these doting moms express their love by regularly preparing veritable feasts that are delivered to their beloved, sometimes smothered kids via a specialized transport service that links the three stories. As someone whose Greek mother loves to weigh me down with containers of all manners of home cooked goods every time a visit ends, I can absolutely relate on a cultural level, but despite its Hellenic specificity, Economou's film will assuredly connect with all manners of audiences.

Absent Greek characters or themes, Panayiotis Evangelidis' FIPRESCI jury winner "They Glow in the Dark" instead looks at a pair of poor HIV+ gay men trying to make a living in post-Katrina New Orleans. Employing a dark, rough-hewn look that's fitting for subjects Michael and Jim's environment and existence, Evangelidis' quiet film offers a glimpse at two men who are both familiar types yet too infrequently the focus of documentary portraits. Loose interviews reveal their backgrounds, regrets, and what brought them to New Orleans, where they make and sell small figurines in an open-air market stall in often stifling heat. It's a low-key film, but one that poignantly explores loneliness, friendship, intimacy, and, most hopefully, survival.

Yiorgos Moustakis and Nikos Labot's "The Immortals at the Southern Point of Europe" also profiles outsiders looking for a different way of life in a new place. Presented at last year's Docs in Progress, I was intrigued by the premise - the remote island of Gavdos has been the home of a small group of self-exiled Russian scientists, who, in the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster, have attempted to live according to Pythagorean philosophical principles. My concerns were that their quest for immortality, as presented in sample footage, sounded far too esoteric, and, unfortunately, the finished film bears that fear out. Most interesting here are the reactions of local villagers and the religious community to their Russian neighbors, including the sometimes far-fetched theories that developed around their activities. What doesn't come off quite so successfully are the interviews and footage of the very detached philosophers, who fail to engage the viewer in a concrete manner, making the film uneven at best.

Finally, the last of the previous year's Docs in Progress projects, "Music Village" by Andreas Siadimas, also reflects on the relationship between local Greeks and newcomers who, in some ways, disrupt their usual routines. Siadimas' film is set in Agios Lavrendios, a mountain village that has been the host to a yearly convocation of international musicians, drawn to the location to collaborate and perform over a number of weeks. A sort of adult band camp, the participants open themselves up to new ideas, innovative combinations of genres, and the freedom of expressing their music outside the norm. They also enjoy the festive atmosphere, which typically culminates in all-night revelry in the village square - and which draws the ire of some of the local residents. While those who make money off these visitors welcome their presence, villagers not involved in the tourism industry are not quite so happy. Siadimas attempts to balance this uneasy coexistence with an appreciation for the music produced at the camp, but it doesn't entirely work - as a whole, there's too much performance and not enough of the larger clash. While this might be welcome by music doc fans, it's not altogether successful for a broader audience who may be less interested in the music in and of itself.

15th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival Awards

FIPRESCI Awards:

Greek Selection:
"They Glow in the Dark" - Panayotis Evangelidis, Greece

International Selection:
"Parts of a Family" - Diego Gutiérrez, Mexico

Audience Awards:

Greek Selection:
"The Grocer" - Dimitris Koutsiabasakos, Greece (feature)
"A Heritage in Deep Agony" - Kyriaki Malama, Greece (short)

International Selection:
"Blood Brother" - Steve Hoover, USA (feature)
"The High Price of Gold" - Ross Domoney, Democratic Republic of Congo (short)

Amnesty International Award (Human Rights section): "Call Me Kuchu" - Katherine Fairfax Wright & Malika Zouhali-Worrall, USA

World Wildlife Fund Award (Habitat section): "Little Land" - Nikos Dayandas, Greece/France

ERT3 (Greek Public Television) Broadcasting Award (Habitat section, €1500 prizes): "Little Land" - Nikos Dayandas, Greece/France; "Winter Nomads" - Manuel von Stürler, Switzerland

Docs in Progress Award (€15,000 in-kind services): "Aunty" - Manu Gerosa and Salva Muñoz, Italy/Spain

ERT (Greek Public Television) Doc on Air Award (EDN Pitching Forum projects, €7000 prize): "Playing With Fire" - Anneta Papathanassiou and Photini Economopoulou, Greece

EDN Award, presented to an institution, group or person for outstanding contribution to the development of documentary culture: Stefano Tealdi and Joan Gonzáles - Documentary in Europe and DocsBarcelona

GREECE DISPATCH | Thessaloniki Doc Fest Wraps its 13th Edition

Indiewire Staff — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:47:29 GMT

There was something about the awards at the 13th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival that made them somewhat anticlimactic. The ceremony held on Saturday night at the Olympian Theater felt as an afterthought to the ten days of screenings, panels and events that preceded it. In many ways, the festival feels more like a showcase for documentary film than a film festival; its eclectic reach and diversity of titles gives it a more flexible function than a traditional festival would. The primary focus is in its programming, an asset best reflected in this year’s theme: Images of the 21st Century. The films that made up the festival’s impressive slate weren't limited to new or recent releases, with a number of titles outside the retrospective sections dating as far back to 2007.

The ample selection of films gives Thessaloniki's programming a dynamic edge, with specialty sections that explore a multitude of themes dealing with identity, global perspectives, memory, music, human rights, and environmental issues. Also of note was the extensive offering of Greek films, providing local filmmakers a chance to screen their work in a domestic film industry where distribution can be an uphill battle. The business end of the festival isn't only limited to providing opportunities for Greek filmmakers. With a strong and growing presence in its Doc Market, the festival presents a good opportunity for American filmmakers looking for European distribution.

As the 13 year-old younger sibling of the older and more established Thessaloniki International Film Festival, the event has gradually built a place for itself in the European documentary circuit. For festival director Dimitris Eipides, the festival has been able to turn Greece’s second largest city into the premiere destination in the Mediterranean for documentary film. "We started very modestly with 8, 000 spectators and a small program in our first year," said Mr. Eipides. "We grew very quickly, reaching 44, 000 spectators in last year's edition -a considerable number in the European context."

The economic crisis that Greece is currently experiencing was taken into account by this year's festival organizers. Tickets for individual screenings were available for a relatively low €4, with a number of free daily screenings available for university students and the unemployed. This is a strategy that Eipides considers central to the festival's success. "I like [the festival] because it's a popular event. I don't see film in an intellectual way," he said, "I think it's a popular art that should be directly accessible to people walking on the street who want to see a movie."

Embracing local audiences has proved to be vital for the festival, which has found important support from its local government despite the financial crisis. "I am a cinema freak, not just a cinema lover," said Thessaloniki Mayor Yiannis Boutaris in an event for selected press and filmmakers. "I see everything from 'Harry Potter' to Almodóvar," confessed the Mayor, reflecting the sort of film culture that both Thessaloniki film festivals have fostered.

The Audience Awards for feature-length films were given to Vikebe Lokkeberg's "Tears of Gaza" in the international section and to the Greek film "Alma Bonita" from directors Vivi Zografou and Alexis Ponce. FIRPESCI awards were given to Greece's "Only the Words Continue" by Kalliopi Legaki and Sophia Tzavella's "Paradise Hotel." Tzavella's doc about a Roma housing compound in Bulgaria was produced by HBO Bulgaria. The American cable network had a strong presence in the festival with screenings of Alexander Nanau's "The World According to Ion B." from HBO Romania and Jennifer Arnold's "A Small Act," a top ten audience favorite at Hot Docs last year.

A number of independent organizations also awarded prizes at this year's festival. ERT3, a Greek public television channel, awarded a prize of €3, 000 along with a broadcast of the winning film, Laetitia Moreau's "A Future Without Oil." The World Wildlife Foundation named Titus Faschina's "Close to Heaven" as the best documentary in the Habitat section and Amnesty International did the same for David Andre's "Everlasting Sorrow, Life After the Death Penalty" in the Human Rights category. Andre's look into the lasting effects of the death penalty also served as the festival's closing night film.

All in all, the 13th edition of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival stood apart by the informative angle from most of the documentaries it featured. The majority of films all seemed to raise viewers' awareness on a myriad of different issues in one way or another, making it a sort of in-depth forum for current events. Mr. Eipidis insists that this is one of the festival's principal traits, "We're on the edge of Europe so sometimes information is not as accessible here as one would expect, which is precisely why having a documentary festival here is so important for us."

GREECE DISPATCH | Thessaloniki Doc Fest Shows Off Diverse Slate

Indiewire Staff — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 08:29:21 GMT

The red curtain at the Olympion Theater overshadowed the red carpet on the opening night of the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival; a fitting reflection of the type of destination Thessaloniki has become for documentary filmmakers as a venue where the films take center stage. Now in its 13th edition, the documentary event functions as an independent arm of the 51 year-old Thessaloniki International Film Festival. By giving documentaries their own space, Thessaloniki has put the Mediterranean on the map in the European circuit, joining festivals like Rotterdam, IDFA and Sheffield Doc Fest in a growing documentary festival scene.

This year’s edition boasts 220 films in 15 different categories and a Doc Market that includes over 520 titles for the more than 60 industry representatives in attendance. Despite its international focus, the festival also gives Greek filmmakers a forum to screen and discuss their work.

A capacity crowd gathered for the Opening Night screening of Roy Sher’s “My Sweet Canary,” a bio-doc of Rosa Eskenazi, the Greek rebetiko diva of the 1930s. The screening was preceded by a thrilling performance by a local rebetiko group, prompting the director to suggest that his own work would be a hard act to follow as he introduced the film. “My Sweet Canary” was a wise choice by the programmers; a lively and engaging musical journey into Greece’s traditional music, the film received a roaring standing ovation from the public.

With 30 films, the 'How I Am: Challenging Perceptions' section is proving to be one of the festival’s most vibrant programs, dedicated to spotlighting documentaries that focus on subjects who have struggled and overcome the challenges of living with disabilities. It is a timely topic in Greece, which is hosting the Summer Special Olympics this June. Highlights include the 2010 SXSW Audience Award winner “For Once in my Life” from directors Jim Bigham and Mark Moorman. The inspiring doc doesn’t focus on its subjects’ hardships but instead centers around their musical talent, as a group of singers and musicians express themselves through the freedom of music. A number of the films in the section date back several years in the festival circuit, as is the case with Jennifer Venditti’s “Billy the Kid,” named as the Best Documentary in the 2007 edition of SXSW, and Sandrine Bonnaire’s profile on her autistic sister, “Her Name is Sabine,” a FIRPRESCI recipient in Cannes back in 2007.

The festival is candid in preferring to offer viewers a diverse slate of films rather than concerning itself too much on a competition . The Audience Award might be the most outstanding “honor” the festival awards, but the retrospectives on filmmakers Sergei Loznitsa, Helena Trestikova and Kyriaki Malama are drawing more attention. The trio of tributes celebrate the filmmakers’ extensive filmographies and each offer insight to three different modes of documentary filmmaking. Loznitsa, whose latest narrative film, “My Joy,” has been gathering strong accolades, is a visually-oriented craftsman who doesn’t shy away from incorporating found footage and archival material in his work. The tribute to Kyriaki Malama gives a central place to the work of a female Greek filmmaker, a concern that will be explored this Friday in a panel discussion featuring Malama and a trio of other Greek women directors active in the documentary field. Finally, Czech-native Helena Trestikova’s work employs a distinctly human element. Trestikova’s documentaries often follow its subjects throughout an extended period of time, tracking the development and paths in peoples’ lives. Perhaps the best example of this type of work is present in her “Marriage Stories” series, where she documents two different newlywed couples for five years –returning to the project twenty years later to see how much the couples’ lives have changed over time.

The festival is also making active efforts to engage a more family-friendly atmosphere with the Docs for Kids section. The program runs through the middle of the ten day festival, from March 14-18, and offers a slate of 13 short documentaries tailored for kids and early teens. The screenings are free and serve as a way to foster interest in the documentary genre for younger viewers. Saturday morning’s inaugural screening, Jean-Pierre Pozzi and Pierre Barougier’s “Just a Beginning,” fittingly coincided with World Francophone Day. The French documentary takes a look inside a classroom where a group of toddlers receive a (very) introductory class on philosophy. The young audience was surprisingly well behaved throughout the screening and was rewarded with a toy as they left the theater.

For older audiences, the true gift of this year’s edition seems to reside in the wide variety of viewing options. The programmers have spared no effort in providing attendees an eclectic slate of documentaries that span an increasingly populated spectrum of topics. As the festival moves on to its closing half, it will be interesting to see which of these 220 films truly stand out amongst the rest.

Thessaloniki Doc Fest Sets 2011 Slate

Indiewire Staff — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:41:53 GMT

The 13th Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival Festival kicks off next week, running from March 11 - 20 with 220 films slated to screen from filmmakers around the world. Roy Sher's "My Sweet Canary," a film that explores the life of Greece and Turkey's most famous musician of the 1930s, Roza Eskenazi, will open the event in Greece's second largest city.

This year's lineup is divided into fifteen different sections: Human Rights, Views of the World, Music, Portraits - Human Journeys, Recordings of Memory, Stories to Tell, Habitat, African Stories, How I Am: Challenging Perceptions, Middle East Spotlight, Retrospective Sergei Loznitsa, Spotlight Helena Trestikova, Tribute Kiriaki Malama (Greek Section), Greek Panorama, and Special Screenings.

The full slate listed by section is included below, with information provided by the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival:

Human Rights

UNE PEINE INFINIE, HISTOIRE D'UN CONDAMNE A MORT/EVERLASTING SORROW, LIFE AFTER THE DEATH PENALTY, David Andre, France, 81’, 2010

JAG VAR VARD 50 LAMM/I WAS WORTH 50 SHEEP, Nima Sarvestani, Sweden, 72’, 2010

KHAIMA, Athanasios Karanikolas, Germany/Greece, 80’, 2010

THE DANCING BOYS OF AFGHANISTAN, Jamie Doran, United Kingdom, 52’, 2010

SIN PAIS/ WITHOUT COUNTRY, Theo Rigby, USA/Guatemala, 20’, 2010

WELCOME TO EUROPE, Stelios Kouloglou, Greece, 10’, 2011

THE PALACE, Ioannis Roumeliotis, Greece/Germany, 80’, 2010

YOU DON'T LIKE THE TRUTH - 4 DAYS INSIDE GUANTANAMO, Luc Cote, Patricio Henriquez, Canada, 99’, 2010

FRONTERA, TODAS LAS FRONTERAS/ONE FRONTIER, ALL FRONTIERS, David Pablos, Mexico/Brazil/Argentina, 55’, 2010

Views of the World

LETTERS FROM THE DESERT (EULOGY TO SLOWNESS), Michela Occhipinti, Italy, 88’, 2010

THE PEASANT AND THE PRIEST, Esther Podemski, Italy, USA, 47’, 2010

PINK SARIS, Kim Longinotto, United Kingdom,/India, 96’, 2010

SCOALA NOASTRA/OUR SCHOOL, Miruna Coca-Cozma, Mona Nicoara,USA/ Switzerland, 95’, 2011

GUANAPE SUR, Janos Richter, Italy, 24’, 2010

NAPOLI NAPOLI, Abel Ferrara, Italy, 102, 2009

THE GREEK CRISIS EXPLAINED, NOMINT, Greece, 3’, 2010

I NIMFES TOU HINDU KUSH/THE NYMPHS OF HINDU KUSH, Anneta Papathanasiou, Greece, 80’, 2011

PETHENONTAS GIA TIN ALITHIA/SHOOTING VS SHOOTING, Nikos Megrelis, Greece, 73’, 2010

CITY, Tom Jarmusch, USA, 80’, 2010

THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA, U. Roberto Romano, USA, 84’, 2010

MY BAREFOOT FRIEND, Seong-Gyou Lee, South Korea, 81’, 2010

Music

KINSHASA SYMPHONY, Claus Wischmann, Martin Baer, Germany, 95’, 2010

TOM ZE ASTRONAUTA LIBERTADO/TOM ZE LIBERATED ASTRONAUT, Igor Iglesias Gonzalez, Spain, 90’, 2009

HIP HOP, LE MONDE EST A VOUS/THE FURIOUS FORCE OF RHYMES, Joshua Atesh Litle, France/USA, 82’, 2010

DEAF JAM, Judy Lieff, USA, 70’, 2011

O SAMBA QUE MORA EM MIM/THE SAMBA WITHIN ME, Georgia Guerra-Peixe, Brazil/Portugal, 72’, 2010

THUNDER SOUL, Mark Landsman, USA, 84’, 2010

PERA GUZELI/PERA BEAUTY, Soner Sevgili, Turkey, 53’, 2010

THESSALON-ICHI/THE MUSIC PATHWAYS OF SALONICA, CINERS8, Greece, 70’, 2011

SOUTH CENTRAL GOSPEL, Chronis Pehlivanidis, Greece, 53’, 2010

MADE IN BIRMINGHAM: REGGAE PUNK BHANGRA, Deborah Aston, United Kingdom, 65’, 2010

Portraits - Human Journeys

DANIEL SCHMID- LE CHAT QUI PENSE, Benny Jaberg, Pascal Hofmann, Switzerland, 83’, 2010

