News

The 21^st edition of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival presents 178 feature and 49 short documentary films by directors from all over the world, as well as a parallel events program.

We pass by people, objects and stray animals in the street, as if they were not visible. The documentaries reveal the hidden stories, the obscure aspects of people and situations. They reveal what we do not see at first glance.

31 short and 50 feature Greek documentaries will be screened in the 21^st Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. Two of them participate in the event’s International Competition section, 28 in the various International Program sections, 12 in TDF’s new segment “From screen to Screen” and 39 in the latest addition section titled “Platform”.

The International Competition section of the 21^st Thessaloniki Documentary Festival discovers the boldest new voices of contemporary documentary filmmaking, presenting the first or second films by the most promising directors from all over the world. It is worth noting that the TDF is included -along with 28 leading film festivals- in the Documentary Feature Qualifying Festival List established by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Thus the documentary that wins TDF’s Golden Alexander Best Documentary–International Competition award automatically becomes eligible for Oscar consideration in the Documentary Feature category.

Oscar-winning Greek-American director Louie Psihoyos is given a carte blanche in the 21^st Thessaloniki Documentary Festival to select his favorite films. Psihoyios will attend this year’s edition to receive the festival’s top honorary award, the Golden Alexander, as well as to present the carte blanche films and a special screening of his documentary The Cove (2009, Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature).