The 28th TIDF in a nutshell!

The 28th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival will be held from Thursday March 5th to Sunday March 15th, 2026, both in physical spaces and online. A total of 252 full-length and short documentary films will be screened at the 28th TIDF, among which a record number of 80 world premieres, as well as 32 international and 11 European premieres. The Festival will be held in its historic home ground, the Olympion and Pavlos Zannas theaters, in the Port’s theaters Frida Liappa, Tonia Marketaki, John Cassavetes and Stavros Tornes, as well as in the Makedonikon theater. In addition, the audience will be given the chance to also watch films online, via the Festival’s platform online.filmfestival.gr.

In today’s official unveiling of the 28th TIDF’s program, all speakers placed particular emphasis on the overall orientation of this year’s Festival:

“The last festivals have unfolded under a shared sense of uncertainty, one that weighs on everyone. And this festival, about to begin in just a few days, I am afraid will not stand apart. From Ukraine and Gaza to Sudan and Iran, and to every place where democracy, justice, and human rights are being tested, the anxiety about what comes next remains intense. The hope that conflicts might come to an end, that peace, stability, and social cohesion might prevail, cannot take shape as long as violence, racism, hate speech, and authoritarian political practices continue to be normalized. As long as the machinery of war remains in motion, openly threatening global stability, there is no room for complacency. Here, at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, we have the fortune, the joy, and above all the responsibility to underline the importance and the true power of the art of documentary, the indelible power of memory and truth. Grounded in our belief in the universal values of freedom, democracy, equality, inclusion, and dignity, we have prepared a festival that brings into view what is unfolding in the world. What concerns us. Without footnotes. This is the direction we follow in order to provide a safe framework for talented and tireless documentary filmmakers from around the world to present their work. Work that, at times, entails risk and a personal cost greater than what the camera allows to be seen. That is why bringing these filmmakers and their invaluable work to the Festival’s audience, and their meaningful interaction over 11 days in Thessaloniki, is for us a mission of the highest importance.”

POSTER AND TRAILER

• The 28th TIDF’s posters bear the signature of visual artist Alexandros Psychoulis.
• Film director Steve Krikris is behind this year’s Festival spot.

OPENING FILM

The opening of the 28th TIDF will take place on Thursday March 5th, 2026, with the film Ask E. Jean by Ivy Meeropol, on the journalist and author Jean Carroll, who sued Donald Trump for sexual assault and defamation, and went on to become the only woman to ever beat him twice in a courtroom. The film will have its international premiere in Thessaloniki.

AN OSCARS® FINALE

The Festival will call it a wrap on Sunday March 15, 2026, with the screening of the breathtaking film Mr. Nobody against Putin, nominated for the Best Feature Documentary Academy Award, directed by David Borenstein and co-directed by Pavel “Pasha” Talankin. The Festival will celebrate cinema with a live broadcast of the OSCARS® Awards ceremony and an all-night party at the Olympion.

JULIETTE BINOCHE WILL ATTEND THE FESTIVAL

Beloved and iconic actress Juliette Binoche will attend the 28th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival to present her directorial debut work, the documentary In-I In Motion that unfolds her collaboration with the renowned British dancer and choreographer Akram Khan. Juliette Binoche will also visit Thessaloniki with regard to her post as the President of the European Film Academy, in view of the countdown for the upcoming European Film Awards ceremony, which will be held in Athens in 2027.The radiant star will share thoughts, impressions and experiences with the audience on her recently acquired dual capacity both in front of and behind the camera, in an open discussion held within the context of the Festival.

GRAND TRIBUTE TO ARCHIVES

The 28th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival hosts a grand tribute titled All the World’s Memory” that runs through various pillars of this year’s edition, from film screenings and open discussions all the way to the Festival’s spot and editions. The tribute includes:

• Films that do not simply recycle the past, but tend to reinterpret it in critical fashion, paving a dialogue between memory, history and present-day.
• The commission of an original artwork: Within the framework of its collaboration with the General State Archives of Greece, the Festival commissioned an original artwork to the talented director Aristotelis Maragkos, who created the short film The Unknowing of Things, which also serves as the final part of the three-fold program of archival films Rewind.
• An open discussion titled “Genealogy of the Future”, which will take place on Monday March 9th (Pavlos Zannas, 11am).
• The Festival’s special titular edition, the Non Catalog titled Unarchived, and the First Shot magazine, which together form a unique and unusual three-fold archive.
• The participation in an exhibition. The Festival takes part in an exhibition hosted at the MOMus-Experimental Center for the Arts with the installation THIRD PERSON (PLURAL) by visual artist Aikaterini Genisian, based on the use of archival material. The film version of the work will be screened at the 28th TIDF.