PROSECUTOR, Barry Stevens, Canada, 92’, 2010

BEATRIZ GONZALEZ, ?POR QUE LLORA SI YA REI? MONOLOGO A TRES VOCES/ BEATRIZ GONZALEZ, WHY ARE YOU CRYING? A THREE VOICES MONOLOGUE, Diego Garcia-Moreno, Colombia, 77’, 2010

MIEHEN KUVA/PORTRAIT OF A MAN, Visa Koiso-Kantilla, Finland, 81’, 2010

AUTOBIOGRAFIA LUI NICOLAE CEAUSESCU / THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF NICOLAE CEAUSESCU, Andrei Ujica, Romania, 180’, 2010

INTO THE WIND, Ezra Holland, Steve Nash, Canada, 51’, 2010

LUMEA VAZUTA DE ION B. /THE WORLD ACCORDING TO ION B., Alexander Nanau, Romania, 61’, 2009

MARIA'S WAY, Anne Milne, Scotland, 16’, 2009

THE BOY MIR - TEN YEARS IN AFGHANISTAN, Phil Grabsky, United Kingdom, 90’, 2010

ME TON KALLIYANNI/IN COMPANY WITH KALLIYANNIS, Pedro Olalla, Greece, 87’

WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS: A MAN WITHIN, Yony Leyser, USA, 87’, 2010

ENA MOUSIO GENNIETE/A MUSEUM IS BORN, Anna Kesisoglou, Greece, 28’, 2011

O ATHEATOS SKINOTHETIS/THE INVISIBLE DIRECTOR, Nikos Theodosiou, Greece, 67’, 2011

KONTRAKTET/THE CONTRACT, Lina Mannheimer, Sweden, 13’, 2010

I ZOI KE O THANATOS TOU CELSO JUNIOR/THE LIFE AND DEATH OF CELSO JUNIOR, Panayotis Evangelidis, Greece, 49’, 2011

EL SICARIO, ROOM 164, Gianfranco Rosi, France/USA, 84’, 2010

JULIEN, Gael Lepingle, France, 80’, 2010

INGRID BETANCOURT: 6 YEARS IN THE JUNGLE, Angus MacQueen, United Kingdom/France, 97’, 2010

Recordings of Memory

THE TILLMAN STORY, Amir Bar Lev, USA, 95’, 2010

EL EDIFICIO DE LOS CHILENOS/THE CHILEAN BUILDING, Macarena Aguilo, Chile/France/Netherlands/Cuba, 95’, 2010

MY PERESTROIKA, Robin Hessman, USA/United Kingdom, 87’, 2010

OTEKI KASABA/THE OTHER TOWN, Nefin Dinc, Turkey, 45’, 2010

THE DESERT OF FORBIDDEN ART, Amanda Pope, Tchavdar Georgiev, Russia/ Uzbekistan/USA, 80’, 2010

DE NIEUWE HEILIGE /THE NEW SAINT, Allard Detiger, Netherlands/Belgium, 70’, 2010

L'ILE AUX CANNIBALES /CANNIBAL ISLAND, Cedric Condom, France, 75’, 2010

O TOPOS POU DAKRYZOUN I THEI/THE LAND OF THE WEEPING GODS, Eleni Vlassi, Greece, 77’, 2011

SE TOUTO TO KARTERI/IN THIS WAITING, Anna Tsiarta, Cyprus, 68’, 2011

KLISE TA MATIA GIA NA DIS/CLOSE YOUR EYES AND YOU WILL SEE, Stavros Stratigakos, Greece, 109’, 2009

FILIA IS TA PEDIA/CHILDREN IN HIDING, Vasilis Loules, Greece, 124’, 2011

ONTSNAPT/ ESCAPED, Ange Wieberdink, Jetske Spanjer,Netherlands, 56’, 2010

Stories to Tell

MORZE TWOIMI OCZAMI/THE SEA THROUGH YOUR EYES, Lech Mikulski, Poland, 25’, 2010
THE ARBOR, Clio Barnard, United Kingdom, 90’, 2010

KINBAKU - SIELUN SOLMUJA/KINBAKU - ART OF BONDAGE, Jouni Hokkanen, Finland, 29’, 2009

ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT, Lisa Leeman, USA, 82’, 2010

DET GODE LIV/THE GOOD LIFE, Eva Mulvad, Denmark, 87’, 2010

CAMP VICTORY AFGHANISTAN, Carol Dysinger, USA/Afghanistan, 86’, 2010

BREAKING AND ENTERING, Benjamin Fingerhut, USA, 88’, 2010

WELCHER GLAUBE FUER MEIN KIND?/ LOST IN RELIGION, Marc Burth, Germany/Switzerland, 52’, 2010

HERBSTGOLD/AUTUMN GOLD, Jan Tenhaven, Germany/Austria, 94’, 2010

PRZYRZECZONA/LITTLE BRIDE, Leslaw Dobrucki, Poland, 14’, 2010

GIMENES LIETAS/FAMILY INSTINCT, Andris Gauja, Latvia, 58’, 2010

PRZYSZEDL CZLOWIEK I WZIAL /A MAN CAME AND TOOK HER, Jedrzej Niestroj, Rafal Przybyl, Poland, 81’, 2009

CAPICUA /PALINDROME, Roger Villarroya, Spain, 3’, 2010

MY PLAYGROUND, Kaspar Astrup Schroder, Denmark, 50’, 2010

RECESSIONIZE! FOR FUN AND PROFIT!, Jamie Kastner, Canada, 56’, 2010

AGNUS DEI, CORDERO DE DIOS/AGNUS DEI, GOD LAMB, Alexandra Sanchez, Mexico/France, 81’, 2010

LOVE ETC., Jill Andresevic, USA, 94’, 2010

GODDELIJK VARKEN/DIVINE PIG, Hans Dortmans, Netherlands, 55’, 2010

TEGENLICHT: GRIEKSE TRAGEDIE/BACKLIGHT: GREEK TRAGEDY, Shuchen Tan, Netherlands, 50’, 2010

THE MARKET, Rama Rau, Canada, 67’, 2010

26.2 THE ROAD TO HERE, Eleftherios Fylaktos, Greece, 55’, 2011

FAMILIA, Alberto Herskovits, Mikael Wistrom, Sweden, 82’, 2010

MONO I LEXIS SINEHIZOUN/ONLY THE WORDS CONTINUE, Kalliopi Legaki, Greece, 53’, 2011

PROTI ILI/RAW MATERIAL, Christos Karakepelis, Greece, 78’, 2011

DOCVILLE: LASKAREOS 99, ATHINA/DOCVILLE: 99 LASKAREOS STREET, ATHENS, Katerina Patroni, Greece, 48’, 2011

AFIGISIS ALLON GYNEKON/OTHER WOMEN'S NARRATIVES, Maria Pesli, Greece/ Albania/Belarus, 35’, 2010

STAND VAN DE STERREN/POSITION AMONG THE STARS, Leonard Retel Helmrich, Netherlands, 111’, 2010

MIESTEN VUORO/STEAM OF LIFE, Joonas Berghall, Mika Hotakainen, Finland/ Sweden, 84’, 2010

GENPIN, Naomi Kawase, Japan, 92’, 2010

Habitat

UNDERKASTELSEN/ SUBMISSION, Stefan Jarl, Sweden, 87’, 2010

WIEBO'S WAR, David York, Canada, 91’, 2010

FUTURE OF HOPE, Henry Bateman, Iceland/United Kingdom, 75’, 2010

IF A TREE FALLS: A STORY OF THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT, Marshall Curry, USA, 85’, 2011

NA POLNOC OD KALABRII/NORTH OF CALABRIA, Marcin Sauter, Poland, 67’, 2010

DEM HIMMEL GANZ NAH/CLOSE TO HEAVEN, Titus Faschina, Germany/ Romania, 93’, 2010

HOTEL RAI/PARADISE HOTEL, Sophia Tzavella, Bulgaria, 54’, 2010

UC MEVSIM BIR OMUR/THREE SEASONS, A LIFE - BLACK SEA HIGHLANDS, Murat Erun, Turkey, 77’, 2010

UNE IDEE SIMPLE ET REVOLUTIONNAIRE/A FUTURE WITHOUT OIL, Laetitia Moreau, France, 52’, 2010

IKOLOGIKA IMEROLOGIA-OLA INE DROMOS/ECOLOGICAL DIARIES-ON THE ROAD, Alexis Alexiou, Greece, 47’, 2011

IKOLOGIKA IMEROLOGIA-MIA MIKRI MEGALI IDEA/ ECOLOGICAL DIARIES-LITTLE BIG IDEAS, Marianna Economou, Greece, 45’, 2011

I VARDIA TOU PELEKANOU/PELICAN'S WATCH, Lea Binzer, Greece, 67’, 2011

THERE ONCE WAS AN ISLAND: TE HENUA E NNOHO, Briar March, New Zealand/USA/Papua New Guinea, 80’, 2010

THE PIPE, Risteard O'Domhnaill, Ireland, 83’ 2010

African Stories

GOD NO SAY SO, Brigitte Uttar Kornetzky, Switzerland, 89’, 2010

GRACE, MILLY, LUCY... DES FILLETTES SOLDATES/ GRACE, MILLY, LUCY...CHILD SOLDIERS, Raymonde Provencher, Canada, 73’, 2010

KAMENGE, NORTHERN QUARTERS, Manu Gerosa, Salva Munoz, Italy/Spain, 59’, 2010

HAMMADA, Anna M. Bofarull, Spain, 85’, 2009

A SMALL ACT, Jennifer Arnold, USA, 88’, 2010

A scene from Jennifer's Arnold "A Small Act." Image courtesy of Sundance Film Festival.

How I Am: Challenging Perceptions:

NEL GIARDINO DEI SUONI/IN THE GARDEN OF SOUNDS, Nicola Bellucci, Switzerland, 85’, 2010

AUTISTEN/AUTISTICS, Wolfram Seeger, Germany, 90’, 2010

NEUROTYPICAL, Adam Larsen, USA, 88’, 2010

FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE, Jim Bigham, Mark Moorman, USA, 90’, 2010

THE BOY INSIDE, Marianne Kaplan, Canada, 47’, 2006

THE HORSE BOY, Michel Orion Scott, USA/Mongolia, 93’, 2009

TODAY'S MAN, Lizzie Gottlieb, USA, 56’, 2006

INCLUDING SAMUEL, Dan Habib, USA, 58’, 2008

PRAYING WITH LIOR, Ilana Trachtman, USA, 87’, 2007

BREADMAKERS, Yasmin Fedda, Scotland, 11’, 2007

LIVING WITH FRAGILE-X, Greg Mishey, Kathy Elder, USA, 64’, 2008

WIE ICH BIN / HOW I AM, Caroline Leitner, Ingrid Demetz, Italy, 49’, 2007

MARIA Y YO/ MARIA AND I, Felix Fernandez de Castro, Spain, 80’, 2010

PRIGIPISSA CHRISTINI/ CHRISTINI, A PRINCESS, Iris Zahmanidi, Greece, 66’, 2007

PARASTASI/ PERFORMANCE, Nikos Alevras, Greece, 40’, 2003

I FAKA / THE TRAP, Marina Danezi, Greece, 23’, 2009

MATHIMATA - PATHIMATA: TI THA GINEI O DIMITRIS?/WHAT'S EATING DIMITRI?, Valerie Kontakos, Yannis Misouridis, Greece, 57’, 2006

MY CLASSIC LIFE AS AN ARTIST: A PORTRAIT OF LARRY BISSONNETTE, Doug Biklen, Zach Rossetti, USA, 21’, 2005

NORM, Kent Nason, Teresa Macinnes, Canada, 50’, 2008

ELLE S'APPELLE SABINE/HER NAME IS SABINE, Sandrine Bonnaire, France, 85’,2007

BILLY THE KID, Jennifer Venditti, USA, 85’, 2007

WRETCHES AND JABBERERS, Gerardine Wurzburg, USA/Sri Lanka/Japan/Finland, 94’, 2010

EMBRACEABLE, Jon Kent, USA, 50’, 2011

SOLSKINSDREGURINN/A MOTHER'S COURAGE: TALKING BACK TO AUTISM, Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, Iceland, 103’, 2009

THINK OF ME FIRST AS A PERSON, Dwight Core, George Ingmire, USA, 9’, 1975

DANCING WITH DOWNS, Elizabeth Wood, Spain, 8’, 2009

THE AUTISM PUZZLE, Saskia Baron, United Kingdom, 60’, 2005

BEAUTIFUL SON, Don King, USA, 63’, 2007

HERIA OLO FOS / HANDS OF LIGHT, Manos Papadakis, Greece, 7’, 2009

EMIS OI KIKLOPES / WE THE CYCLOPES, Maria Oikonomou, Greece, 8’, 2009

Middle East Spotlight:

MY SWEET CANARY, Roy Sher, Israel/France/Greece, 89’, 2011

HERO OF ALL SEAS, Talal Derki, Syria, 27’, 2010

GAZAZ TARER/TEARS OF GAZA, Vibeke Lokkeberg, Norway, 82’, 2010

RUE ABU JAMIL/ABU JAMIL STREET, Alexis Monchovet, Stephane Marchetti, France, 52’, 2010

THE OATH, Laura Poitras, USA, 96’, 2010

12 ANGRY LEBANESE-THE DOCUMENTARY, Zeina Daccache, Lebanon, 78’, 2009

JAFFA THE ORANGE'S CLOCKWORK, Eyal Sivan, Israel/France/Belgium/Germany, 88’, 2009

BEATING TIME, Odette Orr, Israel, 50’, 2010

Retrospecitve Sergei Loznitsa

ZHIZN, OSIN/ LIFE, AUTUMN, Russia, 34’, 1998

POLUSTANOK/THE TRAIN STOP, Russia, 24’, 2000

PORTRET/ PORTRAIT, Russia, 28’, 2002

FABRIKA/ FACTORY, Russia, 30’, 2004

LANDSCHAFT/ LANDSCAPE, Germany, 60’, 2003

POSELENIJE/ SETTLEMENT, Russia, 80’, 2001

BLOKADA/ BLOCKADE, Russia, 52’, 2005

PREDSTAVLENYE/ REVUE, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, 83’, 2008

SEGODNYA MY POSTROIM DOM/ TODAY WE ARE GOING TO BUILD A HOUSE, Russia, 28’, 1996

LUMIERE DU NORD /NORTHERN LIGHT, France, 52’, 2008

ARTEL, Russia, 30’, 2006

Spotlight Helena Trestikova

KATKA, Czech Republic, 90’, 2010

MANZELSKE ETUDY: ZUZANA A STANISLAV/MARRIAGE STORIES: ZUZANA AND STANISLAV, Czechoslovakia, 38’, 1987

MANZELSKE ETUDE PO DVACETI LETECH: ZUZANA A STANISLAV /MARRIAGE STORIES TWENTY YEARS LATER: ZUZANA AND STANISLAV, Czech Republic, 57’, 2005

MANZELSKE ETUDE PO DVACETI LETECH: IVANA A VACLAV/MARRIAGE STORIES: IVANA AND VACLAV, Czechoslovakia, 38’, 1987

MANZELSKE ETUDE PO DVACETI LETECH: IVANA A VACLAV/MARRIAGE STORIES, TWENTY YEARS LATER: IVANA AND VACLAV, Czech Republic, 57’, 2006

RENE, Czech Republic, 83’, 2008

MARCELA, Czech Republic, 83’, 2006

SLADKE STOLETI/SWEET CENTURY, Czech Republic, 58’, 1998

HITLER, STALIN A JA/HITLER, STALIN AND I, Czech Republic, 56’, 2001

MA STASTNA HVEZDA/MY LUCKY STAR, Czech Republic, 57’, 2004

Tribute Kiriaki Malama (Greek Section)

KOKKINO-MAVRO/ RED-BLACK, Greece, 31’, 2001

MAVRI SIMEA/BLACK FLAG, Greece, 46’, 2003

I ALLI PLEVRA/THE OTHER SIDE, Greece, 56’, 2004

GINEKES STO MIKRO PARISI/WOMEN IN LITTLE PARIS, Greece , 48’, 2004 39405, Greece, 30’, 2001

ALVANIKO MELODRAMA/ALBANIAN MELODRAMA, Greece, 50’, 2003

MADAM DESPINA, Greece, 27’, 2003

CAPTAIN KEMAL, Greece, 39’, 2003

EPANO STA ICHNI/ON THEIR TRACES, Greece, 54’, 1998

VASKO KARATZA, Greece, 31’, 2001

SINEFIAZI/OVERCAST, Greece, 27’, 2007

ANTALAKSIMI/EXCHANGEABLE, Greece, 30’, 2007

Greek Panorama

HILIES HAMENES BALES TOU GOLF/A THOUSAND LOST GOLF BALLS, Vangelis Kalaitzis, Greece, 81’, 2010

KYPSELI, Yiorgos Poulidis, Greece, 30’, 2009

I FOTIA MESA MOU/ THE FIRE WITHIN, Petros Haralambous, Greece, 46’, 2010

O ROLOS TON DIANOOUMENON SIMERA/ THE ROLE OF THE INTELLECTUALS TODAY, Yiorgos Keramidiotis, Greece, 63’, 2010

