AGORA (March 7-15), the industry section of the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, has selected for the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum 14 projects from 15 countries, all deriving from Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean region.
AGORA is a member and partners with DAE (Documentary Association of Europe) and is supported by the Creative Europe-MEDIA programme. As an international meeting and networking event AGORA offers a variety of networking and co-production opportunities for the global film industry.
AGORA, a dynamic force in the European audiovisual sector, committed to fostering collaboration, innovation, and cultural exchange targets around 500 industry professionals: producers, filmmakers, audiovisual creators, distributors, broadcasters, sales agents, film consultants, festival programmers and financiers from all over the world, and focuses on innovative tendencies in documentary filmmaking of Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean region while at the same time discovers and presents the worldwide documentary trends.
Thessaloniki Pitching Forum
The co-financing and co-production Forum for documentaries in the development phase, highlighting the countries of Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean region (including the Visegrad countries, part of the Black Sea region, North Africa and Mediterranean Middle East). It has attracted many ambitious projects and has the support of valuable sponsors and partners. Recently completed films include Stray Bodies (Greece- Switzerland-Italy-Bulgaria) premiered at Thessaloniki IDF & CPH:DOX (2024), Blueberry Dreams (Georgia-Belgium-France) premiered in CPH:DOX (2024), If I Die it Will Be of Joy (France) premiered at Visions du Réel (2024), We Will Not Fade Away premiered at Berlinale (2023), Mighty Afrin (Greece) premiered at Thessaloniki IDF (2023) and won the WWF Award, Boylesque (Poland-Czechia) premiered at Hot Docs (2022), Karaoke Nation (Finland-Sweden-Germany), premiered in CPH:DOX (2022), A Steady Job (Italy-France) premiered at the Visions du Réel (2022)
Thessaloniki Pitching Forum has secured the prestigious IEFTA Award for Best Documentary in Development 10,000 EUR cash-prize. Long term partnerships include the Onassis Foundation who present to the Greek filmmakers with a project to either Thessaloniki Pitching Forum or the AGORA Docs in Progress the Onassis Film Award of 5,000 EUR, the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) which presents the ERT Award of 2,000 EUR for a Greek project, the Mediterranean Film Institute Script2Film granting the MFI Scholarship for the Doc Lab participation, the EURODOC Award of 1,000 EUR along with a VIP membership, the Documentary Association of Europe offer the DAE Consultancy Award with a bespoke consultation on a project with an industry expert, Aylon Digital Services who offer a Digital transfer of archival material, and the International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film offering the DOK Leipzig Award which includes 2 industry passes and accommodation.
The selected projects have the opportunity to participate in a preparatory project enhancement workshop with tutors: Ove Jensen, producer and documentary expert, Paradiddle Pictures - Denmark, Brigid O’Shea, co-director and international consultant, DAE - Germany, Peter Jaeger, Consultant, Jaeger Creative - Austria, Mila Turajlić, Director / Producer, Poppy Pictures - Serbia.
The selection features 14 documentary projects including two series projects, one documentary for kids and one animated documentary from Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean. This year’s selection continues to support and amplify diverse voices that shed light on notions of identity, human rights, grief, companionship, romance, growing up, adulthood and war. In times of uncertainty, these 14 projects offer a creative reflection on our place in the world, courageously confronting often overlooked stories and injustices of modern reality.
