Presentation of the Agora Thessaloniki Pitching Forum projects

Within the framework of the 28th TiDF’s Agora, the presentation of the projects participating in this year’s Thessaloniki Pitching Forum, TFF’s co-producing and co-financing platform, took place on Monday March 9th, at John Cassavetes theater.

The platform offers participants the opportunity to discuss their projects, receive feedback and advice, and refine their work during a two-day online lab.

​Fourteen (14) documentary projects in development from seventeen (17) countries are taking part in the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum, including Belgium, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. The selection focuses on themes such as displacement, companionship, and mental health, highlighting stories that shed light on hidden aspects of history and defend human rights.

The program of the 28th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival includes 14 films that participated in the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum, Agora Docs in Progress, and the Evia Film Project in previous years. Of these, nine films are participating in the competition sections of this year’s edition. The films are: Bugboy, directed by Lucas Paleocrassas, Closure, directed by Michał Marczak, The Way Elsewhere, directed by Eirini Vourloumis, in the International Competition section, Exile(s), Tales From an Island, directed by Yorgos Iliopoulos, and Tirrenica, directed by Rosario Minervini, which participate in the Newcomers Competition, as well as Dear Future, directed by Christiana Cheiranagnostaki, Level, directed by Carlos Mora Fuentes, A Song Without Home, directed by Rati Tsiteladze, and Stories of a Lie, directed by Olia Verriopoulou, which participate in the »Film Forward competition section.

Angeliki Vergou, Head of the Agora, stated: “Good morning, we are very glad to see so many of you here, alongside the new faces who are participating this year, hoping to discover new projects and connect with other colleagues in the industry. We are, however, quite disheartened about the fact that many guests were forced to cancel their participation due to the war and the inability to travel. Nevertheless, we are grateful to be able to host you and to continue our work in supporting filmmakers from Southeast Europe, the Black Sea, and Mediterranean regions, the Middle East, and North Africa.”

Next, she gave the floor to TFF’s General Director, Elise Jalladeau: “Dear colleagues, dear friends. I usually welcome you and introduce the kick off of the Agora by celebrating our coexistence and collaboration. But this is an unusual year, as many of our colleagues are unable to be here among us – either because they are struggling to survive in the midst of war, or because they have been displaced, or because the borders are closed. This situation reveals how fragile our world, our lives, and the ecosystem to which we belong are. At the same time, it also highlights the pressing need for solidarity and collaboration. This is why the Doc Together initiative carries even greater significance and value. The outcome of this initiative, which we realized in collaboration with our partners from DOK Leipzig, was unveiled yesterday. We believe this is only the beginning, so stay tuned for our next steps. In the meantime, we wish you an enjoyable and constructive experience at the events of the Agora, together with our wonderful team. Once again, welcome everyone.”

Furthermore, Angeliki Vergou thanked the Agora team and the production team, her colleagues at TFF, as well as the partners and sponsors contributing to its realization every year. “For this year, we have prepared a rich and inspired program, which you can discover in the Agora Mag we’ve already sent you. It is available this time - and from now on exclusively - in digital format. Moving on to today’s presentation, I’d also like to thank the selection committee, and the advisory committee of the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum for their contribution to the selection of the 40 exceptional projects you are about to see, as well as the tutors and coordinators who guided the creative teams with the utmost care and dedication,” she concluded.

Feedback on the projects was provided by top notch professionals of the audiovisual sector: Kim Christiansen | DR Sales - Denmark, Hannah Cesarani | Together Films – United Kingdom, Rohan Berry Crickmar | Lightdox & Dublin International Film Festival - Ireland, Marina Thomé | Doc Lisboa - Portugal, Lefteris Fylaktos | Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) - Greece, Kilian Kiefel | Mediawan Rights - France, Elisabeth Lehmann | Deutsche Welle - Germany, Chloe Mamelok | Plan B – USA / United Kingdom, Mourad-Anis Moussa | Visions du Réel - Switzerland, Anne-Laure Negrin | ARTE GEIE - France, Jane Ray | The Whickers - United Kingdom, Basil Tsiokos | Sundance Film Festival - USA.

