18th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival –
Images of the 21st Century
11-20 March, 2016
GREEK PROGRAM
Images of the 21st Century
11-20 March, 2016
GREEK PROGRAM
73 Greek - feature and short - films will be screened during the 18th TDF. 22 of these are included in the various International Program sections and 51 in the Greek Panorama section.
Society and politics, human rights and immigration, history and memory, as well as intriguing human stories, arts and ecology, are among the topics that inspire the Greek filmmakers into capturing the contemporary multi-layered reality, in this year’s rich documentary production.
We hereby present you some of the Greek films that will be screened during the 18th TDF:
Snapshots of the Greek reality are presented through some of the program’s documentaries. Apostolos Karakasis’ Next Stop: Utopia investigates the adventure of the self-managed Greek factory VIO.ME in Thessaloniki, which was taken over by the workers, following its closure because of the financial crisis. The documentary In Solitude or In Solidarity? by Irini Karagkiozidou, Akis Kersanidis, Emilia Kougioumtzoglou, Kiki Moustakidou, Stavroula Poulimeni and Chryssa Tzelepi stresses the importance of solidarity as an answer to both the crisis and social isolation, with reference to the significant work of the Social Clinic of Solidarity in Thessaloniki. Golden Dawn: A Personal Affair by Angelique Kourounis explores the Greek political party’s organizational pattern, while recording the thoughts and statements of its voters.
The urgent refugee issue becomes the centre of attention in Morteza Jafari’s Dreaming of Life, which unfolds these people’s dramatic odyssey from the Turkish shores to their arrival in Greece. A Greek juvenile detention center provides the backdrop in Marianna Economou’s The Longest Run that showcases the revealing testimonies of the inmates: young men from the Middle East who face trial and severe penalties. Human rights are also the issue in the documentary A Second Chance by Menelaos Karamaghiolis that introduces us to a teenage Lithuanian prisoner who claims the right to redefine his life, aspiring to fulfill his goals.
A rare insight into one of the bloodiest pages of the U.S. labour movement is provided in Leonidas Vardaros’ Ludlow, Greek Americans in the Colorado Coal War that exposes through interviews and archival material the violent confrontation between Rockefeller and the UMWA Trade Union in 1914. Shadow on the Soul by Dimitris Pliagkos and Marios Polyzogopoulos is a documentary- homage to the uprooted Greek and Turkish refugees of the population exchange. The Sea Remains by Christos Georgiou and Yorgos Koumouros unfolds the story of Yialousa, a village at the northern edge of Cyprus, from the 1960s up to the present day. Landmark moments of Greece’s modern history emerge through tales related to the closure of the Trikala prison in 2006, after 110 years in operation, in Dimitris Koutsiabasakos’ Silent Witness.
Ecologically conscious documentaries are also included in the Greek program of the 18th TDF. An in-depth investigation that sheds light to the environmental, financial and social consequences of the policy of wind turbines comes to the surface in Nassim Alatras’ Windbag of Aeolus. The documentary Guardians of the Aegean by Omiros Evangelinos monitors the struggle of small traditional fishing communities throughout the Aegean Sea against the catastrophic industrial-scale overfishing. Set in the wetland of Evros Delta, at Greece’s Northern border, Daphne Toli’s Feathering Heights invites us to the journey of the fragile coexistence between man and the area’s numerous bird species.
Art, always a driving force for Greek documentary filmmakers, is prominent in a number of films this year. Teriade by Simos Korexenidis delves into the legacy of the renowned art critic, patron and publisher Stratis Eleftheriadis-Teriade. Guided by Nikos Kazantzakis’ epic poem “Odyssey”, the documentary 33,333 The Odyssey of Nikos Kazantzakis by Menios Carayannis travels to Sweden, USA, Crete, Athens and Tinos to trace the fascinating hidden aspects of the prolific Greek writer’s work and personality. Working Dancers by Constandina Bousboura and Julia M. Heimann turns its attention to Buenos Aires, where a group of acclaimed dancers create the first Contemporary National Company of Dance under their collective leadership.
