The podcasts of the 28th TIDF

Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, one of the first festivals in a worldwide scale to explore the affinities between podcasts and cinema, is hosting once again its Podcast section, which has been crowned with great success, having become an integral part of the Festival program.

In this year’s edition, we are welcoming a total of 23 podcasts, taking part at the Podcast Competition and the Nexus Section.

In particular, the Podcast Competition includes 10 podcasts (nine Greek-speaking and one English-speaking), which set their eyes on the Best Podcast Award, accompanied by a 2,000-euro cash prize. The three-member Podcast Jury of the 28th TiDF is composed of: Vicky Arvelaki (producer-director of historical documentaries-Head of the Crete Cultural Center), Mary Retsina (podcaster-advertisement announcer-travel content creator) and Giorgos Toulas (journalist-radio producer). All podcasts of the 28th TiDF will be available for the entire duration of the Festival at www.filmfestival.gr, as well as in many locations within the Festival premises (Green Room, Warehouses A, C and D, among others) via QR code.

Testimonies and narrations of gender repression and female empowerment, touching stories of self-knowledge and self-definition, audio wanderings across the urban landscape, homages to cinema and the arts, daring glances into the innermost of human desire, fiction adventures amidst turbulent times, investigatory re-examinations of events that shook Greece, aural road trips like nostalgic love letters, are among the themes unraveled in this year’s Podcast Section.

In the 28th TiDF’s closing ceremony, the ENS Louis Lumière – French Institute of Greece Award for Upcoming Audio Documentary Creator, in collaboration with the ENS Louis Lumière and the French Institute of Greece, will be bestowed. All podcasters aged 25-35 years old, who took part in the 28th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival are eligible for the award. The winner will have the chance to attend the six-week Sound Documentary International Summer Programme hosted by ENS Louis Lumière, addressed to young and upcoming professionals of the audiovisual field (creators of blogs, podcasts or any other audio project). The ENS Louis Lumière – French Institute of Greece Award for Upcoming Audio Documentary Creator Jury is composed of: Thanasis Vasiliou (film director-screenwriter-academic, Greece), Aimé Besson (Audiovisual Attaché at the French Institute of Greece, France), Valérie Fouques (Head of Public Relations at the ENS Louis Lumière, France).

Let’s take a glance at the 28th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival podcasts:

Podcast: Competition

Nine Greek-speaking and one English-speaking podcasts are setting their eyes on the Best Podcast Award, accompanied by a 2,000-euro cash prize. All podcasts taking part in the Podcast Competition are available for hearing at the Festival’s website throughout the entire duration of the 28th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival (March 5th-March 15th, 2026).

Between 20th and 21st Century

Podcaster: Konstantina Stavropoulou. Production: Konstantina Stavropoulou, Masoud Shabanpour. Script-Sound engineering-Sound editing: Konstantina Stavropoulou. Curation: Masoud Shabanpour - Fermat Sound Studio. Language: Greek. Greece-Iran, 2025, 27΄

A walk through one facet of Athens, where birdsong is more present yet the schizophony of traffic remains incessant; with fewer tourists and the human at its core; a sound documentary narrated by life itself — an Athens caught in a suspension of time poised between the 20th and 21st century.

Dear Homeland…

Podcaster: Yvonnie Frezis. Script: Yvonnie Frezis, Giannis Englezos. Sound engineering: Angeliki Saint, Angeliki Santi, Yvonnie Frezis. Sound design: Yvonnie Frezis. Sound mixing: Yvonnie Frezis, Zoi Chrysopoulou. Narration: Giannis Englezos. Language: Greek. Greece, 2025, 28΄

In the first episode of the audiobook, Stratis, a lieutenant in World War I, investigates the mysterious death of his predecessor. In his search for truth, doctor Alexandros and nurse Zoi become his allies. Stratis and Alexandros fall in love and their relationship becomes the only light between the trenches.

December Headlines

Podcasters: Panagiota Vagiou, Eleanna Papadokostaki. Production: Elva Productions, Panagiota Vagiou, Eleanna Papadokostaki. Script: Panagiota Vagiou, Eleanna Papadokostaki. Sound engineering: Tassos Belesis. Sound editing: Tassos Belesis, Panagiota Vagiou, Eleanna Papadokostaki. Special thanks: Eleni Spathi. Language: Greek. Greece, 2026, 25΄

How can news reporting serve as a form of historiography? Is it possible, by revisiting the news of a given era, to understand what truly happened? Working hypothesis: Two Gen Z women set out to remember — or discover — what unfolded in December 2008, through the news broadcasts of the time.

KITCHENS – Stories That Were Never Meant to Leave the Room

Podcaster: Maria Chatzigianni. Production: Maria Chatzigianni, Christos Tolis. Script: Maria Chatzigianni. Sound engineering-Original music: Christos Tolis. Sound editing: Maria Chatzigianni, Christos Tolis. Narration: Eleni Iordanidou (original testimony), Katerina Papasideri (actress), Melina Spetsieri (actress), Chrispa (singer), Maria Chatzigianni (director-radio producer). Language: Greek. Greece, 2026, 23΄

KITCHENS is an audio work where personal experience and documentary intersect with fiction. Authentic women’s voices dialogue with scripted monologues, shaping a shared space of memory and questioning. The kitchen becomes a symbolic terrain, where time moves forward but roles remain. A work about what is silently inherited across generations.

Lightly My Beautiful Mermaid

Podcasters: Yorgia Karidi, Toumbis. Production: Yorgia Karidi. Script-Narration-Original music: Yorgia Karidi, Toumbis. Sound engineering-Sound editing: Yorgia Karidi. Language: Greek. Greece, 2026, 23΄

A former dominatrix shares her stories with her friend of twenty years. The two women revel in their mutual tenderness and slip into uncomfortable zones as they unravel the local BDSM market. Fetish, feminism, sexuality — the topics they have always discussed — are now distilled with humor, to ward off the trauma of sex work.

Out of Class

Podcaster: Angeliki Kogiou. Sound engineering: Gina Georgiadou. ProductionQ Narration: Angeliki Kogiou. Original music: Niki Maria Fanouraki. Cover Design: Froso Aspragkathou. Language: Greek. Greece, 2025, 24΄

Grandmother Angeliki, in another life, would have been a teacher, because she loved school and learning. The premature end of her education marked her until the end of her life. My mother, aunt Paschalitsa, and Mrs. Katerina experienced a similar wound, all carrying the same unfulfilled dream.

The Last Projectionist

Podcaster: Nikos Theodosiou. Production: Neaniko Plano, Nikos Theodosiou. Script-Sound engineering-Sound editing-Narration: Nikos Theodosiou. Language: Greek. Greece, 2026, 25΄

The year 2015 marked the end of film, the end of analog projection in cinemas. The Last Projectionist is a tribute to the unsung servants of a great art and the product of research that began 30 years ago. Eight projectionists give their testimonies.

The Lives of Others - Kouroupe, Were you Wearing Lipstick Again Yesterday?

Podcaster: Vasilis Zampikos. Production: Vasilis Zampikos. Script: Vasilis Zampikos, Anna Kouroupou. Sound engineering-Sound editing-Original music: Vasilis Zampikos. Narration: Anna Kouroupou. Language: Greek. Greece, 2026, 29΄

An audio documentary about the life of Anna Kouroupou. Anna is a trans activist, writer, columnist, and artist, known for her contribution to promoting the rights of trans people and sex workers in Greece. A journey from childhood in the village to gender transition, sex work, and love.

The Now Is Our Never

Podcasters: Marilou Vomvolou, Kostas Vomvolos, Flora Fousteri. Script-Sound engineering-Narration: Marilou Vomvolou. Sound editing: Marilou Vomvolou, Kostas Vomvolos. Sound processing: Kostas Vomvolos. Cover Design: Flora Fousteri. Language: Greek. Greece, 2025, 20΄

“When we’re in the van, we often talk about death. Perhaps to keep our minds off the fear of night driving, or because hours stretch and boredom settles.” An autobiographical podcast – as a love letter – tracing the winter tour of a circus troupe. Dedicated to Flora and my colleagues.

