The 2023 Agora Docs (March 3-9) has unveiled a program of events that “grabs the pulse of the documentary genre in all its versions and forms,” write organisers. “The Agora of the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival is the birthplace of the cinema of the future. Filmmakers, producers, distributors and representatives of the most prestigious international film festivals and TV broadcasters meet up, discover new cinema projects and enable them to reach their conclusion, as well as their audience.”
“Agora’s goal is to boost and support the production of films from Greece and the wider neighboring region. This year’s participants will discover films and projects, get acquainted with the filmmakers and follow all new trends within the framework of the Agora Talks,” organisers write.
The festival lists the key “pillars” of the 2023 professional programme:
- Agora Doc Market: Featuring more than 400 documentaries in its digitized library (teaming up with Cinando), Agora Doc Market is available solely online for Agora’s guests and accredited journalists.
- Agora Docs in Progress: A total of 11 films will be presented prior to their completion.
- Thessaloniki Pitching Forum: A total of 14 projects will be presented in the co-producing and co-financing platform for creative, TV and new media documentaries at the development stage.
- Agora Lab: A total of 6 projects from Greece will take part in this year’s Agora Lab, where documentary specialists will offer guidance to directors of films from all development stages.
- Meet the Future: Each year 5 up-and-coming documentary filmmakers from our wider geographical regions take center stage. This year, directors from Moldova pick up the baton.
- Agora Talks & Masterclass: Every year Agora invites documentary experts to share practical advice and personal experiences with the Festival’s accredited guests.
- Doc Counseling: One-on-one counseling meetings offered to filmmakers from Greece and abroad.
THE THESSALONIKI PITCHING FORUM Projects compete for a series of cash and in-kind awards
- HOLY HUMAN ANGEL Director: Angeliki Aristomenopoulou, Producers: Yuri Averof, Rea Apostolides, Anemon Productions; Vicky Miha- Asterisk*, Heather Millard, Compass Films. Greece, Iceland
- THE MAN WITH THE BROKEN ARM Director: Athanassios Vassiliou, Producers: Orlane Dumas, Les films de l’Aube Sauvage; Konstantinos Vassilaros, StudioBauhaus, France, Greece
- PARADISE LOST Director-producer: Yolanda Markopoulou, Polyplanity Productions, Co-scriptwriter: Ioanna Valsamidou, Greece (VR Interactive Documentary)
- BEYOND THE BORDER Director: Ana Otasević, Producer: Ana Otasević, Dar Mar Films, Serbia
- DAD’S LULLABY Director: Lesia Diak, Producers: Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan, Elena Martin, FILMWAYS, Ukraine, Romania
- FAR FROM MAINE Director: Roy Cohen, Producers: Roy Cohen, Roy Cohen Films; Serge Gordey, Temps Noir, Israel, France
- HOLY FAMILY Director: Sacha Biazzo, Co-scriptwriter: Chiara Freddi, Producer: Francesco Piccinini, Deepinto Srl, Italy (Docuseries)
- IRONMAN Directors: Kiril Karakash, Svetislav Podleshanov, Producers: Kiril Karakash, Svetislav Podleshanov, OPIUM Film; Ieva Ūbele, Baltic Balkan Productions; Eno Milkani, Bunker Film+, North Macedonia, Latvia, Albania
- JANA Director: Muhammad Reza Azadi, Producers Ali Haider, Filmkhaana; Maaria Sayed, Draw4Films, Pakistan, Italy
- MAOMI – LARGER THAN LIFE Director: Judit Oláh, Producers: Inez Mátis, Pi Productions; Annika Mayer, Majmun Films; Anna Stylińska, Katarzyna Slesicka, My Way Studio, Hungary, Germany, Poland
- THE NATIVE DANCE Director: Alaa Dajani, Producers: Kesmat El Sayed, Laura Kloeckner, SEERA FILMS, Egypt, Germany
- OUR FEMININE WARS Director: Zaina Erhaim, Producer: Brian Hill, Century Films, UK, Syria, In collaboration with CIRCLE Women Doc Accelerator
- QUEENS OF JOY Director: Olga Gibelinda, Producers: Ivanna Khitsinska, Quatros Group; Gogol Production, Ukraine, Poland
- THREE TIMES A REBEL Director: Anna M. Bofarull, Producers: Anna M. Bofarull, KABOGA Art and Films; Rok Biček, CVINGER FILM, Spain, Slovenia
AGORA DOCS IN PROGRESS Projects compete for a series of cash and in-kind awards.