I ICHO TOU CHORNOU/ ECHO OF TIME, Panos Kekas, Greece, 50’, 2010

CHAMPIONS: MIA ASTIA ISTORIA/CHAMPIONS: A COMIC TALE, Gabriel Tzafkas, Greece, 87’, 2011

TI MESA, TI EXO... / INSIDE OUT, Vangelis Rigas, Greece, 74’, 2010

TO VIZANTIO META TO VIZANTIO/BYZANTIUM AFTER BYZANTIUM, Erato Pari, Greece, 53’, 2010

OI MIKROI ALLOI/ THE LITTLE OTHERS, Nikos Drossakis, Greece, 96’, 2010

AN OCHI EMEIS, POIOI?/IF NOT US, WHO?, Nikoleta Papathanassiou, Greece, 68’, 2011

A GROUSSA NAMOU/OUR LANGUAGE, Elisabeth Laloudaki, Massimo Pizzocaro, Greece, 52’, 2011

LOST BODIES, Yiannis Misouridis, Greece, 34’, 2010

I THESSALONIKI ALLIOS / THESSALONIKI IN A DIFFERENT WAY, Christos Nikoleris, Greece, 74’, 2010

TO MORO MOU FTANI/ALMA BONITA (BEAUTIFUL SOUL), Alexis Ponse, Vivi Zografou, Greece, 90’, 2011

I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU MY HEART FOR EVER ZITA-MI, Andonis Kioukas, Greece, 83’, 2011

STON KIPO TOU GIALIOU KAI TOU METALLOU/INTO THE GARDEN OF GLASS AND STEEL, Aristotelis Marangos, United Kingdom/Greece, 15’, 2010

SOMATIO RAKOSILEKTON/ SCAVENGER'S UNION, Marina Danezi, Greece, 74’, 2011

HORIS TSIMENTO/OUT OF CONCRETE, Vana Alexopoulou, Greece/United Kingdom, 26’, 2010

OVRIOKASTRO KERATEAS, Christos Akridas, Greece, 57’, 2010

E.CH.GONATAS, Michalis Likoudis, Greece, 41’, 2010

KULUHIRO: ELPIDA/KULUHIRO: HOPE, Yiorgos Yiorgopoulos, Greece/Kenya, 45’, 2010

FILES TIS ATHINAS: FILIPPINES /TRIBES OF ATHENS: PHILIPPINES, Stavros Psillakis, Greece, 46’, 2011

FILES TIS ATHINAS: NEA ZOI (AFGHANISTAN)/TRIBES OF ATHENS: NEW LIFE (AFGHANISTAN), Anthi Daoudaki, Greece, 48’, 2011

AVATON/SANCTUARY, Orsalia Dimitriou, Greece, 34’, 2010

MARINA VALIERI, I MIRKI ANIPSIA TOU CAVAFY/MARINA VALIERI, THE GRAND NIECE OF CAVAFY, Simos Koreksenidis, Greece, 70’, 2010

SATSANG SINTROFIA ME TIN ALITHIA /SATSANG SITTING BY THE TRUTH, Marianna Astraka, Yiorgos Fotiadis, Greece, 40’, 2011

07.01.2011, Dimitris Theodoropoulos, Greece, 7’, 2011

NEES MATIES STON ELLINIKO KINIMATOGRAFO: TSANGARI-VOULGARIS /NEW VISIONS IN GREEK CINEMA: TSANGARI-VOULGARIS, Elias Yiannakakis, Greece, 52’, 2010

NEES MATIES STON ELLINIKO KINIMATOGRAFO: DIMAS – KOUTRAS /NEW VISIONS IN GREEK CINEMA: DIMAS – KOUTRAS, Dimitris Koutsiabassakos, Greece, 52’, 2010

SHINOUSA, TO NISI TOU ILIOU/SCHOINOUSA, THE ISLAND OF THE RISING SUN, Isavella Mavraki, Greece, 72’, 2009

DIADROMES NEROU STIN AMORGO /WATER ROUTES IN AMORGOS, Efi Latsoudi, Greece, 22’, 2010

ORGISMENOS DEKEMVRIS /ENRAGED DECEMBER, Akis Kersanidis, Chryssa Tzelepi, Greece, 63’, 2010

NICO PAPATAKIS: PORTRETO ENOS ELEFTHEROU SKOPEFTI/NICO

PAPATAKIS: PORTAIT D' UN FRANC-TIREUR, Timon Koulmassis, Greece, 43’, 2009

IN TALLINN, Dimitris Vrakas, Estonia, 38’, 2010

IMEROLOGIO EPARHIAS /PROVINCE CALENDAR, Stergios Mountsakis, Greece, 25’, 2011

THE LAST REMAINING SEATS, Marios Piperidis, Cyprus, 45’, 2010

ALI PROJEKT, ROUGH CATS, Greece, 10’, 2010

VREHEI STO BILIN /RAINING IN BILIN, Andonis Glaros, Greece, 29’, 2010

THEODORE TERZOPOULOS- THEATER ENCOMIUM, Dimitris Trikas, Greece, 87’, 2010

I PIKRI ISTORIA TOU ANDREI GORENKO/THE BITTER STORY OF ANDREI GORENKO, Lefteris Xanthopoulos, Greece, 52’, 2010

ANDREAS KALVOS, Tasos Psarras, Greece, 60’, 2010

AFTOI POU PIRAN TA VOUNA/TAKE TO THE HILLS, Penelope Krintiropoulou, Greece, 47’, 2010

APO TON KALLIKRATI STON CALATRAVA – I EXELIXI TIS POLIKATOIKIAS/FROM CALIKRATES TO CALATRAVA-THE GREEK APARTMENT BUILDINGS, Yiannis Skopeteas, Greece, 49’, 2010

Special Screenings

CE N'EST QU'UN DEBUT/JUST THE BEGINNING, Jean-Pierre Pozzi, Piere Barougier, France, 97’, 2010

HABLANDO CON PECES Y PAJAROS/TALKING WITH FISH AND BIRDS, Rainer Simon, Germany/Ecuador, 43’, 1999

"Eyes" Takes Thessaloniki Doc Fest's Top Prize

Brian Brooks — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 08:43:33 GMT

Uruguayan production, "Eyes Wide Open - Exploring Today's South America" won the audience award at the 12th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, which closed over the weekend. The film, by Gonzalo Arijon, is described by the festival as a "journey through today's Latin America. After 500 years of exploitation and repression, Latin America is at a turning point in its history. A series of socialist leaders have come to power and the question now is, can they satisfy their people's hunger for change?" The prize includes 4,000 euro cash prize.

In other audience nods, Armernian/Greek production "Odysseas" by Vahagn Karapetyan won in the under 45 minute category. "Gaza We Are Coming" by Yorgos Avgeropoulos and Ioannis Karypidis took the Hellenic Red Cross Audience Award for a Greek Film over 45 minutes, while "Active Member" by Lefteris Fylaktos won in the short Greek category.

"Wandering Soul" by Angeliki Aristomenopoulou took the FIPRESCI prize and "To Shoot An Elephant" by Alerberto Arce and Mohammad Rujailah (Spain) in the international category. China's "Petition" by Zhao Liang won the Amnesty International Award. The Netherlands' Jan Louter won the WWF Award for "The Last Days of Shishmaref" and "The Mermaid's Tears: Oceans of Plastic" by France's Sandrine Feydel took the Greek Public Television Broadcasting Award.

The 12th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival took place in Greece's second largest city March 12 - 21.

Going Greek: Thessaloniki Doc Fest Rolls Out Non-Fiction into 2nd Decade

Brian Brooks — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:47:56 GMT

When Artistic Director Dimitri Eipides started the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival 11 years ago as an offshoot of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival (which takes place annually in November), the audiences were small and, to hear him tell it, more than a bit passive. "Greece is European geographically, but really it's on the periphery of Europe. News, information, and awareness come a bit late here if they ever come," says Eipides. "I felt that things were happening outside of this country and we didn't know about them." These days, the audiences are anything but disengaged. Seven year-olds burst with energy during the early morning Docs for Kids program, Midnight screenings sell out the large ornate Olympion Theater, and artistic performers like the Greek flash mob SFINA make surprise appearances. Conversations between festival attendees and filmmakers continue throughout the ten days during countless panels, Masterclasses, and the inaugural EDN Congress in Thessaloniki.

Opening this year's festival was Chao Gan's stunning "The Red Race," a portrait of 6 year-old gymnasts, raised in a strict training regimen at a Shanghai athletic school, where they are groomed for Olympic glory. The film is made up of a series of impeccably composed tableaux; opening with a single static shot of boys trying to complete an acrobatic move while an off-screen coach barks orders at them, and climaxing with a harrowing scene where two girls are dangling from a high bar, squirming with pain rather than letting go. The camera moves amongst the children, their parents, and coaches with such intimacy that one questions whether the subjects even noted its presence.

One of this year's honored guests the jovial Canadian documentary filmmaker Peter Wintonick ("Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media") was ubiquitous, mentoring filmmakers, moderating the Pitching Forum, and on Wednesday night receiving the festival Lifetime Achievement Award. Wintonick joked that while he was extremely grateful for the recognition, he hoped he still had a few years left in him. "Documentary is a transpersonal and a transnational art form," said Wintonick, accepting the award. "It allows us as filmmakers to enjoy, contemplate, and be educated about the joys and the suffering that occur all over the world." Wintonick also presented his latest film, an autobiographical spiritual quest/exploration of cinema, "pilgrIMAGE," co-directed by his daughter Mira, who participated in the Q&A via cell phone (she opted not to fly to Greece, as to reduce her carbon footprint). Both father and daughter encouraged the audience to get out there and make new media.

On Thursday, legendary Greek director Theo Angelopoulos ("The Dust of Time," "Eternity and a Day") presented a tribute to prolific Greek filmmaker Fotos Lamprinos, a historical documentarian whose career has spanned over 40 years. To commemorate this year's 11th anniversary, Thessaloniki screened 11 of Lamprinos' films, including his latest, "Captain Kemal, a Comrade." Lamprinos was pleasantly surprised by the interest from the Thessaloniki audiences. "When I went to the first screening of one of my films, I thought I'd be alone in the theater. I saw a friend, and said 'let's go in together, so there will be 2 people,' but then I was surprised to see the theater full."

Also filling the theaters were standout selections exploring modern African issues. "Zeru Zeru, the Ghosts," was screened in the festival's Views of the World section, but should have been in a horror sidebar - the film is a nightmarish account of albinos in Tanzania who are being attacked, maimed, and murdered for their limbs. Since 2007, bounty hunters have mutilated dozens of albinos ("zeru zeru" translates to "nobodies" or "ghosts") after witch doctors had spread the superstition that possessing albino bones brings quick wealth. The filmmaker's hidden camera captures a harrowing transaction with a bone vendor, where an albino bone is sold for about 580 euros. The founder of the Tanzania Albino Society, a support organization, is interviewed briefly, but the viewer is left wondering what else is being done to protect albinos or to put a stop to these horrific assaults.

French filmmakers Jean Crousillac and Jean-Marc Sainclair tell an inspirational story of survival in their documentary "Umoja, the Village Where Men are Forbidden," about a town settled by women who had been banished by their families - often because they had been raped by British soldiers. Banding together to avoid total isolation, the town began to flourish, despite the threats of neighboring villages. The hero of the film is Umoja matriarch Rebecca Lolosoli, who goes beyond the village to teach the ideals of human rights to people in other towns, draws up a petition to the British government to bring the accused soldiers to trial, and attends a Gender Equality Summit in Nairobi to fight for women's rights.

The world's oldest profession, as always, makes for some of the world's most engaging films. The brilliantly titled "Lady Mercedes - Getting Old as a Car Prostitute," is a simple, touching portrait of Sylvia Leiser, who has been working for 35 years as a prostitute in Bern, Switzerland. Wearing an orange "God's busy, can I help you?" T-shirt and working out of her Mercedes, Leiser seems every bit the aging Cabiria, trying to save enough money to retire from a fading sector of the sex industry where the working girls are 50-74 years old. If her clients complain about her age or appearance, she simply says, "Listen...Sophia Loren won't be coming tonight."

Artistic Director Dimitri Eipides (right) presents a very excited Canadian filmmaker Peter Wintonick with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Photo by Cameron Yates.

Janus Metz's film "Love on Delivery" focuses on the inhabitants of Thy, Denmark, a small fishing community where over 500 Thai women are married to Danish men. Sommai, formerly a prostitute in Thailand, is instrumental in arranging these marriages, and the cameras follow her as she attempts to find a husband for her niece Kae. During a Q&A following the screening, Metz commented that he had wanted to tell the story like a fairytale, while at the same time exploring globalization through an intimate encounter between two individuals. "The desires, and the needs on behalf of the woman and on behalf of the man are very different, and of course this is a fragile type of relationship."

Saturday night's awards ceremony found Thessaloniki politicians and Greek film patrons mingling with Hellenic Red Cross workers and members of the flash mob SFINA at the Olympion Theater. Two highlights of the evening were "Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country" taking home both the International Audience Award and also the Amnesty International Award, and Kimberly Reed's incredibly moving personal documentary, "Prodigal Sons," receiving the FIPRESCI award for an international film.

Sunday saw the end of festivities in Thessaloniki, but the festival is not completely over. During the next few weeks, select films continue on to a handful of cities in northern Greece, and for the first time ever, TDF is holding a week of screenings in Athens, as Dimitri Eipides does all he can to share these docs with as large an audience as possible. "I want the public to really understand what documentaries are and to like them... Sometimes I go inside the theater in the dark and I look into their faces, and I see people smiling or with tears in their eyes, that's it - it's cinema and they're looking at real people and real situations. You see perhaps a vision of the world."

[Cameron Yates is the Documentary Programmer for NewFest: The New York LGBT Film Festival, and a filmmaker currently working on a documentary about a New Orleans madam and her family.]

Artistic performers SFINA at the awards ceremony on Saturday night. Members of SFINA were also featured in the Greek Audience Award winning short doc "The World Naked Bike Ride Project in Thessaloniki." Photo by Cameron Yates.

The 2009 Thessaloniki Documentary Film Awards

Audience Award

The Hellenic Red Cross Audience Award for a film over 45' in the International Selection (4,000 euros):

"Burma VJ - Reporting from a Closed Country," by Anders Hosbro Ostergaard, Denmark, 2008

The Hellenic Red Cross Audience Award for a film under 45' in the International Selection, (2,000 euros):

"Flowers of Rawanda" by David Munoz, Spain, 2008

The Hellenic Red Cross Audience Award for a Greek film over 45' ($30,000 euros):

"National Garden" (Ethnikos Kipos) by Apostolos Karakasis

The Hellenic Red Cross Audience Award for a Greek film under 45' (20,000 euros)

"The World Naked Pike Ride Project in Thessaloniki" (Vgikame Apo Ta Rouha Mas) by Elli Zerbini

FIPRESCI Awards

"Bathers" by Eva Stefani (Greek selection prize)

"Prodigal Sons" by Kimberly Reed, USA / UK, 2008 (International selection prize)

Amnesty International Award (award for best film in the field of human rights)

"Burma VJ - Reporting from a Closed Country" by Anders Hosbro Ostergaard, Denmark, 2008

WWF Award ( honors the best film in the Habitat section)

"Crude" by Joe Berlinger, USA / Ecuador/ UK, 2009

ERT3 (Greek Public Television) Broadcasting Award also honoring a film in the Habitat section

"Another Planet: Masik Bolygo by Ferenc Moldovanyi, Hungary, 2008

ERT (Greek Public Television) Doc on Air Award
The ERT Greek Public Television inaugurates this year the new Doc on Air Award, given to the best Pitching Forum 2009 project, by tutors who have participated in the 2009 Pitching Forum - Docs In Thessaloniki, running in collaboration with the European Documentary Network. The award is equivalent to the sum of 7,000 euros

"Rush for Life," by Kate McNaughton, producer Tomas Tamosaitis, Takas Films, UK

Check out indieWIRE's New Guide to Film Festivals (listings will be updated throughout the year):
JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC

"Red Race" to Open 11th Thessaloniki Documentary Fest; 170 Films Join Line up

Brian Brooks — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:41:54 GMT

"The Red Race" by Chao Gan (China/Germany, '08) will open the 11th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, taking place March 13 - 22. "Race" recounts the stories of several Chinese children-gymnasts who (are forced to) dream of becoming famous athletes. The 6-year-olds at the Lu Wan District Youth Athletic School in Shanghai, trained relentlessly in the hopes they will one day be gold medalists, provide the subjects for a sometimes harsh, yet intimate portrait.

Approximately 170 films by directors from around the world will screen at the event in Northern Greece. Among the docs that have received international recognition on the festival circuit this year are Kim Longinotto's "Rough Aunties," Matt Turnauer's "Valentino: The Last Emperor," Kimberly Reed's "Prodigal Sons," Joe Berlinger's "Crude," Anders Hosbro Ostergaardand's "Burma VJ" and Kief Davidson's "Kassim the Dream." In addition to Thessaloniki's line up, the festival is planning a Spotlight on Mexico section this year with seven films screening from the Latin American country, while seven are slated for a Spotlight on Austria and 10 for a special "Tribute: Africa" section. Canadian doc filmmaker Peter Wintonick will also be feted with a spotlight, screening two of his films, "Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media" (co-directed with Mark Achbar, 1992) and "Pilgrimage" (co-directed with Mira Burt Wintonick, 2008).

