Awards & Juries

Fischer, the long-term official sponsor of the Audience Awards, will bestow five awards: The “Peter Wintonick” Audience Award for an international film over 50 minutes; the Audience Award for a film in a competitive section; Audience Award for a Greek film over 50 minutes; the Audience Award for a film under 50 minutes; and the Fischer Platform+ Audience Award for a Greek film screened online and premiering at the 28th Thessaloniki International Film Festival.

The Human Rights in Motion Award, established by the Council of Europe, highlights the close connection between documentary filmmaking and human rights, honoring the director whose film most effectively captures the struggle for freedom, democracy, and fundamental rights. This year marks the second consecutive presentation of the award across four leading European documentary festivals: the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, FIPADOC in Biarritz, Sheffield DocFest, and doclisboa in Lisbon. At Thessaloniki, the award – accompanied by a €5,000 cash prize – is open to films from the three competition sections that address human rights and democratic values “With this initiative, we aim to raise awareness of the work of the Council of Europe and support filmmakers who bring our principles and values to the big screen,” stated Theodoros Roussopoulos, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, announcing the establishment of the award. “Documentaries have the power to capture the impact of human rights violations with immediacy, awakening empathy and understanding.” The jury members are Bassam Alasad, producer and green production consultant; Aimilios Charbis, journalist; and Toby Lee, filmmaker and educator.

The Hellenic Parliament presents its “Human Values” award to an International Competition section film. The members of this year’s committee are: Aris Fatouros (director, Program Consultant of the Hellenic Parliament TV), Vassilis Douvlis (director, head of the Hellenic Parliament TV’s Programming Department), and Kostas Dimos (Hellenic Parliament TV Program collaborator).

This year, the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI), comprising distinguished film critics, presents two awards: one to the Best Documentary of the International Competition for Best Feature Length Documentary Program and one to a Greek film that participates in the three International Competition sections. The members of this year’s committee are: Ruggero Calich (Turkey), Stefanos Dalasis (Greece), and Stefanie Diekmann (Germany).

Within the framework of the 28th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ΕRΤ) will award two prizes: ERT will present its first award, which is accompanied by a €3,000 cash prize, to the Greek production that will win the FIPRESCI award. The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation will present the “ERT – Thessaloniki Pitching Forum” award, which is accompanied by a €2,000 cash prize, to the best Greek project participating at the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum, which will be selected by the Forum committee.

The Alpha Bank Accessibility Award is bestowed on a film from Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival’s official selection. The award is accompanied by a cash prize of 3,000 euros and awarded to either a personality or a film that highlights accessibility issues in the arts.

In the framework of the 28th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center (EKKOMED) will award two prizes: A €3,000 EKKOMED prize award to a Greek documentary participating in Agora Docs in Progress; and a €3,000 EKKOMED prize award to a debut documentary feature (over 50 minutes) that premieres in the Greek Program.

The Amnesty International Award brings in contact two institutions that share a strong sensibility and similar goals: they both operate on a complementary level, with the Festival promoting and screening films by documentarist that reveal the brutal violation of Human rights, and with Amnesty International then taking on the difficult task of mobilizing, exerting pressure and raising public awareness. Receiving recognition by a humanitarian institution such as Amnesty International within the context of a cinematic institution such as the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival is doubly important for a filmmaker, since their work is honored both on an artistic and a humanitarian level. The experts on Ηuman rights issues comprising the jury are: Mirella Legaki (economist, vice-president of the Greek Confederation of Cine-Clubs), Gina Petropoulou (documentary filmmaker and producer, artistic director of the Peloponnisos International Documentary Film Festival), Andreas Yolassis (architect, visual artist, poet, member of the Greek section of Amnesty International).

The reciprocal relationship between humans and nature is brought to the fore in the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival’s official program, with films that capture the effects of human intervention on the environment and the price paid by humanity. The award is presented by the World Wildlife Fund Greece to the best film of environmental interest. As WWF Greece points out: “Through truths that concern global threats, such as climate change, and through the exploration of our strange relationship with time, the need for and the overexploitation of our natural resources, and the stark contrasts between the natural and urban landscape, the directors merge realism and art to create works that go beyond the ecological documentary.” The members of this year’s WWF jury are: Katherine Embiricos (Head of International Engagement – Museum of Cycladic Art, Film Producer), Υannis Kantea-Papadopoulos (film critic), and Yukiko Krontira (Communications Associate, WWF Greece).

The Youth Jury comprises students of the School of Film of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and will present the Best Film Award and the Special Jury Award. Eligible for these awards are Greek films participating in the International Program. Youth Jury supervisor: Apostolos Karakasis, Professor in Film and Television Theory & History, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. This year’s jury members are: Filippos Beerstecher-Gravanis, Anastasia Maria Glikopoulou, and Irodotos Katsaris.

The WIFT GR Award is presented by the Greek Chapter of WIFT (Women in Film & Television) to a woman filmmaker of a film selected for the official international competition sections of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. The members of this year’s committee are Niovi Anazikou (journalist, documentarist, WIFT GR Vice President), Adamantia Fytili (producer, WIFT GR member), and Maria Giannouli (filmmaker, screenwriter, WIFT GR member).

The Greek Association of Film Critics awards, as every year, the Best Greek Film that is screened in the official selection of the 28th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. The decision is made by the General Assembly of the members that have attended the Festival.

Thessaloniki has always been a cinematic city. Its light, atmosphere, and people make everything seem to unfold in a more filmic, rather than literal, dimension of space and time. The Municipality of Thessaloniki actively embraces and supports the city’s intrinsic connection with the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, the country’s leading film institution. To further strengthen this relationship, a cooperation agreement was recently co-signed, establishing two awards granted by the Municipality of Thessaloniki, each accompanied by a €5,000 cash prize, for Greek films presented at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival and the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival. Since cities are spaces where the lives and dreams of their residents converge, the Greek film section of the 28th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, eligible for the Municipality of Thessaloniki Award, is titled City Stories. The selected films explore themes and narratives centered on contemporary urban life and the everyday experiences of city dwellers.