Agora Docs listed May 28 the features of its 2021 programme in which it presents “a series of actions aiming to strengthen documentary filmmaking” in the wider geographical region of South-eastern Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
The 2021 professional activities comprise:
- Agora Doc Market with more than 400 completed documentaries in its digital video library (in collaboration with Cinando) available online
- Agora Docs in Progress: Films approaching completion are presented to invited industry professionals
- Thessaloniki Pitching Forum, the co-production and co-financing platform for creative, television and new media documentaries at development stage
- Agora Lab, a workshop in which renowned documentary specialists offer guidance to the Greek filmmakers whose films are at post-production stage
- Meet the Future presents up-and-coming documentary filmmakers from the wider geographical region.
- The new service Doc Counselling which consists of one-on-one consultation meetings for filmmakers from Greece and abroad
- Agora Talks & Masterclasses, during which experts are invited to share best practices with the Festival accredited guests.
*See below for the titles selected for Thessaloniki 2021 whose career has benefited from selection at previous professional programmes presented by the festival.
THESSALONIKI PITCHING FORUM
Thessaloniki Pitching Forum is the co-producing and co-financing platform of the TDF for creative and TV documentaries, as well as for new media documentaries (virtual and enhanced reality).
The awards of the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum include the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum Award (2,000 euro), the ERT – Thessaloniki Pitching Forum Award (2,000 euro) to a Greek project, the Mediterranean Film Institute Award (MFI Script2Film Workshop), that offers a DocLab scholarship worth 2,500 euro, as well as accommodation in Nisyros and Rhodes islands where the MFI takes place).
The projects are:
- CADILLAC DREAM Director: Elene Mikaberidze, Producer: Elene Margvelashvili – Parachute Films, Co-producer: Baptiste Brunner – YN Productions, Georgia | France
- CONCRETE LAND Director: Asmahan Bkerat, Producer: Sahar Yousefi – Nava Projects, Co-producer: Bassam Alasad – Tabi360, Canada | Jordan
- DEPOT-VENTE Director: Cherine Karam, Producers: Ashley Smith, Clara Harris, Mario Adamson – Sisyfos Film Production, Sweden | Scotland
- FIVE FOOTBALL DREAMS (doc series) Directors: Bassel Ghandour, Yassmina Karajah, Producer: Hashem Sabbagh – Football Dreams Holding, Jordan
- FORBIDDEN Director/Producer: Anelise Salan – The L Studio, Romania
- FREE WATERS Director: Emilia Milou, Producer: Angelos Tsaousis – Filmografik Productions, Greece
- HOME IS WHERE THE FILMS ARE Director: More Raça, Producer: Sunaj Raça – N.SH. Arena, Co-producer: Alfredo Federico, Kosovo | Italy
- POISON DIPLOMACY (doc series) Director: Jennifer Deschamps, Producer: Valérie Montmartin – LITTLE BIG STORY, France
- POST LOVE Director: Alexis Taillant, Producer: Nadège Labé – Wendigo Films, France
- PRACTICES IN HARMONY Director: Anna Kis, Producer: Lili Horvat, Dóra Csernátony – Poste Restante, Hungary
- SECOND GENERATION Directors/Producers: Rodrigo Hernandez, Elpida Nikou – Muzungu Producciones, Co-producers: Kellen Quinn (USA), Poh Si Teng (Consulting producer – USA), Spain | Greece
- SECRETS OF THE OWL Director: Eirini Vourloumis, Producers: Leonidas Liambeys – Long Run Productions, Eirini Vourloumis, Greece
- THE RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN Director: Adina Sădeanu, Producers: Αna Maria Pirvan, Adina Sădeanun – Axis Media Production, Co-producers: Iva Tkalec, Val Grégoire – Squarefish, Romania | Belgium
- WAITING FOR THE SCHOOL BUS Director: Hanna Heilborn, Producers: Elin Kamlert, Tobias Janson (Executive producer) – Story AB, Sweden
AGORA DOCS IN PROGRESS
The Agora Docs presents the Agora Docs in Progress: 10 projects from South-eastern Europe and the Mediterranean region participate in closed sessions exclusively for Thessaloniki’s invited industry professionals, sales agents, distributors, producers and festival programmers.
The 2/35 post-production company offers the main DiP award (post-production services). The MuSou company offers an award for music and sound services and the Greek Film Centre offers an award of 3,000 euro in cash. Finally, Neaniko Plano will present an award for subtitling in English or French.