11th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival line up:

Views of the World

"Sandra's Paradise," Marianne Roussy, France, 74', 2008
"Oblivion," Heddy Honigmann, Netherlands, 93', 2008
"Everything Is Relative," Mikala Krogh, Denmark, 75', 2008
"Three Men And A Fish Pond," Laila Pakalnina, Maris Maskalans, Latvia, 52', 2008
"Unwanted Witness," Juan Jose Lozano, Switzerland, France, 90', 2008
"The Red Race," Chao Gan, China, 70', 2008
"Rough Aunties," Kim Longinotto, United Kingdom, 103', 2008
"Children Of The Pyre," Rajesh S. Jala, India, 74', 2008
"Kites, Beata Dzianowicz," Poland, 80', 2008
"Marina Of The Zabbaleen," Engi Wassef, USA, 70', 2008
"The Corner Shop," Helga Rakel Rafnsdottir, Hulda Ros Udnadottir, Iceland, 44', 2008
"Manhole Children," Taro Takahashi, Japan, 117', 2008
"My Mother's Farm," Ilze Burkovska-Jacobsen, Norway, Latvia, 55', 2008
"Heart Of Factory," Ernesto Ardito, Virna Molina, Argentina, 129', 2008
"Child Miners," Rodrigo Vazquez, United Kingdom, Bolivia, 44', 2008
"Apocalypse On Wheels," Alexandru Solomon, Romania, 52', 2008
"The Solitary Life Of Cranes," Eva Weber, United Kingdom, 27', 2008
"Torgheh," Mohammad Hassan Damanzan, Iran, 52', 2008
"Sisters Of Lilith," Emel Celebi, Turkey, 41', 2008
"Bells, Threads & Miracles," Marianna Economou, Greece, 65', 2008
"On The Way To School," Orhan Eskikoy, Ozgur Dogan, Turkey, 81', 2008
"Journey To Rakhiv," Takis Touliatos, Greece, 65', 2008
"Nothing To Lose," Jean Henri Meunier, France, 78', 2008
"Circus School," Guo Jing, Ke Dingding, China, 103', 2007
"Zeru Zeru The Ghosts," Yorgos Avgeropoulos, Greece, 60', 2009

Human Rights

"Flowers Of Rwanda," David Munoz, Spain, 24', 2008
"The Day After Peace," Jeremy Gilley, United Kingdom, 81', 2008
"Seaview, Paul Rowley," Nicky Cogan, Ireland, 82', 2008
"Letter To Anna," Eric Bergkraut, Switzerland, 83', 2008
"Burma VJ - Reporting From A Closed Country," Anders Hosbro Ostergaard, Denmark, 85', 2008
"A Blooming Business," Ton Van Zantvoort, Netherlands, 55', 2009
"Enjoy Poverty," Renzo Martens, Netherlands, 90', 2008
"Umoja, The Village Where Men Are Forbidden," Jean Crousillac, Jean Marc Sainclair, France, 52', 2008
"Rich Brother," Insa Onken, Germany, 97', 2009

Portraits - Human Journeys

"Chris And Don, A Love Story," Guido Santi, Tina Mascara, USA, 90', 2007
"Rene," Helena Trestikova, Czech Republic, 83', 2008
"No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo And Vilmos," James Chressanthis, USA, 97',2008
"The Ladies," Christina Voros, USA, 13', 2007
"Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, The Mistress And The Tangerine," Amei Wallach, Marion Cajori, USA, 99', 2008
"Huxley On Huxley, Mary Ann Braubach, USA,60', 2008
"Should I Really Do It?," Ismail Necmi, Turkey, 86' 2008
"T 4 Trouble And The Self Admiration Society," Dimitris Athiridis, Greece, 108', 2008
"Charisma X- Iannis Xenakis," Efi Xirou, Greece, 62', 2008
"Filo And Marina," Kalliopi Legaki, Greece, 74', 2009
"Kassim The Dream," Kief Davidson, USA, 87', 2008
"Valentino, The Last Emperor," Matt Turnauer, USA, 95', 2008
"Flying On One Engine," Joshua Weinstein, USA, India, 51', 2007
"Masterclass," Algis Kemezys, Greece, Canada, 57', 2008
"The Queen And I," Nahid Persson Sarvestani, Sweden, 93', 2008

Stories to Tell

"Love On Delivery," Janus Metz, Denmark, 59', 2008
"The Mother," Antoine Cattin, Pavel Kostomarov, Switzerland, France, Russia, 80', 2007
"Lady Mercedes," David Fonjallaz, Switzerland, 52', 2007
"Men," Khristine Gillard, Belgium, 70', 2008
"Long Distance Love," Elin Jonsson, Magnus Gertten, Sweden, 88', 2008
"Circus Rosaire," Robyn Bliley, USA, 90', 2008
"Prodigal Sons," Kimberly Reed, USA, 86', 2008
"Dust Of Time," Nicos Ligouris, Germany, 47', 2008
"Ticket To Paradise," Janus Metz, Denmark, 58', 2008
"Dear Zachary: A Letter To A Son About His Father," Kurt Kuenne, USA, 93', 2008
"Grief: Little Tales Of Unemployment," Yorgos Zervas, Greece, 53', 2008
"National Garden," Apostolos Karakasis, Greece, 73', 2009

Habitat

"At The Edge Of The World," Dan Stone, USA, 101', 2008
"Blue Gold: World Water Wars," Sam Bozzo, USA, 90',2008
"About Naples, Robert Russo," Italy, USA, 52', 2008
"Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action," Velcrow Ripper, Canada, 97', 2008
"The Hanging Gardens Of Santa Emilia," Floor Kooij, Sibel Bilgin, Netherlands,60',2008
"Taking Root: The Vision Of Wangari Maathai," Alan Dater, Lisa Merton, USA, 80', 2008
"The Caviar Connection," Dragan Nikolic, Serbia, USA, 58', 2008
"The Man Who Plants Trees," Yu-Hsien Lin, Taiwan 55', 2008
"Blast!" Paul Devlin, USA, 74', 2008
"Another Planet," Masik Bolygo, Ferenc Moldovanyi, Hungary, 96', 2008
"Crude," Joe Berlinger, USA, 100', 2008
"Upstream Battle," Ben Kempas, Germany, 97', 2008
"From Olympus To Everest," Pavlos Tsiandos, Greece, 90',2009
"Sos, Animals In Danger," Angelos Kovotsos, Greece, 26', 2009

DISPATCH FROM GREECE | Ten Years and Building: Thessaloniki Cements its Reputation as a World-Class

Indiewire — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:30:12 GMT

It's a difficult thing for an international guest to head to the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival and keep one's mind on the movies. Not that the programming isn't outstanding. It is. 153 films appear in this noncompetitive fest (though lots of auxiliary prizes are awarded), and they represent, for the most part, the cream of the recent international crop of docs, plus about fifty standouts from Greece. But the hospitality that Thessaloniki extends to its guests is as good as any fest in the world. Since much of the staff also works for the annual International Film fest in November (which shows more movies and attracts nearly 1000 guests from around the world), they seem to take the comparatively small docfest in stride.

Travel and lodging are dealt with efficiently and, if you're a filmmaker, you can look forward to the ocean views and well-appointed rooms of the Elektra Palace, conveniently located about 50 yards from the main theater, the Olympion. Combine that with an active social scene, field trips to historic wonders, a rotating banquet that bears more and a plethora of great bars and one might wonder what drives guests into theaters.

What fuels the fest ten years in, despite the distractions, are the films. Artistic director Dimitri Eipides brings a wealth of international programming experience and a clear and refined sense of what he does and does not like in nonfiction filmmaking to the table. This vision, played out across a broad spectrum of programming, is truly impressive. And though Eipides sees himself as a man with simple tastes, it's his skill as a programmer that brings him to combine those simple flavors into a varied and flavorful dish.

In recent years, Eipides and his staff, have, seemingly through sheer willpower, convinced the Greek public that these movies are worthy of their attention. As if a light switch had been thrown, festival attendance doubled back in 2006 and the fest hasn't looked back since. Screenings are full but not packed, audiences are lively and engaged, and it's the rare Q&A that doesn't see the discussion spill over into a heated off-mic exchange amongst the filmgoers.

Newly improved for 2008 was the doc market, which featured 30 cubicles for attending buyers, programmers and press to bury themselves in a steady stream of nonfiction. This year's festival brought buyers from dozens of countries, representing some of the major television outlets of France, Spain, Germany, Portugal and the United Kingdom. Though it's horrific for filmmakers to imagine their work playing out at 2x speed on a 25" monitor, markets like these enable industry pros to sort through a tremendous volume of films and aids them in deciding which to view in their entirety at a later date. It's no place for a faint of heart filmmaker to lurk, though...

Classes and other talks and discussions spread around the week are among the standout qualities of this festival. Well-attended by the city's large student population, and translated via headset into English or Greek as necessary, Thessaloniki's panels and classes dig a little deeper than most fests and often tackle "big" issues with serious intent. Such was the "Faces of Fascism" strand of programming this year, that culminated in a three hour discussion of the political and economic situations that permit fascism to rear its head. Asked if this programming was in direct response to current world situations, Eipides commented, "After 1945, one would hope that this would disappear, but of course it doesn't. The general populace needs to be reminded that fascism can rear its head anywhere, such as in the case of prisoners detained at Guantanamo."

Shifting gears from Thessaloniki's more serious bent, another non-film highlight was a performance by the Concretes, a Swedish pop group somewhat in the mold of the Cardigans, with a tall blonde singer doing her best to channel Nico. They played to an appreciative crowd of locals and festival attendees. Afterwards, festival staffers took over on the DJ tables and got the people dancing.

Saturday night brought the closing ceremony, complete with a theater packed with well-known Greek politicians and personalities. Though the fest doesn't have an official competition section, a number of organizations sponsor awards, including the Hellenic Red Cross, who were a constant presence at the fest running the audience polling, FIPRESCI, Greek Puble Television, The Greek Film Center, Amnesty International and the World Wildlife Fund.

Bill Haney's "The Price of Sugar" continued its strong festival run by locking up the Amnesty International Award for the best film in the Human Rights section. The World Wildlife Fund sponsored a section of the fest called "Habitat" and gave its award to Austrian director Udo Maurer for his film "About Water: People And Yellow Cans." This film takes a strong, cinematic look at how different third world populations deal with a resource that is taken for granted by most in developed nations.

Other standout international titles included the second international screening of "Wild Combination," Matt Wolf's film about avant-disco musician Arthur Russell, which has yet to premiere in the U.S. Gwen Haworth brought "She's a Boy I Knew," her funny and playful account of her own gender transformation. "Stranded" followed its successful IDFA & Sundance screenings with an appearance and audiences packed the house for screenings of Yung Chang's "Up The Yangtze," which also screened in Park City. Swiss helmer Peter Entell made the return trip from a U.S. visit to appear with "Shake the Devil Off" about a beleaguered Catholic church in New Orleans and Astrid Bussink brought "The Lost Colony," her bizarre tale of an abandoned monkey research lab in the former Soviet republic of Abkhazia, fresh from its debut at Rotterdam.

"Be Like Others" was awarded the FIPRESCI prize for best international feature. The film looks at gender reassignment surgery in Iran, where it's a capital crime to be gay, but legal to have a sex change. The director Tanaz Eshaghian shows a deft touch in telling these intimate stories and finds in the country's most famous gender-reassignment surgeon, a man who is able to speak to both his patients and their families with conviction. Among the additional notable titles were Steven Sebring's "Patti Smith: Dream of Life," Wolfgang Held and Pola Rapaport's "Hair: Let the Sun Shine In," Kim Longinotto's "Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go," "A Jihad for Love" by Parvez Sharma and "Heavy Metal in Baghdad" by Suroosh Alvi and Eddy Moretti.

As noted, the Greek program was especially strong in 2008 and showed signs that the country's nonfiction community is starting to catch up to its better-funded European counterparts. Among notable Greek titles making their debuts were "The Lovers From Axos" (which picked up three awards, including the FIPRESCI critics award for Best Greek Feature), a charming tale of an elderly couple and their longstanding devotion to each other. "My First Time" offered an intimate look at a diverse group of women, all experiencing the joys and pains of their first pregnancy. And "Birds in the Mire" tells some of the amazing stories of the women of the Greek resistance.

Finally, though the fest doesn't include a great many shorts in its programming, notable selections included the sublime visual/audio poetry of "City of Cranes" (winner of the FIPRESCI award for best international short film), the much-lauded "A Son's Sacrifice," 2007 IDFA Silver Cub winner "The Tailor" and Greek audience award winner "The Archelon Bubble."

As the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival looks towards its second decade, it can truly claim its status as one of the top documentary festivals in Europe, and as worthy a destination as any for filmmakers looking for exposure plus a quality festival experience. One hopes that the Greek government and larger festival organization continue to support this visionary effort to bring important films to the people of Greece as well as the international documentary community.

DISPATCH FROM GREECE | At a Doc Fest in Thessaloniki: Euro Premieres and "Troubled Innocence"

Indiewire — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 07:25:38 GMT

Sitting in a smoky cafe outside the John Cassavetes theater, filmmaker (and fest honoree) Steven Bognar is holding forth on the differences between Greek and North American audiences. "Greeks are not afraid to ask confrontational questions. This gives a Q&A a sense of uncertainty that's really healthy. You get the same few questions at every fest and then suddenly . . . something new!"

This inquisitiveness about the form and content of documentaries, and a willingness to thoughtfully engage with serious and provocative issues are at the heart of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. In its 9th year, the fest is a prominent destination on the international documentary circuit, falling on the calendar just after SXSW and before Hot Docs and Full Frame, Thessaloniki is emerging as a viable venue for European premieres of U.S. docs, combining a core of smart and compelling programming with a filmmaker-friendly ambience.

Under the thoughtful and often inspired leadership of Dimitri Eipides, a 30-year veteran programmer with fests around the world, Thessaloniki has grown to 236 films over 10 days, in addition to an international pitching-forum and market. The fest draws a wide audience, with students, locals, over 500 guests from around Greece, and another 175 international visitors filling many screenings.

According to Eipides, "25% of the films in the last year's market sold. This exposure is vital for documentary filmmakers. They need their work to be circulated and seen more than anyone."

A happy reunion for festival honorees and organizers outside of the tribute. Photo by David Wilson for indieWIRE

While the fest was programmed around themes like memory, music, human rights and games, strife and struggle were also dominant themes.

Student strikes over proposed private universities led to many of the city's 60,000+ student population being out of town. Unlike a Sundance or Cannes, this is a big deal for a fest that attracts an audience made up predominantly of locals. Happily for them, early reports showed that total attendance over the ten days (and 250+ screenings) had climbed over last year's high-water mark of 35,000.

Conflict also bubbled beneath the surface of the fest, as many of the year-round staff found themselves facing contract termination in the months following the fest. With their jobs at risk, the staff soldiered on, presenting the same high level of support and service that has come to be a hallmark of this fest. Though the situation is not resolved as of this writing, the week saw many speak up in support of these workers, including honored guests Barbara Kopple and Julia Reichert. In an unusual coincidence (or eerily prescient programming move), Kopple's "Harlan County USA" and "American Dream," and Reichert's "Union Maids" were all shown as part of their career retrospectives.

The fest itself played out smoothly, presenting the program of 236 films to an audience hungry for powerful and socially conscious documentary filmmaking.

Long stuck in the shadow of their November fest of international fiction film, the documentary fest continues a strong effort to establish themselves as a major destination on the European doc circuit. Some US filmmakers, like Todd and Benita Sills ("Red Without Blue"), brought their films to Thessaloniki for a European premiere. They were rewarded with an appreciative and engaged audience, nightly feasts with other filmmakers, and an incredibly friendly staff.

Outside the Olympian theater, in Aristotle Square in Thessaloniki. Photo by David Wilson for indieWIRE

Among the highlights of the international films were 2006 Tribeca audience sward winner "The Cats of Mirikitani," Halil Efrat and Shahar Cohen's "Souvenirs," which took home the FIPRESCI prize for best international documentary, and "Tierney Gearon: The Mother Project," a fascinating look at a controversial photographer and her troubled mother. [Set to air May 13th, Mother's Day, on Sundance Channel] Other notable visitors included director Lucy Walker, on hand to present her latest, "Blindsight," (in one of the film's few festival appearances) and Mark Verkerk, appearing with Buddha's Lost Children.

One unique feature of the fest was a number of longform documentaries presented in their entirety. Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar's "A Lion In The House," David Sutherland's "Country Boys," Ric Burns' "Andy Warhol: A documentary film" and Jennifer Fox's "Flying - Confessions of a Free Woman" all clock in over 3 1/2 hours. This often presents a challenge for programmers looking to maximize space in their schedule. It is to Thessaloniki's credit that they are willing to make time for these grand-scale documentaries. Credit is due also to the audiences who turned out for these true-life epics.