Wasting Time Waiting: Soundscape of a Refugee Camp

Podcaster: Alex Fusco. Script-Narration: Alex Fusco. Sound editing: Sofia Zafeiriou. Language: English. Greece, 2026, 23΄

This audio-documentary is based on ethnographic doctoral field research conducted in Ritsona refugee camp in Central Greece between 2019 and 2022. The podcast traces my initial encounter with the camp as both a physical environment and a lived social space, unfolding through movement, observation, and listening.

Podcast: Nexus

Thirteen Greek-speaking podcasts are lining up at the Nexus subsection of the Festival’s Podcast Section. All podcasts taking part in the Nexus subsection are available for hearing at the Festival’s website throughout the entire duration of the 28th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival (March 5th-March 15th, 2026).

AI Assisted Filmmaking

Podcaster: Nikolaos Aletras. Production: Nikolaos Aletras. Script-Sound engineering-Sound editing-Narration: Nikolaos Aletras. Language: Greek. Greece, 2026, 21΄

Artificial Intelligence is transforming cinema. From screenwriting and pre-production to visual effects and editing, AI is introducing new creative tools. Nikolaos Aletras explores the present and future of AI-assisted filmmaking, examining the opportunities, challenges, and ethical dimensions of this technological revolution.

Beyond Promises: The reality of technology parks in Thessaloniki and Ioannina

Podcasters: Varvara Aggeli, Vasilis Kyriakoulis, Stavroula Poulimeni, Giorgos Tsantikos. Production: Heinrich Böll Foundation - Thessaloniki Office, Michalis Goudis. Production Manager: Giorgos Melissourgos. Script: Varvara Aggeli, Vasilis Kyriakoulis, Stavroula Poulimeni, Giorgos Tsantikos. Sound engineering-Sound editing: Menelaos Exioglou. Narration: Evgenia Chatzigeorgiou. Language: Greek. Greece, 2026, 30΄

In Thessaloniki and Ioannina, efforts have been made in recent years to create technology parks, accompanied by promises of thousands of jobs, technological development and social well-being. The reality, however, is different. Both technology parks (not yet established) seem to follow the logic of real estate rather than that of research, innovation and social benefit.

Corfu, Poseidon’s Island

Podcaster: Dimitris Argyriou. Production: Dimitris Argyrou, NewBorn Filmproduction, V-Museum Corfu. Script: Dimitris Argyriou. Sound engineering-Narration: Alex Joseph. Sound editing: Dimitris Argyriou. Original music: Mihalis Palaiologou. Language: English. Greece, 2025, 20΄

From Greek mythology and the legendary Phaeacians who aided Ulysses, to its role in Ancient Greece, Roman rule, Venetian dominance, wars with the Ottoman Empire, and its modern history; this is the story of Corfu, Poseidon's Island.

El Tiempo También Pinta / Time Also Paints

Podcaster: Anastasios Nikolopoulos. Script-Sound editing-Narration: Anastasios Nikolopoulos. Cover design: Evangelos Margaritis. Language: Greek. Greece, 2026, 23΄

An enigmatic postcard invites detective Iago to the Dalí Museum for one final tour. When a masterpiece vanishes before his very eyes, the mystery gives way to a surreal labyrinth, leaving only one ultimate question: Art or Logic?

Ghost Lovers

Podcaster: Vasia Aletra. Production: Vasia Aletra. Script-Sound engineering-Sound editing-Original music-Narration: Vasia Aletra. Language: Greek. Greece, 2025, 20΄

A podcast about those love stories that never faded, they just remained unfulfilled. Loves that feel like ghosts: they haunt our dreams, our cities, our glances, but we no longer touch them. Inspired by the films Past Lives, In the Mood for Love, and Cheap Smokes, this podcast gives sound to small, real stories shaped by melancholy and nostalgia.