The projects are:
- AVATO Director: Irini Karayannopoulou, Co-director: Sandrine Cheyrol., Producer: Mathilde Delaunay – Barberousse Films, France
- BEFORE THE FINAL PICTURE Director – Producer: Aya Tallah Yusuf, Egypt
- BOTTLEMEN Director: Nemanja Vojinović, Producer: Marija Stojnić, Nemanja Vojinović – RT DOBRE NADE, Co-producers: Viva Videnović – URGH!, Set Sail Films, Serbia | Slovenia (Presented as a project in development at Docs in Thessaloniki 2018)
- BUKRA Director: Diana Antunes, Producer: Maria João Mayer, Marina Reino (associate producer) – Maria & Mayer, Portugal
- DREAM FACTORY Director: Hesam Eslami, Producer: Etienne de Ricaud – Caracteres Productions, Hesam Eslami – Aras Films, Iran | France
- JEAN GENET OUR FATHER OF THE FLOWERS Director: Dalila Ennadre, Producer: Lamia Chraibi – La Prod, Co-producer: Lilya Ennadre – Laya Prod, Morocco | France
- MIGHTY AFRIN Director: Angelos Rallis, Producers: Maria del Mar Rodriguez Yebra, Angelos Rallis – AR Productions, Co-Producer: Birgit Kemner – Manny Films, ERT, ZDF/ARTE, Greece |France | Germany (Presented as a project in development at Thessaloniki Pitching Forum 2020)
- NARROW PATH TO HAPPINESS Director: Kata Oláh, Producer: Borbála Csukás – MAKABOR STUDIÓ Kft, Co-producer: Marc Smolowitz – 13th Gen, Hungary | USA
- TILOS WEDDINGS Director – Producer: by Panayotis Evangelidis, Greece
- UKRAINE BEHIND THE FRAMES Director: Vladyslav Vasylchenko, Producer: Aleksandra Kostina, Lukian Halkin – Bosonfilm, Ukraine
AGORA LAB
The Agora Docs initiative strengthens the films that are in the post-production stage and offers guidance and advice from experts. The selection is made via the Docs in Progress submissions of the Greek films. One project will be awarded by the tutors with the Guidance Award by Paradiddle Pictures – Denmark.
The projects are:
- BROKEN SOUND Director: Fivos Kontogiannis. Producers: Stelios Cotionis, Antigoni Rota – FOSS PRODUCTIONS
- DIAVATA PRISON BLUES Director: Dominikos Ignatiadis. Producers: Eleni Kossyfidou – Blackbird Production, Dominikos Ignatiadis
- EVERYTHING YOU SAY ABOUT ME Director: Evaggelia Goula. Producer: Elisavet Apostolopoulou – WETHEPEOPLE
- STATION ATHENS Director: Yolanda Markopoulou. Producers: Yolanda Markopoulou – Polyplanity Productions, Daphne Kalafati – SAVEFRAG
- WHEN I MEET MY FRIENDS Director: Yannis Karydas. Producers: Chrysanthi Goula, Yannis Karydas, Alexis Anastasiadis – Artcut
MEET THE FUTURE
Looking to the future, Agora Docs sheds a spotlight on up-and-coming documentary filmmakers from the Balkan and Southeast European region, who are at the beginning of their promising career. This year the focus is on upcoming talents from Serbia with the support of the Film Centre Serbia.
The participating directors are:
- DANILO CEKOVIC Project: Diary of a Serious Offender, Production: Mira Janjetovic – Association Osmica
- VANJA KOVAČEVIĆ Project: Supernova, Production: Andrijana Stojković – All Inclusive Films
- TEA LUKAČ Project: Roots, Production: Andrijana Sofranić Šućur – Nana 143
- LUKA PAPIĆ Project: Summoned, Production: Srđa Vučo – Ranč production
- NEMANJA VOJINOVIC Project: Bottlemen, Production: Marija Stojnic – RT Dobre Nade
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Doc Counseling & Online Speed Meetings
Agora Docs gives the opportunity for onsite and online meetings with the participating industry professionals. Topics will include festival strategy, documentary funding, distribution, Media desk help, TV buys, social media and marketing among others. Agora Docs supports, for yet another year, documentary filmmaking in every possible way.
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*Thessaloniki Documentary Festival selections 2021: Films in the 2021 Thessaloniki official selection that have come through the festival’s professional programmes of previous years are:
International Competition
- Days and Nights of Demetra K. by Eva Stefani, Neda Film (World Premiere) Greece. Presented at Docs in Progress 2017
Newcomers International Competition:
- Acts of Love by Isidore Bethel, Francis Leplay, Hutong Production, Sin Sitio Cine, France – USA (European Premiere). Presented at Docs in Progress 2020
- Land of Milk and Honey by Héctor Domínguez-Viguera, Carlos Mora Fuentes, Carlos Mora Fuentes, Gonzalo Recio, Zerkalo Films, Spain (International Premiere) Greek Film Centre Award at the Docs in Progress 2020
- Made in Vain by Michael Klioumis, EKSO Productions, Greece (World-prem) Presented at Docs in Progress & Thessaloniki Goes to Cannes 2020
>>Film Forward International Competition
- Landscapes of Resistance by Marta Popivoda, Theory At Work, Bocalupo Films, Serbia – France – Germany Graal Award at Works in Progress 2018
- Rock Bottom Riser by Fern Silva, USA Graal Award at Works in Progress 2020
- Memento by Nikos Ziogas, Boo Productions, Greece Selected for Agora Lab-2020
Open Horizons
- Colors of Tobi by Alexa Bakony, Eclipse Film, Filmfabriq, Hungary. Presented at Docs in Progress 2019
Top Docs
- Lift Like a Girl by Mayye Zayed, Cleo Media, JYOTI Film, Rufy’s Films, Denmark, Germany, Egypt Presented at Docs in Progress 2016