A centerpiece of this fest is its selection of a theme around which a number of films are programmed, and a midweek panel discussion featuring a wide variety of experts. This year's theme, "Troubled Innocence", gave audiences a look at what it means to be a child in the 21st century from a number of different vantage points. Screening as part of this program was 2007 short-form Oscar winner "The Blood of Yingzhou District," as well as feature Oscar nominee "Jesus Camp" and IDFA standout "We Are Together" (Thina Simunye), (which will have its US premiere at Tribeca this April). Representing filmmakers on the panel discussion was Julia Reichert, who talked passionately about racial prejudices in American healthcare and the gaps that exist in both treatment and preventative care.

Another program grouping focused on "music" films, offering 8 new films that find creative approaches to documenting a musician, a band or a musical culture. Highpoints included AJ Schnack's gorgeous "Kurt Cobain About a Son," which played to a packed house of enthusiastic young Greeks. Stephen Kijak's "Scott Walker: 30th Century Man," appeared fresh from its U.S. premiere at SXSW; and Raul de la Fuente's "Noemadak Tx," which showcases a pair of globetrotting Basque musicians, thrilled Greek audiences prior to its U.S. bow at Full Frame.

Barbara Kopple was a strong presence at the fest, appearing at various screenings of her films. She also took part in a lengthy "conversation" in which she discussed her filmmaking career, complete with a seemingly endless supply of perfect anecdotes - tales of the seedy motel she stayed in before winning her first Oscar and the Bruce Springsteen check that saved American Dream. Deftly fielding questions from belligerent students (was "Shut Up And Sing" just a promotional vehicle for The Dixie Chicks?) as well as her contemporaries (Jim Klein of New Day Films took the mic briefly to elaborate on their mission), Kopple was charming and gracious, while always reminding the audience of the grit and determination it takes to make documentary films.

Among the challenges presented during the fest was trying to parse the number of Greek docs that offered a varied body of work. More than one festival insider confirmed a reluctance to screen too many Greek films. On one hand, the festival affords a unique opportunity for international guests to see what the country is producing. On the other hand, an overabundance of unremarkable work makes finding the gems that much more difficult. Luckily, there are a few treasures to be found, including: the highly entertaining short "Que Bona to Vada Your Ecaf" about a Greek drag performer, the verite charmer "What Time Is It?" by the talented Eva Stefani, and the journalistically powerful "War Zone: Red World," which looks at the gold mines and surrounding communities in the Congo. These are films that can and should find a place on the international scene.

Julia Reichert had this to say about the fest: "We've been to a million fests, and only some are really conscious about what we are as a community. This is an outstanding example of a fest that builds community." It's the appreciation of such filmmakers for what Eipides and his staff have built, and the increasing devotion of local audiences that is turning the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival into a major destination.

ABOUT THE WRITER: David Wilson is a filmmaker and co-founder of the Ragtag Cinema and the <a href="a%20href=" _cke_saved_href="a href=" http:="" www.ragtagfilm.com"="" target="_blank">True/False Film Festival</a>. He lives in Columbia, Missouri.</i></p><p></p>

Haupt's "Song for Argyris" Wins Thessaloniki Doc Prize

Indiewire — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 16:19:41 GMT

The 9th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival concluded today in Greece awarding its ERT3 Audience Award for a film in the official selection to Stefan Haupt's "A Song for Argyris" from the U.S., while the audience prize for a short film went to Ruby Yang's "The Blood of Yingzhou District." The ERT3 Audience Award for a Greek film went to Stavros Kaplanidis's "Play It Again, Christos" and the Greek short "Schoolwave" by Pavlos Tsiandos also won an audience award. [Eugene Hernandez]

At a Film Fest in Greece, Encountering World Events and Cultures Through Docs

Indiewire — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 12:59:50 GMT

Thessaloniki is a city with a fluid history - one that dates back to the time of Alexander the Great and encompasses shifting political allegiances from the Roman and Byzantine empires up to Turkey and modern Greece. The architecture in the town center is mostly '50s modern, but with jarring appearances of centuries-old buildings, sprinkled like gumdrops throughout the cityscape. And its status as a city built on the sea, with an active port is also significant to its history. All of these details also play out in the formulation of the Thessaloniki International Documentary Film Festival, which started as an adjunct to the larger fest of narrative film, but is quickly taking its place on the world stage.

As befitting the city's history, the fest catalog is like a primer of world events and cultures. Most of the international titles are high-quality (if unsurprising) selections from this year's festival faves, but surprises crop up like Byzantine churches amidst the skyscrapers. And, in this thriving port city, international visitors are everywhere, lured by the strong and clear vision of founder, Dimitri Eipides, whose enduring presence on the international festival scene has made him a familiar face to many of these guests.

With a strong guiding hand (and help from assistant programmers like Katerina Kakiamani and Konstantinos Kontovrakis) Eipides has built this fest into one of international import, finding films that offer strong political arguments and bold visual styles, while demanding that audiences enter into a dialogue with the subject. Some of the bolder choices included the intimate "My Grandmother's House," the fantastic "Someday My Prince Will Come" and Jon Bang Carlsen's "It's Now or Never", a film that claims documentary status despite having a script, storyboards and a dream sequence.

Structured over ten days, Thessaloniki creates a more relaxed pace than many other fests that move breathlessly from opening night to closing. This pace, with its late morning first screenings and plenty of time between shows leaves audiences free to linger, to discuss and to take in the various high-quality panels and forums.

The opening night film was "Smiling in a Warzone" from Danish filmmaking couple Simone Aaberg Kaern and Magnus Bejmar. The fairy tale film, which saw its international bow at IDFA in November and will have its official US premiere at Full Frame, is a smart and well-crafted crowd-pleaser that gains strength from the Julie Andrews-like charisma of its director/star. Hundreds of people filled the main theater at the Olympion complex for what was clearly a much-anticipated social event for Thessaloniki's movers and shakers. Though there was copious chatting and cell phone usage throughout the screening, the film received a long and rousing ovation over the end credits.

What's really impressive, though, is that as the week progressed, the high-rolling crowd of opening night was replaced with a cross-section of the local population. With inexpensive tickets, and screenings late into the night, the fest feel as if it is not only IN the town, but OF the town. This reporter was stopped at a chip shop by a worker on his lunch break who noticed my festival badge. In broken English (my Greek is nonexistent) we spoke about "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey", which we'd both seen and enjoyed, and "Grizzly Man", which was high on his list. Encounters like this happened throughout the week and the screenings were consistently full.

At the same time, documentary film in Greece is looked upon as being solely the province of television. The festival works to expand this view, screening international theatrical standouts like "Unknown White Male" alongside almost 100 Greek titles throughout the week, and offering opportunities for Greek filmmakers to meet with international buyers, programmers and filmmakers.

This strong support for Greek filmmaking is clear in the programming, which gives about half of the total slots in the fest to Greek work. Some of these are mixed in with international films in the program. Others fill out the Greek Panorama and Open Screen sections. Many of these titles focused on Greek life or history. However, some Greek filmmakers expressed their desire to have the artistic (or, more accurately, financial) freedom to seek out subjects outside of their own borders. Others sought to find stories within Greece that could speak to international audiences, including the popular "Sugar Town - The Bridegrooms" (dir. Kimon Tsakiris) and "Supplicants" (dir. Stavros Ioannou).

Three master classes were offered throughout the week, and were all well-attended by a crowd that was largely made up of students, but included other festival-goers as well. Kim Longinotto received a special tribute from the fest and attended with seven of her films, including the much-lauded Sisters in Law, which opens theatrically in the US on April 14th. Showing clips from her films, Kim led a low-key discussion of her techniques, strategies and love of documentaries. She said " Docs are always better stories than anything you can imagine. I would never have written a six year old runaway for 'Sisters in Law', I would have made her eleven or twelve."

Kim would reappear later in the week as a guest of Peter Wintonick, whose freewheeling, connect-the-docs workshop walked students through a circuitious path of pre-production, production and post-production, replete with manifestos. Danish filmmaker Jon Bang Carlsen also led a masterclass entitled "How to Invent Reality."

Other non-film highlights of the week included lengthy panels on globalization and Africa, with experts from outside the filmmaking field (including Indian firebrand activist Vandana Shiva). Artistic Director Eipides cites these panels as one of the most important parts of the festival. Globalization activist and author Susan George offered her own take on the juxtaposition of heavy-duty political thought with documentary film, saying "The films at this fest expand our vision of what is possible."

An afternoon discussion series for filmmakers called Just Talking was also popular, and helped build connections between the Greeks and their international counterparts.

Both Greek and international filmmakers should have been happy to see a lot of action around the Doc Market. With 442 films available for sale, many were calling Thessaloniki one of the most important markets in Europe. Coupled with this was the pitching forum (sponsored by the European Documentary Network), which gave 22 filmmakers two days of practice pitch sessions and coaching before setting them loose in front of a group of commissioning editors (representing ten European nations). Of special note for U.S. filmmakers should be Thessaloniki's relatively relaxed funding guidelines for these projects. Unlike IDFA, Thessaloniki does not require a commissioning editor to be on board with a project already, nor do they need to have funding in place. This should be a boon for Americans looking to float a project in the European market.

Thessaloniki offers a unique festival, one that takes maximum advantage of its locale. The food (and drink) are plentiful, the fest organizers incredibly friendly and available. Screenings ran smoothly, and there was at all times a clear curatorial vision in the programming and events. Eight years in, this is a fest that is at the cutting edge of current documentary filmmaking theory and practice. And Eipides shows few signs of slowing down as he dreams up new developments (a film fund for African filmmakers?) for 2007.

More Than 180 Films Set for 8th Thessaloniki Doc Fest

Eugene Hernandez — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 12:27:41 GMT

A whopping 184 films are set to screen at this year's Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, opening tonight (Friday) in the northern Greek city. The 8th annual doc event, kicking off this evening with Simone Aaberg Kaern & Magnus Bejmar's "Smiling In A Warzone -- And the Art of Flying in Kabul", will continue through March 19th. Boasting an attendance that topped 20,000 last year, organizers have expanded the event to additional venues the 2006 event. Artistic director Dimitri Eipides, familiar to festivalgoers for his work on the international film festivals in Toronto and Reykjavik, will this year focus on Globalization, Africa and the Politics of Violence. With globalization as a primary theme, organizers plan to offer a program of eleven films and a one-day conference discussing the issue. Featured this year is a tribute to filmmaker Kim Longinotto, who will attend and participate and in a festival master class.

Another particular area of exploration for this year's fest is a program of thirteen documentaries from Nordic countries, as well as a tribute to Danish filmmaker Jon Bang Carlsen, including screenings of "It's Now or Never" and "Portrait of God," along with a master class.

The main sections of the event include Views of the World, exploring social interest topics, offering a total of 19 films this year. Among them are Philip Groning's "Die Grosse Stille" (Into Great Silence), Michael Peled's "China Blue," Michel Negroponte's "Methadonia," Doug Block's "51 Birch Street," Mark Becker's "Romantico," and James Longley's "Iraq In Fragments," winner of multiple awards at this year's Sundance Film Festival.

Sixteen films are set for the Stories to Tell section, including films that explore distinctive subjects. On tap include Adan Aliaga's "My Grandmother's House," Jessica Sanders' "After Innocence," Marc Isaacs' "Some Day My Prince Will Come," Valery Kontakos' "Who's On First," and Cameron Hickey & Lauren Feeney's "Garlic and Watermelons."

Other sections include: Portraits – Human Journeys, featuring films that focus on individuals; Stories to Tell, exploring distinctive subjects; Recordings of Memory exploring people and events that have shaped life or are a part of history; Habitat, about environmental issues; a section of music docs; Greek Panorama, delivering local productions, and a new section – dubbed Open Screen – that will feature films submitted for consideration, but not included in one of the curated Greek sections. A total of 88 Greek docs are on tap this year, with 96 international titles on tap for the festival.

Among the other highlights of the 2006 Thessaloniki Documentary Festival will include a three-day workshop with filmmaker Peter Wintonick ("Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media" and "Cinema Verite: Defining the Moment"), a doc market with some 400 films and 40 buyers in attendance, a pitching forum, and daily discussions between doc professionals from Greece and international festival visitors.

[David Wilson will be covering the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival for indieWIRE. We will publish his report after the conclusion of the event.]

The 7 Year Old Thessaloniki Doc Fest: Making Non Fiction More Popular But Also Stimulating Discussio

Indiewire — Thu, 21 Apr 2005 06:00:00 GMT

The 7 Year Old Thessaloniki Doc Fest: Making Non Fiction More Popular But Also Stimulating Discussion

by Lily Oei

The Olympion theater complex in Thessaloniki, site of the festival. Photo by Lily Oei.

As clearly evident at this year's Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, it's not just American audiences that are bewitched by documentaries.

Now in its seventh year, the festival has expanded from seven to 10 days, filling slots with a solid schedule of films and sidebar events revolving around themes of human rights and social interest. As an American attendee, especially one more familiar with E! than the IMF, there's something humbling about participating in a festival with such an international perspective. There's also something incredibly heady about watching films in the cradle of Western civilization.

On my first afternoon, I was greeted by the stinging air of tear gas, which had been used that morning to quell rioting volleyball fans at the airport. Let the record show that the fans were rioting because they weren't allowed to meet their returning champions -- clearly this was a city brimming with passion. A foreign tongue makes it hard to eavesdrop on fellow filmgoers -- or at least, understand -- but one can still learn a few things: namely, American customs don't translate. Leaving personal items on a chair to hold a seat means nothing, but instead of an Anthony Kaufman style Sundance throw down, the burly thief got off of my stuff and apologetically helped me find a nearby seat.

This year the festival received nearly 800 submissions, culled down to 130 films. "We're not doing so badly," said festival director Dmitri Eipides, "Seven years is still new. My main mission is to make it known outside, so we have larger participation from filmmakers."

"Small budget, big goals" summed up native filmmaker Stelios Kouloglou ("Whistleblower") about the festival.

The 10 day docket included "Darwin's Nightmare" which went on to take the top audience prize. The film is a harrowing look at the situation in Tanzania, a country on the shores of Lake Victoria with an economy dependent on the fishing and processing of Nile perch-- possibly to ruinous end. Tons of fish are pulled out of the waters and processed each day for export. Meanwhile, sub-economies of prostitution and arms smuggling flourish while the natives go hungry. A whole thesis could be written about this film and social injustices, but for me, the most chilling scene is when a fish factory owner turns on his wall-mounted bass, which begins crooning Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy."

Petr Lom ("Bride Kidnapping") and producer Jeannine Gagne ("Roger Toupin") at the party thrown by the Canadian Embassy for their films. In the background is producer Henry S. Rosenthal ("Devil and Daniel Johnston"). Photo by Lily Oei.

Kouloglou's flashy "Whistleblower" is a look at five heroes who spoke out, including Daniel Ellsberg, responsible for the Pentagon Papers, and the FBI's Sibel Edmonds and Colleen Rowley. Homegrown "Cho Oyu" about an attempt by Greek mountain climbers to climb that Himalayan mountain was a sentimental favorite, picking up an audience award. "Bride Kidnapping in Kyrgystan," which sounds like a New York Post headline, was a well-handled debut effort by Canadian filmmaker Petr Lom and a look at a tradition that continues in Central Asia. "Access was surprisingly easy," said Lom, "Witnessing one is really hard." American selections included Nathaniel Kahn's "My Architect," Joe Berlinger's "Gray Matter" and youthful crowd pleasers: "Inside Deep Throat" and "The Devil and Daniel Johnston." Both docs packed in full houses despite their late night screening times.

By far the most charming film was "Georgi and the Butterflies" from Bulgarian filmmaker, Andrew Paunov. In an underfunded psychiatric hospital, head doctor Georgi Lulchev, is part mental health practitioner, part entrepreneur. In the interest of raising money and providing therapy for his patients, the unfailingly optimistic Lulchev embarks on a series of money raising schemes including pheasant hunting, ostrich raising, snail farming, and that international fail safe -- purchasing mass quantities of lottery tickets. Special tributes honored Canadian filmmaker Pierre Perrault and Finnish director Pirjo Honkasalo whose "The 3 Rooms of Melancholia" won the Fipresci award in the international category. (Greek honors went to "Elias Petropoulos - A World Underground" by Kalliopi Legaki.)

Besides screenings, there were discussions on human rights, immigration, and political cinema. To discuss immigration, the festival convened a panel of nine experts to discuss the situation, which has particular resonance in Greece. "There's been -- I wouldn't say hostility -- but a displeasure," said fest director Eipides. "I am an immigrant myself [in Canada], and know it can be a very cruel experience. I wanted to elaborate."

Among the panelists was Karen Farkas of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees who astutely noted, "Art and documentary can rehumanize the dehumanized. For at least an hour, you can understand how they fell, and why they left their country to come to yours."

The master class with Finnish director Pirjo Honkasalo (left) and Tue Steen Muller. Image provided by the festival.