FILMOGRAPHY

On Friday March 13th, we will take a first glance at the platform Filmography, which aims to be fully operating and become accessible to the public around the end of April. Filmography is a digital database that will include valuable information on the films of Greek cinema. It’s a priceless work that aims at the documentation, safeguarding and promotion of Greek cinema, carried out with resources drawn from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0”. The work is materialized in collaboration with the Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center and the Hellenic Film Academy.

GOLDEN ALEXANDER AND TRIBUTE TO VOUVOULA SKOURA

The 28th TIDF foregrounds unique filmmaker Vouvoula Skoura, whose works redefine our relation to memory, history and time. In particular, the tribute will showcase a total of 20 films, whereas the pioneering Greek filmmaker will be bestowed with the Festival’s honorary Golden Alexander for her contribution to Greek cinema and culture.

GOLDEN ALEXANDER TO BILL MORRISON AND A SPOTLIGHT ON HIS WORK

The 28th TIDF will bestow its honorary Golden Alexander to the American multimedia artist Bill Morrison, who will attend the Festival to present his work and deliver an open-to-the-public masterclass. Six of his films will be screened as part of the Festival’s spotlight on a filmmaker who has been labeled by the New York Times as the “poet laureate of lost films.”

GOLDEN ALEXANDER TO YORGOS PAPALIOS

The Festival will also bestow its honorary Golden Alexander to the iconic film producer Yorgos Papalios, whose name has become a synonym of the Greek cinema rebirth, as he offered support to countless up-and-coming filmmakers in their first steps. The documentary Running on Waves by Yannis Karapiperidis that focuses on Yorgos Papalios will be screened at the Festival, while the acclaimed producer will also serve as jury member of the International Competition section.

ACCESSIBILITY

Serving and fulfilling the vision of a cinema with no exclusions or discrimination, the Thessaloniki Film Festival broadens its accessible actions, with a truly pioneering screening accessible to neurodivergent viewers. More specifically, the documentary Heracles, Acheloos and My Granny (1997) by Dimitris Koutsiabasakos will be screened in augmented accessibility terms through the use of film pictograms.which has been an all-time favorite of the cinephile audience ever since its release. Moreover, the 28th TIDF will host a screening of the film Etel Adnan: Words in Exile (2007) by Vouvoula Skoura with Audio Description and Subtitles for the Deaf of hard of Hearing. In addition, the Cool Crips will conduct a closed workshop titled From Fairy Tale to Practice: Disability, Cinema and Power.

GREEK DOCUMENTARIES

We are welcoming a total of 57 Greek films as part of the official international program (International Competition, Newcomers Competition, Film Forward Competition, Open Horizons) and the Platform+ section. The documentaries taking part in the extended Platform+ section will be screened at the Festival’s digital platform from 6 to 20 March, gaining a wider availability window for the audience. Among the Festival’s Greek documentaries we present:

• The special screening of the documentary Why the Mountains are Black: Rituals produced by COSMOTE TV and directed by Fivos Kontogiannis.
• The special screening of the documentary …One Road the Sea, produced by the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) and directed by Voula Kostaki.

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM

The 28th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival is hosting four competition sections:

* A total of 14 films, among which three Greek, take part in the International Competition, having their eyes set on the Golden Alexander, accompanied by a 12,000-euro cash prize, and the Silver Alexander, accompanied by a 5,000-euro cash prize.

* The Newcomers competition section, featuring debut and sophomore films of up-and-coming film directors, includes 14 films, among which three Greek, competing for the “Golden Alexander - Dimitri Eipidis”, accompanied by a cash prize of 10,000 euros, and the Silver Alexander, accompanied by a cash prize of 4,000 euros.