Captivating human stories take centre stage in many Greek documentaries. Eliana Abravanel’s Finish Line follows three aged marathon runners who share with the audience their experiences, life philosophy, as well as their unique approach to marathon running: they cross the finish line in pursuit of their own inner voice. Another personal quest takes place in the documentary Nostos by Sandrine Dumas, who discovers her own family's ties with Greece, by exploring the life of the ground-breaking Greek artist Thaleia Flora-Karavia. Despite life’s misfortunes, the protagonist in Irina Boiko’s Long Dive is a courageous disabled man who never gives up. Optimism is also the driving force in Haris Raftogiannis’ True Blue that centres on an aged and vigorous couple who enjoys life in the Greek island of Ikaria, also known as “the place where people forget to die”. Maro Anastopoulou’s Whispers of the Sky follows the people of the island of Amorgos, who carry centuries of knowledge in predicting the weather by “reading” the signs in the sky, winds, stars and sea, while the documentary "Morning Neighbor!" by Tania Chatzigeorgiou observes the everyday life of the three inhabitants of the small island of Kinaros, eastern of Amorgos.
The Greek Films participating in all Festival Sections are:
25 Years Without Borders - The Untold Stories, Yannis Mavrogenis, 2015, 69’, Greece
100 Years 2nd High School Of Thessaloniki, Georgios Moumouzias, 2015, 63’, Greece
1000 Miles, Vassilis Kehagias & Yannis Valtis, 2015, 33’, Greece
33.333 The Odyssey of Nikos Kazantzakis, Menios Carayannis, 2016, 90’, Greece, Sweden, USA
A Breath of Life, Dimitris Vernikos & Polly Vlahou, 2015, 66’, Greece
A Second Chance, Menelaos Karamaghiolis, 2016, 61’, Greece
All Together In the Mountains, Alexandros Papaeliou, 2015, 48’, Greece
Andros by Marina Karagatsi, Vangelis Loukisas, 2015, 15’, Greece
Argo Navis, Stelios Efstathopoulos & Susanne Bausinger, 2016, 100’, Greece, Germany
"Athens From Beneath" - The Documentary of the New Poor, Takis Bardakos, 2015, 62’, Greece
Deconstructing Interruption, Stelios Moraitidis, 2016, 60’, Greece
Decumanus, George Kontos, 2015, 21’, Greece, USA
Delos 2015, Andonis Theochari Kioukas, 2015, 25’, Greece
Dreaming Of Life, Morteza Jafari, 2015, 90’, Greece
Epekeina, Constantinos Akrivos, 2015, 101’, Greece
Eratosthenes, Costas Vakkas, 2015, 34’, Greece
Eric, Faidon Gkretsikos & Panos Tragos, 2015, 26’, Greece
FACK MSUV / Performing The Museum As A Common / And The Common As A Museum, Stefanos Mondelos, 2016, 65’, Greece
FING 1915-2015: THE FIRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS, Dimitris ZISOPOULOS, Greece, 2015, 38’
Feathering Heights, Daphne Toli, 2015, 42’, Greece
Finish Line, Eliana Abravanel, 2016, 70’, Greece
Golden Dawn: A Personal Affair, Angelique Kourounis, 2015, 90’, Greece
Greek Architects of Constantinople, Gregory Oikonomidis, 2016, 68’, Greece, Turkey
Guardians of Aegean, Omiros Evangelinos, 2016, 83’, Greece
Hasan "The Tank", Kakia Gkoudina, 2015, 23’, Greece
I...The Problem, Alexandros Markou, 2015, 53’, Greece