The location and manageable size of the festival yielded friendly interaction with attendees. "It's very social and everyone is very socially involved," said producer Jeanette Gagne ("Roger Toupin") pointing out that documentarians are not the sort to preen on a croisette. A growing market takes place at the nearby City Hotel and by week's end negotiations had begun on some sales. This year, there continued to be lots of Balkan participation, but buyers came from as far as Dubai. And luckily, because there is just too much to choose from on any given day, open access to the market's tape library made it easy to catch up on screenings missed. Also returning this year was the pitch forum where aspiring filmmakers plead for financing and a possible slot on European TV. Pitch props ranged from the high tech (custom-made trailers) to low (a dry erase board with hand-drawn illustrations) but several hit their mark and received instant funding commitments.

Both pitchers and local students flocked to the screenings. "You can see them pushing to get into a film," marveled producer Stefano Tealdi ("Citizen Berlusconi"). During post-screening Q&As, neither students nor would-be documentarians spared the directors from their constructive criticism. "Had you considered making this in a different style" asked one of Tealdi. "Not as current events, say, from the perspective of a single journalist? I'm just thinking out loud here."

"The Beauty Academy of Kabul" stirred up a lot of discussion. One unconvinced viewer dismissed it as American propaganda and remarked that the subjects seemed more like actors. Director Liz Mermin deftly handled the questions, "It's interesting to see different reactions in different countries."

The hubub seemed to fall in line with Eipides' goals for the festival. "We're not only trying to make documentaries popular to the public, but also to stimulate discussion in other topics," he said. "The Greeks, we are on the periphery of Europe, we are not really in the center of things. I want the audience to communicate, to come in contact with creative filmmakers."

In all, the ten days were an effective rumination on the power of responsible filmmaking. Even the local guide leading excursions to nearby ruins got in on the act, encouraging his charges to incur change as only they could. Summed up Eipides, "I don't think making a documentary as a revolutionary act, but information is important. You get a different kind of film viewer, a thinker. Instead of being entertained for a couple of hours, get challenged."

The New Doc Crop: Surveying the Standouts at Three April Festivals

Indiewire — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 06:00:00 GMT

The New Doc Crop: Surveying the Standouts at Three April Festivals

by Jonny Leahan

An image from Hubert Sauper's "Darwin's Nightmare," screening at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.

When it comes to documentary film festivals, April has evolved into a key month, featuring some important festivals around the globe, among them the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in the United States, Hot Docs in Canada, and the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival in Greece. Since its launch in 1998, the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival has been one of these, and seems to outdo itself every year. Centered around the historic Carolina Theater in Durham, North Carolina, the festival is removed enough from the big cities to allow for a laser focus on non-fiction filmmaking, while still providing enough culture and youthful energy to make for a truly enjoyable time.

With 55 features in competition at Full Frame, in its relatively short April 7-10 run (kicking off tonight), it's hard to say what audiences are looking forward to most, but there are a handful of world premieres that seem to have a heightened buzz surrounding them. Among these is Dani Menkin's "39 Pounds of Love," which follows the fascinating life of Ami, a man born with a rare form of muscular dystrophy that caused his doctor to predict he wouldn't live past the age of six. Now 34 years old, and weighing only 39 pounds, Ami has stunned everyone by surviving, even though he can't move any part of his body -- except for one finger. What starts out as an attempt to document his extraordinary life as a 3D animator in Israel becomes a quest to track down and confront the American doctor who predicted his early demise.

Another highly anticipated debut at Full Frame is Holly Paige Joyner's "Pack Strap Swallow," which enters the tragic world of the women's prison in Quito, Ecuador. Many of the inmates are there because they were caught smuggling drugs, either by packing them, strapping them to their bodies, or swallowing them. There are even European and American women, some who got involved in crimes unwittingly, who tell of their struggle to survive behind bars for years in this real life version of "Midnight Express." The film's U.S. pay TV rights were recently acquired by Sundance Channel.

In another kind of struggle entirely, Marshall Curry's "Street Fight" documents a heated political battle in Newark, New Jersey. In 2001, City Councilman Cory Booker challenged incumbent Mayor Sharpe James for leadership of one of Jersey's toughest cities. "Street Fight" follows the contentious race from start to finish, exposing the complicated connections between identity politics and electoral politics in modern American life. This flat-out barroom brawl of a race is the perfect microcosm for campaigns at the highest level, exposing just how dirty politics can get.

Also wrapping up April 10 is the ten-day Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, which is considered Greece's top event of its kind. In its 7th year, the festival is again focusing on "Images of the 21st Century," featuring 125 films in over a dozen special sections. Standouts include Austrian Director Hubert Sauper's "Darwin's Nightmare" and Bulgarian Director Andrey Paounov's "Georgi and the Butterflies."

In "Darwin's Nightmare," a strange 1960's Africa is revealed, where a new animal was introduced into Lake Victoria during a scientific experiment. The predatory Nile Perch destroyed nearly all the indigenous species of fish, but the new fish reproduced so quickly that it's sold in seafood markets around the world to this day. The huge industry that has built up around it has become tangled in arms sales, and the area has mutated into a bizarre culture of World Bank agents, homeless children, Tanzanian prostitutes and Russian pilots.

Perhaps equally as strange is "Georgi and the Butterflies," which recounts the story of Dr. Georgi Lulchev, a man with a singular vision. The good doctor is not only a psychiatrist and neurologist, but also the Director of the Home for Psychologically Challenged Men. His dream is to create a farm on the grounds of the compound where patients can raise things like ostriches, snails, and soybeans. In a country where 80 percent of the people are poor, Georgi tries all manner of methods to raise funds for his projects, and even in the face of failure he's unrelentingly enthusiastic.

Later this month, the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival takes Toronto by storm for its 12th year, running April 22 - May 1. Many of the 100+ films featured in the festival are world premieres, and although there isn't space to cover all the gems here, a small selection of the more anticipated docs include "The Cross and Bones," "Homemade Hillbilly Jam," and "Malfunkshun."

In "The Cross and Bones," Canadian director Paul Carrière explores the origin of life as seen by the residents of Drumheller, Alberta, home to the richest dinosaur graveyard in the world. The bones buried here prove that dinosaurs roamed the area millions of years ago, but a group of local Christians aren't buying that theory. As hometown pastor and real estate agent D'Arcy Browning puts on an elaborate Passion Play (including lepers), paleontologist Paul Johnson dismisses them as he continues to unearth evidence of evolution. In the middle of it all, a gang of bikers rolls into town to party for the weekend, adding a third ring to this already absurd circus.

In another curious look at rural life, this time in the Ozarks, director Rick Minnich ("Heaven on Earth") explores the lives of mountain musicians in "Homemade Hillbilly Jam." Focusing on the Bilyeu family, the film follows a brother, his sister and their cousins as they form the band Big Smith. Armed with only a guitar, a mandolin, a bass fiddle and a washboard, they create music true to their roots while bringing the house down around them. As their music evolves, so does their audience, but they never forsake their hillbilly DNA on this rich journey through a cultural legacy.

In another highly anticipated music documentary, Scot Barbour's "Malfunkshun" serves as a love letter to obscure musician Andrew Wood. As the charismatic lead singer of Mother Love Bone, Wood was a huge influence on the Seattle music scene, but died of an overdose in 1990, just before the band's debut album was to be released. Band members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament went on to form Pearl Jam, but Barbour makes sure that Wood's story is not forgotten - told here with captivating home movies, unreleased songs, and heartfelt interviews with family and friends.

[ For more information, please visit the festival websites: Hot Docs, Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Full Frame. ]

Thessaloniki to Open 7th Doc Fest with an Eye on Human Rights and Films with Social Interest

Indiewire — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 07:00:00 GMT

Thessaloniki to Open 7th Doc Fest with an Eye on Human Rights and Films with Social Interest

by Brian Brooks

A scene from Liz Mermin's doc, "The Beauty Academy of Kabul," which will screen at this year's Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. Image courtesy of the filmmakers.

With its theme, "Images of the 21st Century," the 7th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival is set to unfold with 150 films, taking place in Greece's second largest city of the same name. Human rights issues and immigration will be two primary themes for the event, starting today and running through April 10. Also on tap this year are selections from the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, New York as well as a look back at Auschwitz, 60 years since the Holocaust in addition to special tributes and other films screening in the festival's six main sections.

Thessaloniki's "Views of the World" section includes 19 works from around the world "dealing with subjects of social interest." Among the selections is Liz Mermin's "The Beauty Academy of Kabul," which captures American women, some of whom emigrated from Afghanistan in the '80s, who travel to Kabul, the capital, to open an "American-style" beauty school following the fall of the Taliban. Also screening in the section is Nahid Persson's look at Iranian women who risk strict social constraints at home to earn money as sex-workers in, "Prostitution Behind the Veil."

The festival's 14 films in its "Stories to Tell" sidebar deal with "brief stories of human interest that stand out for the nature of their subject and the way they have been dealt with," according to a festival announcement. In filmmaker Joe Berlinger's "Gray Matter," the director chronicles his journey to Vienna, Austria in pursuit of Dr. Heinrich Gross -- known as that country's "Dr. Mengele -- who is believed to have participated in the killing of hundreds of children at a Nazi euthanasia clinic. Along the way, Berlinger meets survivors of the clinic, who face a country that has yet to fully understand its dark past. American director Patricia Riggen's film, "Family Portrait," meanwhile, recalls Life Magazine photographer Gordon Park's 1968 expose on the Fontenelle family, an African American family living at the time in Harlem. Park's photos galvanized the American public to help the family buy a home in Long Island. Riggen's film re-visits the family's surviving members, and sees how the family's struggle today still mirrors the African American community as a whole.

The Human Rights Watch will have its own focus in this year's Thessaloniki doc fest. The section's six films include Jonathan Stack's "Liberia: An Uncivil War," which won a special jury prize in November at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA). The film captures the frightening civil war that unfurled in Liberia in the summer of 2003, a country populated by freed American slaves, as it looked to America to end the violence. Also screening in the section is Jim de Seve's look at the same-sex marriage debate in the U.S., "Tying the Knot."

Other themed sidebars scheduled for this year's festival also include "Habitat," a look at environmental issues and their social context, as well as "Night-Time Moods," musical documentaries as well as adult-subject films in after midnight screenings. Films screening in the latter sidebar include Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey's Sundance 2005 doc "Inside Deep Throat" and Margaret Brown's look at songwriter Townes Van Zandt, "Be Here to Love Me." Local selections will screen in the fest's Greek Panorama, while last year's Athens Olympics will be the theme for the four films in the 'Olympic Games' section. Finnish director Pirjo Honkasalo ("3 Rooms of Melancholia") will be feted with a four-film retrospective, while Canadian doc-maker Pierre Perrault ("The Shimmering Beast") will receive a tribute, with nine of his films offered to festival attendees.

In addition to the regular festival, Thessaloniki will again host its International Doc Market. The market, founded in 1999, will take place April 4-8 featuring over 500 films. Organizers of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival also host the annual International Thessaloniki Film Festival, which takes place in November.

[ For more information, please visit: www.filmfestival.gr/docfestival/2003/uk/panorama.php ]

Bringing the World To Greece; Engrossing Docs & Discussions at the Sixth Thessaloniki Documentar

Indiewire — Wed, 31 Mar 2004 07:00:00 GMT

Bringing the World To Greece; Engrossing Docs & Discussions at the Sixth Thessaloniki Documentary Festival

by Claiborne Smith

Thessaloniki's Aristotelous Square, where the festival's main venue, the Olympion Theater, welcomed doc lovers for screenings and panels. Photo by Clay Smith.

The jetlag that an American experiences after arriving in Thessaloniki, on the eastern edge of Europe, can feel particularly strange: the hours and the alphabet have changed, of course, but so has the expectation, taken for granted by an American, of being in one distinct culture. Thessaloniki seems to have been occupied at some point by everyone (it has been part of the kingdom of Macedonia and a crucial city in the Eastern Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires). Its history has given Greece's second largest city a vibrant multiculturalism, but the residents of Thessaloniki don't call attention to it. That would sully their cosmopolitan aplomb. In mid-March, when the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival takes place, many people who live in Thessaloniki, or at least many of the young people who live there, can be found lounging around one of the many downtown cafes, squinting through the hazy, salty heat that wafts in from the Aegean Sea.

The organizers of the sixth Thessaloniki Documentary Festival: Images of the 21st Century want their week-long fest to bolster the already bustling international mindset of the city. "We're far too dependent on media that are a bit conservative and suspect, in my views," Dimitri Eipides, the festival's director, told indieWIRE from his office in the Olympion cinema building in downtown Thessaloniki. "I have a romantic view on the subject -- I think that by providing this service we will have more demanding audiences." From a total of 650 submissions, festival organizers selected 155 films from 22 countries.

The festival's Doc Market, which logged more than 1,000 viewings over five days, attracts buyers from European and American television, and there are many opportunities at the festival to see docs that will probably never make it to America, but for Eipides, the festival's main purpose is to engage audiences and to give local residents "alternative sources" for deciphering the world.

Eipides points out that the Documentary Festival is "a very poor event" compared to the more established and crowded feature film festival that takes place in the city every November, which Eipides also organizes. The first full day of screenings, however, seemed to bring the world to Thessaloniki. A showcase of three films that day about women in Iran -- a sobering jag of violence and bitterness -- served as a wake-up call to any audience members still under the delusion that documentaries are staid, scientific affairs. "Maryam's Sin," by veteran doc maker Paris Shahandeh, examines a religious father who beheads his seven-year-old daughter because he believed his brother had forced her to have sex with him. He was actually just hearing voices, he later confessed, but the cultural climate in Iran doesn't exactly foster a mechanism of just retribution upon him. "Crystal" is the story of Ayshe, a young woman from a Kurdish village whose body produces clear, rock-like calcifications that Ayshe and her family refer to as crystals. The first-time filmmaker, Mania Akbari, manages to delve into the ways Ayshe's condition affects her status in her town (because sex is painful for her, she has a good excuse for staying far away from her husband, whom she despises). Both docs offer much-needed glimpses into closed societies, but there's a trade-off: "Crystal" is detrimentally muddled and "Maryam's Sin" is melodramatic (it ends with a campy scream of horror, as if the viewer needed to be reminded that fathers who behead their daughters are the very definition of horror). "The Ladies," by Mahnaz Afzali, depicts the community of addicts, runaways, and prostitutes who gather in a ladies' bathroom in the center of Tehran under the supportive gaze of an elderly woman who takes them all in and introduces them to one another. But rather than pound the viewer over the head with the obvious -- that these women might have an easier time of things under a less despotic government -- Afzali focuses on the women as they gossip, chat, and try to understand one another's problems. A jury of three international film critics gave the festival's FIPRESCI Award to another Iranian filmmaker, Majid Majidi, for his "Barefoot to Herat," which follows Afghan refugees trying to escape war.

Israeli filmmaker Yoav Shamir's "Checkpoint" -- like several other hard-hitting and investigative docs at Thessaloniki -- became one of the hits of the festival. Shamir logged 70 hours of footage at checkpoints in the occupied territories between Israel and Palestine, filming the laborious and painful interactions between young, burned-out, and sometimes power-hungry Israeli soldiers and the baffled, angered Palestinians who have to obtain their permission to cross the border. "The whole situation is chaotic," Shamir said during the Q&A -- although there is supposed to be a uniform border policy, the soldiers are left to decide on their own who and who does not get across the border. Shot in a verite style, "Checkpoint" focuses so intently on the interactions between Israelis and Palestinians that the Israeli army now uses the documentary as a training tool for new soldiers. That's a credit to the army, actually, because although Shamir takes the fly-on-the-wall approach, "Checkpoint" is far from an endorsement of the Israeli presence in the occupied territories.

A scene from Majid Majidi's Afghani refugee tale "Barefoot to Herat," which won the FIPRESCI prize in Thessaloniki. Photo courtesy of the filmmakers.

For the past several years, festival curators at Thessaloniki have chosen a theme of political relevance and sought out films about the subject. Perhaps spurred on by this year's theme of terrorism (there was a section of 13 docs about terrorism as well as a three-hour conference on the subject), audiences flocked to films that had anything to do with the topic. David Ofek's "No. 17" is a gripping investigation of a terrorist attack on an Israeli bus, the number 17 referring to the one unidentified Israeli victim on the bus. Ofek, who is Israeli, ends up doing the work of the police and eventually discovers the identity of number 17, a small-time crook who frequently disappeared and thus didn't really raise his family's suspicions when he didn't come home. "After a bombing in Israel, we only see the drama but never what is behind the drama," Ofek said in one of the cafes next to the theater after one of his screenings. So to move beyond sensationalism, he includes strangely compelling scenes -- of a hospital's forensic workers, for example, eating dinner together early in the day because they've recently received a call about an attack and know they'll be up all night processing bodies. The four-part British series from 2002, "The Age of Terror," also attracted big crowds, as did Jehaine Noujaim's "Control Room," not strictly a film about terrorism but one which shows what life was like for the producers and reporters of Arab news channel Al Jazeera during the war against Iraq. "I wanted people to know a little bit more about how terrorism starts, how it's motivated, and the different kinds of terrorism," festival director Eipides said. "We're hosting the Olympics this summer; this issue is on everyone's mind."