Thessaloniki Pitching Forum Projects:
ABOUT HORSES, WIVES AND WEAPONS
Director: Volkan Üce, Production: Emmy Oost - Cassette for timescapes, Co-production: Samuel Feller - Magellan Films, Belgium
BORN GREEK - MADE AMERICAN (working title)
Director: Lefteris Charitos, Production: Stelios Cotionis - Foss Productions, Co-production: Alexis Varouxakis - Adrenaline Entertainment, Greece, USA
BUGBOY
Director: Lucas Paleocrassas, Production: Rea Apostolides - Anemon, Executive Production: Madeleine Avramoussis, Co-production: Maria Stevnback Westergren - Toolbox, Adam Leibovitz - Flach Film Productions, Greece, Denmark, France
CLOSURE
Director: Michał Marczak, Production: Monika Braid - Braidmade Films, Poland
HIGHWAYS OF HOPE
Director: Alexa Bakony, Production: Gábor Osváth, Veronika Gál - Filmfabriq Ltd., Hungary
LAST SUMMER
Director: Jan Jurczak & Eleanora Iadkouskaya, Production: Frieder Schlaich - Filmgalerie 451, Germany
LIFE ON PAUSE
Director: Anthoniy Hristov, Production: Svetla Turnin - Documentary Media Foundation, Bulgaria
MAMA KLORIN
Director: Doreida Xhogu, Production: Mina Dreki - MARNI FILMS, Greece
MEMOIRS OF JERUSALEM
Director: Kinda Kurdi, Production: Kinda Kurdi - K² Visual Media, Co-production: Brian Hill - Century Films Ltd, Jordan, United Kingdom
MISSING IN ACTION
Director: Kateryna Holovko, Marharyta Melnychuk, Production: Aliona Kachkan - TABOR LTD, Ukraine
MY AUNTIES
Director: Hazal Hanquet, Production: Aslihan Altuğ, Anna Maria Aslanoğlu - Istos Film, Türkiye
OH' HEART DON'T BE AFRAID
Director: Ana Kvichidze, Production: Avtandil Khorava - Moonbow Production, Co-production: - Natalia Imaz - Parabellum films, Mariam Bitsadze - 17/07 Productions, Niko Mikadze - Murman Original Pictures, Georgia, Germany
RESISTING RESIDENTS
Director: Nikos Pilos, Production: Dafni Kalafati - Filmiki Productions, Greece
TAKEN BY THE WHITE MAN
Director: Ana Sofia Fonseca, Production: Daniella Rice, Ana Sofia Fonseca - Carrossel Produções, Portugal
AGORA XR Lab
AGORA XR Lab, is TIDF AGORA’s newest initiative, a workshop dedicated to XR and new media projects in development. It is designed for emerging storytellers keen to explore new forms of expression in factual and non-factual storytelling and pushing the boundaries of what audiovisual work can be in the digital age. The focus is on projects that bridge the realms of film, digital media, new tech, and performing arts. AGORA XR Lab fosters innovation and collaboration by supporting creative, interdisciplinary partnerships in film, the arts, science, technology, and social impact initiatives.
Award-winning creative producer and writer, Vassiliki Khonsari is the lead mentor for this inaugural edition. Khonsari, is the co-founder of iNK Stories a New York City-based studio renowned for pioneering storytelling across games, films, XR, and immersive experiences.
The XR Lab collaborates with the International Documentary Film Festival - Beldocs which presents the Beldocs Networking Award to attend the next edition and meet additional XR professionals.
The AGORA XR Lab projects are:
BITXO
Creator: Lau Maquedano, Production: Alberto López Garrido - Lamola Studios, Valet Siv Manrique - Piragna Animación & Lau Maquedano, Co-production: Natxo Carrasco - HD Studio, Rubén Coca - Artyc Content, Spain, Colombia
IMAGINE FAREWELL STATION
Creator: Aristotelis Maragkos, Production: Konstantinos Koukoulis - Πlankton films, Co-creator / Co-production: Dimitris Delinikolas - Emptyfilm, Greece
MURDER IS HER HOBBY
Creators: Emilie Valentin & Stella Jacob, Production: Arnaud Colinart & Oriane Hurard - Atlas V, Co-production: Clarens Grollmann - K5 factory, France, Germany
SOLEMBIA
Creator: Christos Bourantas, Greece
SOURDOUGH TALES
Creators: Danai Belosinof & Elia Kalogianni, Greece, The Netherlands
