Thessaloniki Doc Fest (TDF) will take place as a hybrid event in 2021, kicking off online in March (4-14) and culminating in a “documentary celebration” that will take place both physically and online from June 24 to July 4, 2021, if conditions allow.
“Dynamic and innovative, the 23rd Thessaloniki Documentary Festival returns, fully adapted to the conditions created by the pandemic, with the need to explore new ways of expression,” the festival writes in a statement released this week.
TDF will also present a new section, dedicated to podcasts, “the digital files that have taken the world by storm,” the statement adds.
The festival further outlined its plans:
The events of the 23rd Thessaloniki Doc Fest will start in March and continue into the summer. From March 4-14 the films of this year’s tribute will be screened online “and will take us on a journey to all the things we missed during the pandemic.”
The main activities of the festival will take place June 24 to July 4 2021 in cinemas and theatres, if conditions allow. The films from the festival’s three competition sections, as well as Greek documentaries, will be screened during this period.
Meanwhile, films from the program will be available online to viewers within Greece.
Between March and the summer, TDF will present additional events and screenings online or in festival venues, in line with the ongoing health situation. “Our goal is to inspire and engage the audience to documentary filmmaking, in any way possible,” the statement underlines.
Thessaloniki’s Agora professional market will take place June 25 to July 3, with some of its actions planned to take place in open spaces. Over the same period, part of the program will be screened within other cities across Greece, in cinemas and/or open spaces.
New podcast section
“The Thessaloniki Documentary Festival is one of the first, after the festivals of Tribeca and Austin, to explore the thrilling world of podcasts. Among thousands of podcasts the Festival will try to discover those that challenge the limits of art, that follow the tempo of cinema by using voice, speech and music,” say festival organisers.
Workshops and masterclass: In March, the Festival will host a series of online workshops for people that want to work professionally with podcasts. The workshops will offer tools and expertise on the genres and structure of podcasts. Meanwhile, an online masterclass will reveal the secrets of podcasts, and will be open to the public.
Festival podcasts: The Festival will also create what it terms “unexpected” podcasts, related to themes, people, moments from the 23rd TDF which they will screen or broadcast June 24 to July 4. After the completion of the workshops in March, the Festival will make an open call to creators from Greece and abroad to submit their podcasts, based on specifications that will be announced then. The best podcasts will be selected and presented over the summer through TDF’s digital channels.
Podcasts for children: The world of podcasts will be explored by children, who will be invited to create their own recording.
TDF’s teaser podcast reveals the reasons behind the festival’s decision to embrace this form of expression and recognize its relevance to the art of documentary. The teaser podcast is edited by journalist Nikos Zachariadis.
More events, tributes and selections for the 23rd Thessaloniki Documentary Festival will be announced soon.