For all the heady political edification that was going on at the festival -- "The Corporation," the engrossing doc from Canada that indicts capitalism, won the audience award -- there were also as many opportunities to catch docs invested in portraying a very particular world, not the entire world in crisis. Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni's "The Story of the Weeping Camel," a highly narrative and affecting movie about a family of nomadic shepherds and their camels in the Gobi Desert, became another festival hit. Dutch filmmaker Jiska Rickels' beautiful and powerful "Days Under" ("Untertage") follows German miners descending to work and then coming back up. Rickels chucks out narrative convention in favor of a collage of scenes (the conveyor belt that delivers the workers to their positions, the monstrous boring drill, the sooty faces of the miners) that indelibly evoke their subject in 24 minutes. "Days Under" should be required viewing in documentary production courses. Spanish filmmaker Fernando Perez's "Suite Havana" follows 10 residents of the city as they go about their day attending school, dancing in a production of "The Nutcracker," selling peanuts on the street: all kinds of daily routines in "Suite Havana" become incantatory and tinged with poetry. Perez's accomplishment in "Suite Havana" -- he stamps the city with his own vision but brings it to life on its own terms without using any dialogue -- doesn't seem at all diminished by the fact that the film is an homage to the great city documentaries of the 20's and 30's, Walter Ruttmann's "Berlin: Symphony of a Great City" (1927) in particular.

Fifteen percent of the films at this year's festival were by Greek filmmakers, and the competitions in the festival are for Greek productions (the audience award and the FIPRESCI critics' award involve all the films). Nicos Ligouris' elegiac and charming "Summer Lightning: Scenes from the Life of an Innkeeper and His Family" won first prize (and a whopping 12,000 Euros) in the category of docs longer than 45 minutes. "Summer Lightning" is about the quixotic pursuit of a man who owns a small inn in southern Crete as he tries to capture on camera a bolt of summer lightning. After 5,000 attempts, he still hasn't done it, but the doc is fascinating nonetheless. "Greeks don't have a big history of documentaries," Eipides said. "But the Greek films in the festival are still honest attempts to create better films. I want the festival to help, to play a cooperative role in this."

The Thessaloniki Documentary Festival programs imaginative, vital, and eclectic films, but why would filmmakers want to attend Thessaloniki (besides the obvious opportunity to present their films to the estimated 16,000 attendees)? This year, 67 Greek filmmakers (either directors or producers) and 25 foreign ones attended the festival. Baltimore filmmaker Ramona Diaz, who brought "Imelda," her doc about the former first lady of the Phillipines, had five packed screenings of "Imelda" at Sundance and less crowded ones at Thessaloniki. (In fact, several filmmakers, who asked that their names not be used, said the only disappointing element of the festival was the size of the crowds at certain screenings.) Unlike other festivals, "I feel like I can watch other films at this festival," Diaz said. She liked the fact that there weren't many Americans at Thessaloniki. "At foreign festivals where there are a lot of Americans, we all tend to stick together and not meet a lot of people from other countries," she said. At Thessaloniki, she ended up talking to foreign filmmakers; they would inevitably begin talking about the thorny issue of financing. "You hear stories about financing and for non-Americans it's usually the government," she said. "You get jealous."

As Artistic License distributor Sande Zeig pointed out one day during the festival, it's the docs that seem unusual for an American to make that end up at Thessaloniki. "Parallel Lines" is Nina Davenport's cross-country exploration of the emotional after-shocks Americans felt in the months immediately after the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Davenport is a New Yorker whose apartment overlooked the World Trade Center. She was in San Diego on September 11th but instead of catching a plane to New York, she rented a car and drove home, interviewing people along the way. That may not seem like a very unusual topic for an American to pursue, but "Parallel Lines" isn't exactly a 9/11 film. Davenport is more interested in the revelations that happen around the subject of 9/11, not about 9/11 itself. She approached her subjects by asking them what they think about the terrorist attacks, and they almost immediately begin to talk about ancillary subjects, like the cowboy in Bandera, Texas who tries to explain why his mother shot his father all those years ago, or the clearly racist, poor white Alabama farmer talking about his black friends who live nearby. "Parallel Lines" also played at Amsterdam, but it hasn't taken off in America, probably because it's been unfairly tagged as a "9/11 film." It is also funny, unabashedly entertaining, and personal, none of which are approaches that seem overly popular among doc makers right now. "Parallel Lines" is an eclectic little movie, and it fit right in at Thessaloniki.

Thessaloniki Sets Line-up For Fifth Annual Documentary Festival

Indiewire — Mon, 24 Feb 2003 07:00:00 GMT

Thessaloniki Sets Line-up For Fifth Annual Documentary Festival

by Wendy Mitchell

Jose Padilha's Brazilian doc "Bus 174" will screen at the fifth Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival

Courtesy of HBO

The fifth-annual Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival, Images of the 21st Century, will screen 147 films from February 28-March 9. Screenings in various selections will include: Jeff Blitz's "Spellbound" (U.S.), Michael Apted's "Married in America," Rakshsan Bani-Etemad's "Our Times" (Iran), Carles Bosch's "Balseros" (Spain), Jose Padilha's "Bus 174" (Brazil), Yun Hwang's "Farewell" (South Korea), Eugene Jarecki's "The Trials of Henry Kissinger" (U.S.), Brian Hill's "Nobody Somebody" (U.K.), Michael Coultier's "A History of Sex" (U.S.), and Victor Kossakovsky's "Hush" (Russia).

Special sections will include a focus on Palestine, with nine films including James Longley's "Gaza Strip," Jenny Morgan's "After Jenin," and the collective project "Letters from Palestine." A tribute to producer Margie Smilow will include screenings of docs about Arthur Freed, Busby Berkeley, Leonard Bernstein, and Kurosawa. The Nicholas Philibert spotlight will include his acclaimed "Etre Et Avoir" (To Be and To Have), plus four other docs. The tribute to Michael Moore will screen "Roger and Me," "Pets or Meat: the Return to Flint," "Canadian Bacon," "The Big One," and his Oscar-nominated "Bowling for Columbine."

Local offerings will include Greek docs in competition and in non-competitive screenings, plus tributes to Greek documentarians Giannis Smaragdis, Maria Hadjimichali Papaliou, and Apostolos Krionas.

The International Documentary Market, in cooperation with ERT, will run March 3-7. Thirty-five buyers from 18 countries are expected to attend, including six Greek buyers. The market will exclusively present 192 docs. There will also be a pitching forum, organized by European Documentary Network, held March 5-9. That workshop will include 24 producers who will get the chance to pitch to a panel of European commissioning editors. Other events timed with the festival include an Andres Serrano photo exhibit, a DJ set from Germany's Beefcake, and a forum about "Palestine: War and Children." For further information, visit www.filmfestival.gr/docfestival/2003/uk/index.html.

[indieWIRE managing editor Wendy Mitchell will be attending the festival from March 5-9.]

FESTIVAL: Thessaloniki's Two Worlds: Nightlife Throbs Outside, But Documentaries Offer Sobering Real

Indiewire — Wed, 13 Mar 2002 07:00:00 GMT

FESTIVAL: Thessaloniki's Two Worlds: Nightlife Throbs Outside, But Documentaries Offer Sobering Realities

by Amy Goodman

(indieWIRE/ 03.13.02) -- As I take my seat in the center of the grand Olympian Theater in Thessaloniki, a small crowd of paparazzi swarms towards the front row. Cameras flash and pan across the stage, where speakers are beginning ceremonious welcome speeches entirely in Greek. Along with an auditorium full of chic-ly dressed, amply perfumed artsy types, I am checking everyone out, waiting for the lights to dim. Thus begins the fourth annual Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, also called "Images of the 21st Century," which ran March 4-10. Thessaloniki is one of the most fun, best-run documentary fests in the world, even though its films highlighted the fact that we are living in one of the most dangerous times in world history.

Festival founder and director Dimitri Eipides programmed some 91 films for this year's Festival, laudably diverse in subject matter, style, and country of origin. The Festival also included a five-day Pitching Forum and Workshop, sponsored by the European Documentary Network, which let 20 emerging filmmakers pitch their ideas to a panel of European programmers, buyers, and producers. Also ongoing during the Festival was the annual International Doc Market, which provided a slate of 257 films to prospective buyers from 23 countries.

Festival attendance was up this year, reaching somewhere between 15-20,000 people -- mostly from Thessaloniki's general population -- and the consensus on the scene was that this Festival has an important future. Festival maven Peter Wintonick returned to Thessaloniki this year with Katerina Cizek and their film "Seeing Is Believing," about the impact of handicams on journalism and society at large. "After Amsterdam," Wintonick said, "I don't know of another documentary festival that draws as many people as this one. That's why we're here."

There is probably no better place in Greece than Thessaloniki for a documentary film festival. This coastal city is the country's second largest, full of urban sophisticates who actually pay to see documentaries. It's also a university town, which means that its landscape is drizzled with 80,000 young, cosmopolitan students, all smoking furiously, wielding cell phones, and voraciously consuming films day and night.

The Festival is well-organized; it boasts a large, friendly staff, classy-looking schedules and catalogues, and two good-sized theaters in the Olympian Theater building. Home base for the Festival, the Olympian faces the city's majestic Aristotle Square, a bustling piazza that stretches to the Aegan Sea. One of the reasons why the Festival is so well put together is that it is an offshoot of the much larger, 42-year-old Thessaloniki International Film Festival, which takes place each November. The staff, facilities and infrastructure (and funding sources) are the same for both events.

While Thessaloniki nightlife throbbed outside, festival films screening in the Olympian theaters offered a sobering look at the state of the world. A special program of 12 films, called "Focus On: Children of a Harsh Reality," became the dominant focus of this year's Festival. To accompany these films about the plight of children around the world, Festival officials planned a day-long international conference on the subject of children's human rights, and a telethon to benefit Afghani children in an Iranian refugee camp. This telethon was directly inspired by Iranian filmmaker Moshem Makhmalbaf's candid, provocative documentary, "Afghan Alphabet," for which he received an Honorary Award. And for the second time in four years, the Festival included a videoconference with Noam Chomsky, who spoke to the Thessaloniki audience from his office in Boston, with his usual acute powers of observation and metaphor, about media coverage of the current war.

The diverse program has famed curator Eipides's flavor and integrity. Opening night film, "The Lovers of San Fernando" by Swedish director Peter Torbiornsson, follows more than 20 years of the love affair of a man and woman living in the Nicaraguan mountains. Although the film is edited strangely

FESTIVALS: Grecian Delights; Thessaloniki Doc Fest Carves Out Tasty Niche

Indiewire — Tue, 20 Mar 2001 07:00:00 GMT

FESTIVALS: Grecian Delights; Thessaloniki Doc Fest Carves Out Tasty Niche

by Sarah Keenlyside

(indieWIRE/ 03.20.01) -- A totally unique setting for a film festival, Thessaloniki is one of the oldest cities in Europe and provides a romantic backdrop for the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival (March 5-11). When not taking in the festival's activities, I kept myself busy enjoying the shockingly delicious food, sightseeing and shopping (there are literally hundreds of shoe stores near the festival headquarters in Aristotle Square). And an unexpected surprise unveiled itself on day four of my visit, when the overcast weather broke, and the legendary Mount Olympus magically appeared across the Gulf of Thessaloniki.

2001 marked the third installment of the annual fest, dubbed "Images of the 21st Century," which has in its short life carved itself a significant niche in the European documentary event calendar. Backed by an enthusiastic local audience, the growing support of the Euro doc community, and led by a truly visionary festival director, the event offered a doc market, a pitching forum and an astonishing variety of films.

"I'm very eager to prove that documentary is attractive to normal filmgoers," said festival director Dimitri Eipides, of his programming strategy. "They don't have to be specially trained or particularly educated. Simple, ordinary people can gain from documentaries."

The majority of the festival's screenings were well attended, if not packed. Opening night was no exception, and crowds jammed into the magnificent Olympion theater to see Allan Miller's Toronto premiere "The Turandot Project" -- a behind the scenes look at conductor Zubin Mehta's ambitious (and incredibly expensive) production of the Puccini opera "Turandot." The film, which depicts the events leading to the opera's dazzling opening at Beijing's historic Forbidden City, provided a colorful and uplifting jumpstart to the festival, and challenged the stereotype that all docs are heavy, dark and difficult to watch.

"The Turandot Project" was one of several films screened in the "Views of the World" section of the festival, which also included such varied titles as Alix Lambert's "The Mark of Cain," a grim but fascinating look at the art and secret meanings of Russian prison tattoos; "The Other Hollywood," Anders Dalgaard's probing investigation of the porn film industry; Mark Singer's Sundance 2000 hit "Dark Days," which takes viewers underground to visit a community of homeless people living in a train tunnel; and "Fatal Reaction: Moscow," Marijke Jongbloed's oddly hilarious film about the confused state of male and female relationships amidst the chaos of modern day Moscow.

Upon viewing all these films, one can only be shocked by the sheer diversity of films represented in this, and all six of the festival's thematic sections. This was made possible by the looseness of each section's title, such as: 'The Recording of Memory' and 'Portraits: Human Journeys.' "They're not categories," explains Eipides, adding that the secret ingredient binding the festival's many films is "the human experience."

In the 'Habitat' section for instance, a natural history film like "All They Need is Words," Alain D'Aix's charming film about human interaction with animals, mingled comfortably with social commentary such as Amirul Arham's "A Banker for the Poor," a remarkable portrait of a Bangladeshi economist who created a bank to service the world's poor.

Other exceptional films screened during the festival included Christopher Oligiati's "Child of the Death Camps: Truth and Lies," which literally turns the viewer upside down several times as it sheds light on the dubious story of Binjamin Wilkomirski, a self-declared child Holocaust survivor. Claude Ventura's darkly suspenseful "The Search for the Papin Sisters" also had audiences buzzing about the famous tale of two murderous sisters who savagely mutilate their employer. And taking the critics prize for best international documentary was Victor Kossakovsky's "I Loved You (Three Romances)," a tender and subtle film about the timeless nature of love, commitment and duty.

A personal favorite, which screened in the 'Stories to Tell' section, was Kaspar Kasics' artfully rendered but disturbing "Blue End." The Swiss film takes a fresh look at the highly publicized and controversial 'Visible Human' project, which was undertaken by American scientists in 1993 when a death row casualty was handed over to scientists minutes after his death, then frozen in blue gel and sliced into 2mm sections. The sections were then scanned to create a scientific miracle: an internal view of the human body in cross sections. The film elegantly contrasts the clinical and emotional dimensions of the project -- drawing insights from the scientists who made it happen, to the judges and lawyers who tried Jernigan's case (some say unfairly), to the victim's own family, who still continue to suffer the effects of the ordeal.

A large number of Greek films were also sprinkled throughout the festival's sections, adding a local flavor to the festival. Tassos Psarras' "A Letter to the Motherland" takes a traditional but professional approach to the historical genre, combining archival footage and interviews to recreate the little known story of the persecution of Greeks living in the Soviet Union. Greek filmmaker Lefteris Xanthopoulos was given a special award honoring his documentary work spanning 25 years. A retrospective of his films was presented. And particularly moving was Marianna Economou's "The School," which won the critics prize for best Greek film. The documentary ventures into a school in Athens, where more than half of the students are Turkish-speaking Muslims and comments on the complex issues of poverty, racism and cultural identity.

A spotlight on Yugoslavian films drew large audiences with the promise of insight from within the war torn region. Most notably were three films by Goran Radovanovic: "Second Circle," "My Country (For Internal Use Only)," and "Model House," a deeply ironic and absurdly touching story about a refugee woman who wants to return to the life she once had -- a woman with her own home.

By showing these films, the festival has become a valuable event for Greek filmmakers and for those from Greece's neighboring countries. Eipides feels that it is important for the festival to play a role in supporting Balkan filmmakers. "We are situated in a geographical location where there are no other such festivals. The Balkan countries in the area have been historically restricted because of the communist system; they have not been able to communicate with the world," he says. "Thessaloniki being so near to them offers the possibility for them to see others' films, bring their own films and participate in the pitching forum so they can possibly find the means of co-production with other countries. These people are not economically in the position to go to Cannes, but they can come here: the distance is short and it's not expensive."

The pitching forum, largely backed by the support of the European Documentary Network, proved to be a valuable resource. EDN manager Anita Reher explains, "We had a mixture of Greek projects and a few others from the other southern European countries -- Italy and Portugal -- and then we had nine projects from the Balkan region. We put a specific focus on the projects from the Balkans because we are really trying to help them get out of their isolation."

"[The forum] is an attempt to get the producers and filmmakers to work more internationally," Reher adds. "For many of them it's the first time that they actually try to pitch to a panel of broadcasters, so we do a three-day training course before that. It's also a way for them to get to know the different broadcasters to find out what their strands and slots are all about."

Another way to get to know the broadcasters (as well as a documentary legend or two) was to engage in the local nightlife. A most memorable night occurred during the two days filmmaker Albert Maysles was in town. Maysles made the long trip to Greece from New York to accept a lifetime achievement award honoring his and his brother David's pioneering work in documentary. Three of the Maysles Brother's classic works were screened during the festival -- "Salesman," "Grey Gardens," and "Gimme Shelter" -- and drew particularly enthusiastic interest from Greek audiences.