I Was Born at 52

Podcaster: Gina Georgiadou. Production: Gina Georgiadou. Sound engineering: Gina Georgiadou, Phevos Theodoridis. Sound editing-Narration-Mastering: Gina Georgiadou. Central figure: Marika Thoidou-Athanasiou. Language: Greek. Greece, 2026, 23΄

I met Marika Thoidou-Athanasiou in 2022. At 90, a sculptor and skilled cyclist, she lived alone in Armenochori, Florina, tending her home, garden, and small sculpture museum. She said she was “born at 52” when she began sculpting. She passed away in 2025, leaving works full of forms and stories.

My Ko(i)therapist

Podcasters: Evgenia Karazioti, Afroditi Kerameos, Phaedra Stylianou. Production: MouSouTou Productions by Dream On-Line. Script-Narration: Evgenia Karazioti, Afroditi Kerameos, Phaedra Stylianou. Sound engineering: Afroditi Kerameos. Sound editing: Phaedra Stylianou. Original music: Iakovos Konitopoulos, Nikolaos Platon. Language: Greek. Greece, 2026, 28΄

How can a dog, acting as a co-therapist, become a bridge of communication for preschool children on the autism spectrum, children who often have difficulty expressing emotions, trusting, and connecting? In this podcast, we will talk about animal therapy through the story of Koi, a co-therapist dog. The story of his name, as well as his journey as a co-therapist, seem to be inspired by the Japanese expression “Koi No Yokan”.

Poetic Fluids

Podcaster: Chrysa Pantazi. Production: Maria Baziakou. Script-Sound engineering-Sound editing-Original music-Narration: Chrysa Pantazi. Language: Greek. Greece, 2026, 20΄

Four Greek soundscapes emphasizing wind and water are accompanied by short poetic references from the collection Iovolos (2010).

Poetry Traveller

Podcasters: Theodora Tsakiridi, George Kamtziridis. Script-Narration: Theodora Tsakiridi. Sound engineering-Sound editing-Original music: George Kamtziridis. Language: Greek. Greece, 2026, 20΄

What is poetry? How does it reflect people’s thoughts and dreams? How is it perceived by those who view the world rationally, paraphrasing poets, dreams, verses, and images? And finally, what do poets themselves say about poetry?

Still Point - Three Movements in Time

Podcaster: Tasos Theofilatos. Production: AudioWorks. Script-Sound engineering-Sound editing-Original music: Tasos Theofilatos. Performers: Eirini Ioannou Papaneofytou, Thanos Grivas. Language: Greek. Greece, 2026, 21΄

Still Point - Three Movements in Time is a three-part project of augmented acoustic reality, reaching into the core of human existence, composed exclusively from excerpts of T. S. Eliot’s Four Quartets.

Tassos Falcos - An Approach

Podcaster: Alex Fassois. Production: Ideogramma Amargi. Script-Sound engineering-Sound editing-Original music: Alex Fassois. Narration: Tassos Falcos, Alex Fassois. Language: Greek. Greece, 2025, 26΄

Tassos Falkos: an approach on the thinking and poetry of the Greek philosopher and poet of our days.

The Unlogged Echo of Mount Vermio and Other Portals

Podcaster: Sofia Zafeiriou. Script-Sound editing-Original music-Narration: Sofia Zafeiriou. Language: Greek. Greece, 2026, 20΄

An audio essay about the colonial logging of Mount Vermio and its contemporary transformation into an energy infrastructure. Moving between archives, oral memory, and practices of listening, the work examines extraction, war, and digital capitalism, approaching the mountain as an acoustic portal.

Thodoras On Air!

Podcaster: Katerina Giannisi. Script: Based on the testimonies by Afroditi Anastasopoulou, Evangelia Zagaliki, Michail Zagalikis. Sound editing: Katerina Giannisi. Original music: Vangelis Tsimos. Narration: Katerina Giannisi, Afroditi Anastasopoulou, Evangelia Zagaliki, Michail Zagalikis. Special thanks: Thekla Tselepi, Thanasis Lazaridis, Pantelis Kapsalis, Nikoleta Tzirita-Zacharatou, Spyros Papavasiliou. Language: Greek. Greece, 2026, 24΄

Thodoras — as we humans named him — arrived in March 2021. He sang, danced, ate our food, and pooped everywhere. He lifted our spirits! His escape was a profound loss. What would he say to us if he were to return? Which stories do we tell about those we love?