The Thessaloniki Pitching Forum awards the IEFTF Foundation Best Documentary in Development Award, accompanied by a cash prize of €10,000. The Onassis Foundation awards the Onassis Film Award to a Greek project in the Agora, participating either in the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum or in Agora Docs in Progress. The award carries a cash prize of €5,000 and aims to highlight emerging filmmakers. Additional awards contested by the projects include the ERT Award for a Greek project (€2,000), a scholarship for the Script2Film Doc Lab of the Mediterranean Film Institute (online, June–December 2026), the EURODOC Award (€1,000 plus a VIP network membership), the DAE Award (consultancy sessions), the Aylon Productions Digital Services Award (material digitization), and the DOK Leipzig Accelerator Award (selection of one project for participation in the Open Program, two free accreditations and accommodation, October 2026).

The jury of the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum consists of:

• Malin Hüber | Producer, HER Film – Sweden
• Èric Motjer | Head of DocsBarcelona Pro & Co-Artistic Director, DocsBarcelona International Documentary Film Festival – Spain
• Selin Murat | Executive Director, IDFA Bertha Fund – Netherlands

The workshop tutors are:

• Ove Rishøj Jensen, Producer and documentary expert, Paradiddle Pictures – Denmark
• Brigid O’Shea, Executive Director and international consultant, DAE – Germany
• Peter Jaeger, Consultant, Jaeger Creative – Austria
• Mila Turajlić, Director–producer, Poppy Pictures – Serbia

The Thessaloniki Pitching Forum presentations are moderated by Brigid O’Shea, Executive Director and international consultant – DAE, and Babette Dieu, Cannes Docs Coordinator, Marché du Film – Cannes Film Festival.

The Projects of the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum:

UNWANTED PAST

Director: Thanassis Vassiliou, Production: Konstantinos Vassilaros - StudioBauhaus, Greece

MOMTSKI KAMEN - THE ROCK OF THE GIRL

Directors: Maria Sidiropoulou, Chloe Bruhat, Production: Maria Sidiropoulou - Thunderbird Productions, Co-production: Rebecca Obadia - Maison Femme, Greece, France

VOICES
Director: Persefoni Miliou, Production: Persefoni Miliou - Per Se Productions, Greece

PIVOT
Director: Vasia Ntoulia, Production: Marina Danezi - Laika Productions, Co-production: Antonios Vallindras, Tasos Koronakis, Greece

ASHES
Director: Daham Alasaad, Production: Bård Kjøge Rønning, Fabien Greenberg - Antipode Films, Alhumam Alasaad - Bel Studio, Co-production: Celine Nusse - Zadig production, Syria, Norway, France

THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED
Director: Seamus Murphy, Production: David Rane - Soilsiú Films, Co-production: Catherine Siméon - Faites un voeu, Heino Deckert - Ma.ja.de, Ireland, France, Germany

ENTR'ACTES
Director: Yuriy Shylov, Production: Olha Tuharinova - Kshtalt Productions, Co-production: Barbara Dyck, Maarten Bernaerts - Salto Productions, Ukraine, Belgium

THE LAST CLASS
Director: Michele Fornasero, Production: Alice Drago - Epica Film, Co-production: Francesca Portalupi - Indyca, Italy

MY FATHER KILLED BOURGUIBA
Director/Production: Fatma Riahi, Co-production: Dora Bouchoucha - Nomadis Images, Co-production: Lina Chaabane, Fatma Riahi, Omar Ben Ali - SVP Production, Tunisia, Qatar, KSA, France

NAVA MAMǍ
Director: Ana Vijdea, Production: Ana Vijdea, Ana Gheorghe, Cosmin Nicoara - Remora Films, Co-production: Louis Beaudemont - Les Steppes Productions, Romania, France

NO MOTHER'S LAND
Director: Wiktoria Szymanska Davis, Production: Monika Braid - Braidmade Films, Sonja Henrici - Sonja Henrici Creates, Poland, United Kingdom

OF THE TREES UNMOVED
Director: Nino Benashvili, Production: Tekla Machavariani - Nushi Film, Co-production: Eva Blondiau, Elmar Imanov - Color of May, Georgia, Germany

WHO WE ARE

Director: Sophie Ataya, Production: Thomas Kaske, Marion Schmidt - Seera Films, Germany

YOU LITTLE BOX
Director: Mert Kaya, Production: Enis Köstepen, Gizay Akdoğan, Mert Kaya - Loudcat Film, Co-production: Vincent Coen, Guillaume Vandenberghe - Glasgow, Türkiye, Belgium