Late on his final night in the city, at a small, crowded bar, Maysles put his youthful companions to shame by not being the first to turn in, in spite of an early flight home the next morning. And when the Rolling Stones classic anthem "Brown Sugar" played in the bar -- the first song in "Gimme Shelter" -- it took on a particularly strong meaning for all of us.

[Sarah Keenlyside is a freelance writer living in Vancouver, B.C. During the festival she participated as a member of the critics jury and watched over 30 documentaries in the span of 5 days.]

FESTIVALS: Docs Advance in Greece, Fest Screens Latest Work from Marker, Forgacs, Wintonick and Inte

Indiewire — Tue, 11 Apr 2000 06:00:00 GMT

FESTIVALS: Docs Advance in Greece, Fest Screens Latest Work from Marker, Forgacs, Wintonick and International Auteurs

by Jesse Moss

(indieWIRE/4.11.2000) -- In only its second year, the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival (March 24-31) seems well positioned to muscle its way into the crowded international festival circuit.

Although impending national elections forced Festival Director Dimitri Eipides to juggle the festival dates, Eipides made the impossible look effortless. The festival offered audiences a tightly packed and incredibly diverse international program, which included eighty films from Europe, Canada and the United States.

The festival kicked off on Friday evening with a premiere of "I Like Hearts Like Mine," George Zervas' engrossing portrait of legendary Greek musician Markos Vamvakaris, a pioneer of the "rebetiko" song, a folk tradition that emerged from the taverns of the Greek underworld.

Just off the plane from London, I rushed to the Olympion Theatre -- the festival's state-of-the-art screening complex -- only to discover that Zervas' film was presented without English subtitles. Although mildly disoriented, I found the images and music intriguing enough to justify a visit, later that week, to the video library where I caught a subtitled version. (Note the opening premiere was one of only a handful of festival screenings projected without English subtitles.)

Thessaloniki -- the second largest city in Greece -- is a cosmopolitan, cinema-friendly town. The main theatre complex and festival offices are located around the city's majestic central square, steps away from the (occasionally foul smelling) harbor and a string of vibrant outdoor cafes crowded with cell-phone wielding, fashionably dressed university students.

Eipides has set out to create a festival that draws in this university crowd by smartly programming works with youth appeal, including the alluring Night Times sidebar -- centering on issues of sexual identity. The highlight was Canadian Mark Achbar's accomplished and artful documentary about Canada's first legally married lesbian couple, one of who undergoes a male-to-female sex-change operation shortly after the wedding. Achbar (co-director of "Manufacturing Consent") happened to live upstairs from the couple and suggested they record a video diary of their tumultuous lives. The results -- intimate, poignant, occasionally shocking, and surprisingly well shot -- reflect an unusual collaboration between the subjects, Achbar, and editor Jennifer Abbot.

Festival Director Eipides has deep ties to the Canadian filmmaking community. For many years he organized the International Festival of New Cinema and Video in Montreal, and in recent years has programmed for the Toronto InternationalFilm Festival. At Eipides invitation, and with the support of the Canadian Embassy, a contingent of Canadian filmmakers traveled to this year's festival to present their new works.

The screening of Peter Wintonick's "Cinema Vérité: Defining the Moment," a lively survey about this revolutionary approach to the non-fiction filmmaking, was another highlight. Wintonick (co-director of "Manufacturing Consent") and his crew trace the evolution of vérité through interviews with groundbreaking filmmakers like Robert Drew, Richard Leacock, Jean Rouch, Al Maysles, Fred Wiseman, and others. With narration by Wintonick, well-chosen film clips, and an occasional humorous aside, the film succeeds in presenting a fresh look at a decisive and influential development in film history.

Wintonick's DP, fellow Canadian Francis Miquet, was on hand with "Life Without Death," a film he produced and co-photographed. Winner of the Festival's Foreign Press Award, "Life Without Death" documents director Frank Cole's epic, life-threatening and ultimately life-affirming solo trans-continental journey on camel across the Sahara desert.

"Deep Inside Clint Star," directed by Clint Alberta, a young Canadian of mixed Native/Anglo decent provided yet another variation on the personal film diary form. In the guise of his alter ego, Clint Star, Alberta sets out to interview his friends, family and lovers about sex, relationships and ethnicity. Alberta/Star charms everybody along the way with his off-hand humor and flamboyant personae. Also on hand was editor Jennifer Abbot with her own film, "A Cow at My Table," a harrowing look at abuses in the livestock and slaughterhouse industries.

The festival office graciously set up a series of "parallel events" to enliven the festival and introduce visiting guests to Greek nightlife. Events included an impromptu late-night gathering at a local internet cafe to watch a live (4:00 am local time) broadcast of the Academy Awards, a concert featuring "The Rounder Girls," an Austrian jazz and gospel group, an art exhibit featuring the works of Greek Cypriot painter Lefteris Olympios, and a marathon performance from a traditional Greek folk band, featuring many "rebetiko" favorites.

As festival screenings were never scheduled before 1:00 p.m., invited guests were free to sleep off ouzo-induced hangovers or explore Thessaloniki, a city whose own rich history was explored in native-born filmmaker Tasos Psarras' minutely detailed "20th Century Thessaloniki," which attracted an overflow crowd on Tuesday night. Prior to the screening, Psarras was honored by the festival for his recent work.

Also featured in the festival's Views of the World section were two Sundance entries: Tod Lending's "Legacy," a moving portrait of one inner-city family's struggle, and Michael J. Moore's study of California's misguided three-strikes law, "The Legacy: Murder & Media, Politics & Prisons." Both films -- particularly Lending's five-year effort -- found favor with Greek audiences.

One of the festival's strongest vérité films fell under the Views of the World banner. In "Howling for God," Belgian director Dan Alexe documents the disturbing but transfixing self-mutilation rituals practiced by a secretive dervish Muslim religious sect in Skopje, Macedonia. Also in the section was "Mediterranean Stories," directed by Stelios Haralambopoulos, a mouth-watering look at the eastern Mediterranean's culinary holy trinity: bread, wine and olives, which played to a full house.

A highlight of the festival's strong Portraits: Human Journeys section was the elusive Chris Marker's "One Day in the Life of Andre Arsenevitch," which examines the work of Russian director and cinematic stylist Andre Tarkovsky. As Tarkovsky edits his last film from his deathbed in Paris, Marker finds the occasion to look back and examine the themes and styles in Tarkovsky's extraordinary oeuvre. Marker's language and analysis were absorbing, more so as he presented mesmerizing scenes from Tarkovsky's films and footage of the perfectionist Tarkovsky on-set.

The festival's Stories to Tell category featured standout Mirjam Boelsums and Lony Scharenborg's "The Pool," a kind-of day-in-the-life observation of a public swimming pool in Amsterdam. The film, shot entirely within the four walls of the pool complex, reveals this most unique of public spaces to be both a microcosm and metaphor for life. Producer Jan Heijs traveled from Amsterdam to represent "The Pool" as well as the diametrically different "Making of a New Empire," about Chechen mobster/warlord cum global capitalist Khozh-Ahmed Noukhaev. The feared and revered Noukhaev hop scotches across Europe and the Caucuses, from his retreat in battle-scarred Grozny, to oil-boomtown Baku, the seat of his new empire, and then improbably to London, where he transforms himself into a legitimate businessman on the London stock-exchange. Director Jos De Putter gained the trust of his elusive subject, purchased a hefty life-insurance policy, hired a Polish crew (after his Dutch crew backed out), and came away with an extraordinary story.

Dutch Producer Heijs wasn't the only guest with two films at the festival. Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated screening was "Angelos' Film," from Hungarian director Peter Forgacs. Forgacs' auteur effort brilliantly combines found footage of historical significance with diary entries to create a new kind of personal historical narrative. "Angelos' Film" refers to the filmed record of the brutal Nazi occupation of Athens. Forgacs restored the film and contextualized it to create a powerful and exciting new form -- a frightening poetic history. His earlier and possibly superior work, "Danube Exodus," which also screened, was based on the amateur film recordings of a riverboat captain who meticulously documented the dramatic exodus of his human cargo -- both Slovak Jews and German settlers in Bessarabia -- during the Second World War.

Festival Director Eipides had smartly programmed the latter film along with several other festival standouts that explored individual and collective memory, including Barbara Sonneborn's powerful Academy Award nominated "Regret to Inform."

Yet another festival mini-program was organized around Roma (Gypsy) culture and experience. Notable works included Mira Erdevicki-Charap's Czech entry, "Black and White in Colour," about the Romany singer Vera Bila, an outsized diva on the cusp of stardom. Jasmine Dellal has found an equally charismatic subject in "American Gypsy: A Stranger in Everybody's Land," which recounts the efforts of Spokane used-car salesman and local Gypsy leader Jimmy Marks to clear his name after he's wrongfully arrested for fencing stolen property.

The restless and forward-thinking Eipides had also organized a concurrent international documentary market, allowing Greek and Balkan independent producers, as well as Greek Public Television and the Greek Film Centre to shop their wares to prospective buyers and explore co-production possibilities.

More exciting was a five-day Pitching Workshop and Forum. The Forum offered Greek and Balkan filmmakers the opportunity to pitch their projects to an international panel of programmers, buyers and producers, including the major Greek TV networks, Arte, National Geographic and the Soros Documentary Fund. EDN Director Tue Steen Muller was on hand to offer blunt advice and encouragement to participants, and noted a growing interest in creating a documentary culture in the "South Eastern Europe Region."

Both the Market and Pitching Forum were part of Festival Director Eipides' strategy to provide continuity and "velocity" to the Festival by propelling new, exciting projects forward. "People are more informed and educated," Eipides told me. "They're demanding a better approach to reality."

Behind his decision to organize the festival, he said, was a desire to "prove that documentary can be as popular and entertaining as dramatic cinema." "Hollywood had its era," he declared boldly. "This can't go on for ever."

Without question, the festival had presented an extraordinarily diverse and entertaining slate of films. But possibly due to the late scheduling of the festival, attendance had, by some accounts, fallen off last year's turnout, though Eipides may even be ahead of the curve in his mission of drawing out younger audiences.

Although expertly organized, there was still room for improvement. While visiting filmmakers were given an opportunity to introduce films, the tight schedule left no room for post-screening Q&A, which is often one of the most enjoyable aspects of festival screenings. In addition, the Greek custom of leaving cell-phones on during screenings proved mildly distracting.

Although the festival bills itself as non-competitive and has no jury award, some prizes were handed out. A festival award was presented to Dutch photographer and noted documentarian Johan van der Keuken, whose new film, "The Long Holiday," was warmly received. George Zervas' deserving "I Like Hearts Like Mine" (which was pitched at last year's festival) received the Greek Press Award, Stelios Haralambopoulos' "Mediterranean Stories" took home the Audience Award, and Frank Cole's "Life Without Death" walked away with Foreign Press honors. Award winners were presented with the 1,000,000 drachma ($3,000) prize at the Festival's closing night ceremony.

[Jesse Moss is currently directing a documentary for HBO about a notorious con artist.]

Debut Thessaloniki Doc Fest Courts Youth and Technology

Indiewire — Thu, 15 Apr 1999 06:00:00 GMT

Debut Thessaloniki Doc Fest Courts Youth and Technology

By Eugene Hernandez

The defining moment of the first Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival
(March 15 - 21) came at about 1:15 a.m. on the final Saturday of the
event, as a few hundred people settled in for what at first seemed like
a crazy idea -- an all night doc marathon. When Festival Director
Dimitri Eipides first told me that he would be screening movies all
night on the final night of the festival, I was politely supportive, but
secretly a little concerned. As the day approached, I quickly changed my
tune, realizing that the energy among college-aged locals for this debut
festival would support Eipides' vision of creating a "happening" on the
final night -- a place where, as he told me, young people would gather
and be "looking at each other and flirting." Subsequently, a few
hundred people showed up for the marathon, jamming the lobby to wait for
almost an hour and forcing organizers to move the screenings to the
larger Olympion I theater.

"I have a relationship with the (Greek) audience," Dimitri Eipides
explained modestly as we sat in his office earlier that day. This became
quite apparent during last month's trip to Thessaloniki, Greek's
second-largest city. While locals are very supportive of the annual,
high-profile, international festival held each November in this Balkan
port city, Eipides -- who programs the fall festival's New Horizons
section (as well as serving as a programmer for the Toronto
International Film Festival) -- had been anxious to develop a
complementary Greek event which would explore only non-fiction work.

"Storytelling is a tradition," the Festival Director told me. "I have
always been intrigued by documentary, [and] fiction cinema is becoming
an anachronism." Describing people today as "more informed, more
involved, and more enlightened," Eipides explained that "the very
informed person [is] perhaps more difficult to influence or manipulate."
Smiling he concluded, "Documentary adds to the possibilities."

The Thessaloniki Doc festival, dubbed "Images of the 21st Century,"
focused on technology as a catalyst for some of the
"possibilities" that Eipides hinted at. "Documentary film becomes the
means through which opinions and ideas are recorded and transmitted," he
wrote in the Festival catalog, "A way for the modern, thinking
individual to become informed about issues that concern him, as a
citizen who chooses to be freely informed and actively involved in the
goings on all over our small planet."

During our conversation he added, "I relate documentaries very much to
new technology, because the relaying of information is very much tied to
the technological fields." Two afternoon sessions exploring new
technologies were held midway through the festival, welcoming panelists
that included Ana Serrano from the MediaLinx habitat at the Canadian
Film Centre, filmmaker Jason Rosette ("Book Wars"), DocFest founder Gary
Pollard, and Professor George Papanikolaou from the University of
Thessaloniki. A highlight of the festival's new media segment was Noam
Chomsky's attendance (via a live video and audio feed beamed over a
telephone line) at a Q & A session moderated by Canadian filmmaker Peter
Wintonick ("Manufacturing Consent"). Overall, while most attendees
seemed compelled by the new media subject matter, some expressed concern
over the impact that the increasing reliance on new technologies would
have on their society. One festival organizer told me that many Greeks
remain quite cautious about embracing the Internet and new media. While
Serrano characterized the attitude as "healthily suspicious of
technology." Others however, expressed impatience at the slow pace at
which Greek culture -- and the local university -- are providing new
media opportunities and instruction.

Other sections of the festival were less controversial, but certainly no
less compelling for attendees. Festival screenings were often quite
crowded, and sell-out showings were common. A spotlight on Greek
filmmaker Dimitris Mavrikios offered seven of his documentaries,
including "Polemonta," and "Enigma Est," while the "Anthology: Greek
Documentaries" section included a few national docs, among them
"Sinassos -- Memories of a Displaced Village" and "Hercules, Acheloos
and My Granny." Among the Greek docs that played well at the festival
were award winners "98 Years" by Apostolos Karakassis' (winner of the
Audience Award) and Nicos Grammaticos', "Nightflowers" (winner of
foreign press award).

Among the sections that garnered the most interest was "On the Edge of
Love: The End of the 90's," a bold, and often graphic exploration of
gender and sexuality issues. While John Appel's "Outlawed" looked at
homosexuality in five countries, Alec Behrens' and Marijn Muijser's "I
Don't Wanna Be a Boy" studied black and Latino transsexual prostitutes
in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Other films screening in the section included
Simon Bischoff's "Mon Beau Petit Cul" and Susan Muska & Greta
Olafsdotir's "The Brandon Teena Story."

The entire four-film program for the aforementioned documentary marathon
remained a closely held secret leading up to the big night -- screenings
began without any introduction, interrupted only by brief intermissions
for a quick stretch and, for many Greeks, a cigarette in the lobby.
Bennett Miller's "The Cruise," which had already screened twice earlier
in the week, kicked off the marathon. Although a few of the more
nuanced moments were lost by the Greek audience, the film was screened
well and was met with an ovation when it ended at about 2:40 a.m. (The
film went on to win the festival's Greek press prize the next night at
the awards ceremony).

Shortly before 3 a.m. organizers unspooled what was clearly one of the
most striking films of the entire festival: "Lucky People Center
International." A true descendant of such films as "Koyaanisqatsi," and
"Powaqquatsi," "Lucky People" is an incredible audio-visual exploration
of the rhythms of life, told through documentary interviews (with a
Native American, a Japanese businessman, a naturalist, African
tribes-people and more) that are cut brilliantly to the beat of a
driving electronic soundtrack. At nearly 4:30 a.m., Timothy
Greenfield-Sanders' American Masters presentation, "Lou Reed: Rock and
Roll Heart," screened as the audience thinned slightly, followed by Maya
Gallus' "Erotica: A Journey into Female Sexuality." The marathon
concluded around 7 a.m. with the hundred or so remaining attendees
enjoying a complimentary continental breakfast before spilling out onto
Aristotelous Square and heading home.

Admitting that his own views reflect a 60's and 70's influenced "utopian
attitude," Festival Director Dimitri Eipides' comments from the day
before echoed in my head as I embarked on the more than twelve hour trip
back to New York, shortly after the marathon ended: "I want to believe
that this work has a social purpose." That said, he also acknowledged
that a festival shouldn't take itself too seriously, "A festival has to
address young people, I want it to affect them -- I want them to go out
into the streets excited."

[Eugene Hernandez, the Editor in Chief of indieWIRE, participated as a
panelist in the New Media section of the Thessaloniki Documentary Film
Festival.]