Iera Odos - The Journey of the Books, Marie-Noelle Moreigne, 2015, 56’, Greece
Ilja Finds Home, Panos Kostouros, 2015, 14’, Greece
Imperium, Stelios Oikonomidis, 2016, 23’, Greece
In Solitude or In Solidarity?, Akis Kersanidis & Chryssa Tzelepi, 2016, 73’, Greece
In Wood We Trust, Grigoris Vardarinos, 2015, 28’, Greece
Into The Centre of the Wheel, Orfeas Peretzis, 2016, 78’, Greece
Invisible Paths, Yianna Dellatolla, 2016, 24’, Greece
Light Thickens, Lydia Konsta, 2016, 76’, Greece, Germany
Long Dive, Irina Boiko, 2016, 43’, Greece
Ludlow, Greek Americans in the Colorado Coal War, Leonidas Vardaros, 2016, 70’, Greece
MemORIA, Yorgos Iatrou, 2015, 71’, Greece
Metamorphoses, Vangelis Efthymiou, 2015, 50’, Greece
"Morning Neighbor!", Tania Chatzigeorgiou, 2015, 59’, Greece
Mothers and Daughters, Maria Nikolaou, 2015, 28’, Greece
My Friend Larry Gus, Vassilis Katsoupis, 2015, 72’, Greece
New Generation Got Game, Dimitris Polidoropoulos, 2015, 52’, Greece
New Life, Alexia Tsagkari, 2015, 40’, Greece
Next Stop: Utopia, Apostolos Karakasis, 2015, 91’, Greece
Nostos, Sandrine Dumas, 2015, 82’, France, Greece
One Whole Day with Evo Morales, Iason Pipinis, 2015, 30’, Bolivia, Greece
Paolo's Dream, Kirineos Papadimatos & Yannis Avramopoulos, 2015, 43’, Greece
Radio Loft, Thanassis Papakostas, 2016, 68’, Greece
Silent Witness, Dimitris Koutsiabasakos, 2016, 71’, Greece
Shadow on the Soul, Dimitris Pliagkos &Marios Polyzogopoulos, 2015, 94’, Greece
Skoros: Anti-Consumption in Crisis, Athina Souli, 2015, 20’, Greece
Spectrum, Hara Kalliontzi, Ioanna Papaioannou, Dione Tegou, Dimitra Tsalkitzoglou, 2015, 32’, Greece
Suspended People, Stratis Vogiatzis & Thekla Malamou, 2016, 28’, Greece
Teriade, Simos Korexenidis, 2016, 75’, Greece
That's It. No More, Nikos Megrelis, 2016, 21’, Greece
The Cherry Orchard, Mickey Mouse and Nikos Karathanos, Elias Giannakakis, 2016, 110’, Greece
The Formidable Flags of Freedom, Takis Sakellariou, 2015, 17’, Greece
The Light Inside, Stavros Psyllakis, 2015, 92’, Greece
The Longest Run, Marianna Economou, 2015, 77’, Greece
The Park, Grandmother Nissa and Ali, Angelos Kovotsos, Anneta Papathanasiou, Antonis Tolakis, 2015, 27’, Greece
The Sea Remains, Christos Georgiou & Yorgos Koumouros, 2016, 81’, Cyprus, Greece
The Tree I Dreamt, Dimitris Alchatzidis, 2015, 52’, Greece
The Uncompleted Project, Manolis Papadakis, 2015, 99’, Greece
The Village That Defeated Death, Nikos Mezeridis, 2016, 50’, Greece
True Blue, Haris Raftogiannis, 2015, 27’, Greece
"Until We Meet Again, As Winners!", Nikolaos Noulas, 2015, 52’, Greece
Viktor Ullmann: Biography of a Recording, Ioannis Grigoropoulos & Michalis Aristidou, 2015, 33’, Greece
When Dahlias Bend Down, Tassos Giapoutzis, 2015, 15’, Greece
Whispers of the Sky, Maro Anastopoulou, 2016, 74’, Greece
White Steps, Michael Vitorakis & Sotiris Kappos, 2015, 61’, Greece
Windbag of Aeolus, Nassim Alatras, 2016, 83’, Greece
Working Dancers, Constandina Bousboura & Julia Heimann, 2015, 76’, Argentina, Greece
Yannoulis Chalepas: A Sculptor's Portrait, Vironas Ntolas, 2015, 23’, Greece