* The Film Forward competition section, which challenges cinematic conventions and showcases unconventional films, is hosting 10 films, among which three Greek. The awards bestowed are the Golden Alexander >>Film Forward, accompanied by a cash prize of 6,000 euros and the Silver Alexander, accompanied by a cash prize of 3,000 euros.

* Within the framework of the Immersive: All around Cinema competition section, 8 pioneering films are lining up for the Golden Alexander Immersive, accompanied by a 2,000-euro cash prize. Moreover, the interactive installation HeartBeat, Son cœur a trouvé sa cadence dans le silence des rencontres by the French visual artist Fanny Fortage, also known as Bonnie Lisbon, will be hosted as part of the Immersive: All around Cinema section.

* We discover dynamic and out-of-the-box docs at the Open Horizons section.

* We are presenting the cream of the crop of the documentary production at the Top Docs section.

* We turn our attention to the younger generation through the NextGen section.

DESMOND CHILD IN THESSALONIKI

We host the world premiere of the documentary Desmond Child Rocks the Parthenon. The legendary American composer and producer Desmond Child will be in Thessaloniki, with the film’s director Heather Winters and its producer, the well-known composer and lyricist behind major hit songs, Phoebus.

AGORA

Dynamic initiatives, as well as new and fresh synergies are part of the 28th TiDF Agora, the Festival’s developmental branch, which will take place both in physical spaces and online. The TIDF Agora is showcasing and supporting the films and the documentary filmmakers of tomorrow through a series of actions such as Thessaloniki Pitching Forum, Docs in Progress, Agora XR Lab, Agora Boost, Agora Talks, Talking Heads etc. As for the actions launched for the first time in this year’s Festival, the European Film Academy, in collaboration with Agora, will host a Think Tank of leading European documentary professionals. In addition, the Agora will invite a delegation of four producers from the Basque Country to present their projects before acclaimed professionals of the industry.

PODCAST SECTION

A total of 10 podcasts take part in the Podcast Competition section, setting their eyes on the Best Podcast Award, accompanied by a 2,000-euro cash prize, while the audience will also have the chance to enjoy another 13 podcasts selected at the Nexus sub-section. The ENS Louis Lumière Award - French Institute of Greece for Upcoming Audio Documentary Creator, in collaboration with ENS Louis Lumière and the French Institute of Greece, will be bestowed at the closing ceremony of the 28th TIDF.

THE FESTIVAL BECOMES A FILM

The Thessaloniki International Film Festival, beyond being an institution of international scope, becomes this year a film itself. Our major sponsor, COSMOTE TELEKOM, has taken the initiative to create a hybrid documentary focusing on the Festival’s history and everyday life. The film is directed by Giorgos Grigorakis, the talented filmmaker behind Digger, and produced by Christina Stavropoulou and Nicholas Alavanos of Filmiki Productions. The protagonists, Christos Passalis and Konstantina Messini, along with the entire crew, will move through the Festival this year, capturing its secrets.

EDITIONS

* The Festival’s special two-language edition on the archives includes texts written by academics, artists and journalists.

* The beloved Festival’s Non Catalog is titled Unarchived.

* The First Shot magazine will be dedicated to the Filmography platform.

The 28th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival is held with the support of the Hellenic Parliament, the Ministry of Culture, the Partnership Agreement of the Central Macedonia Regional Operational Program, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0”, the MEDIA programme, the Ministry of Tourism and ERT. COSMOTE TELEKOM, the Grand Sponsor of the Festival, proves once again its support towards quality cinema. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation supports the Festival’s extroversion initiatives. Valuable support is offered by Alpha Bank, the Festival’s accessibility sponsor, Aegean, the Festival’s official air-carrier, Fischer, the Audience Awards sponsor, and Jameson. The awards of the 28th TiDF will be bestowed on the Festival’s closing day.

The Festival’s programme, as well as more info on the films, will be available at www.filmfestival.gr. The tickets’ presale kicks off on Tuesday March 3rd, 2026.

A lovely festival to you all!

#TiDF28