- DEATH PLAN FOR A DOG AND A MAN Director: Christos Karakepelis, Co-scriptwriter: Natasa Segkou, Producer: Maria Drandaki, Homemade Films, Greece
- THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CIRETTA Director: Caroline von der Tann, Producer: Antonella Di Nocera, Parallelo 41 Produzioni, Italy
- FORBIDDEN Director-producer: Anelise Salan, The L Studio Film, Producer: Bogdan Craciun, Andarams Films, Romania
- HANGING WITHOUT WALLS Directors: Jana Durajova, Lena Kusnierikova, Producers: Zuzana Mistrikova, Lubica Orechovska, PubRes; Arkaitz Basterra, PubRes International, Slovakia
- Thessaloniki Pitching Forum 2022 – Beldocs Award
- LANDING Director: Ksenia Ciuvaseva, Producer: Natalia Imaz – parabellum film, Co-producers: Maxim Cîrlan, MOLDOX AO; Mihajlo Jevtić, Film the World; Sales Company: Taskovski Films, Germany, Moldova-Serbia
- POST LOVE Director: Alexis Taillant, Producer: Nadège Labé, Wendigo Films, France
- Thessaloniki Pitching Forum 2021 – DAE Award
- SACRED WAY ~ 21KM Director: Nikoleta Paraschi, Producer: Maria Karagiannaki, Chase The Cut, Co-producer: Nikoleta Paraschi, Greece
- SAVANNA AND THE MOUNTAIN Director-producer: Paulo Carneiro, BAM BAM CINEMA, Co-producer: Alex Piperno, La Pobladora Cine, Portugal, Uruguay
- STORIES OF A LIE Director: Olia Veriopoulou, Producer: Gaëlle Jones, Perspective Films, France, Greece
- SUSPENDED Director: Myriam El Hajj, Producer: Myriam Sassine, Abbout Productions, Co-producer: Carine Ruszniewski, Gogogo Films, Lebanon, France, Qatar
- TELL THEM ABOUT US Director: Rand Beiruty, Producer: Jude Kawwa, Shaghab Films, Co-producer: Alex Tondowski, Tondowski Films, Germany, Jordan
AGORA LAB The Lab supports films at all development stages, offering guidance and advice from experts. The eligible projects are from Greece, selected through the application process for Thessaloniki Pitching Forum and Docs in Progress and touching upon international themes. One of the selected projects will be granted the Guidance Award by Paradiddle Pictures (Denmark).
- ASPHALT Director: Eleftherios Panagiotou, Producer: Sébastien Téot, Cellulo Prod, France
- CUM AS YOU ARE Director: Martina Almpakri, Producer: Polymnia Papadopoulou Sardeli, Kalibu Productions, Greece
- IN THE SHADOW OF LAZIKA Director: Nikos Kostopoulos, Producer: Vicky Zioga, PHĒNO, Greece, Georgia
- KATERINA Director: Alkisti Efthymiou, Producer: Mina Dreki, Marni Films, Greece
- PAVE PARADISE Director-producer: Alcaeus Spyrou, Greece
- RETURN TO HOMELAND Directors-producers: Akis Kersanidis, Chryssa Tzelepi, AnemiCinema, Greece
Furthermore, fifteen films backed by Agora’s actions in the previous years will celebrate their world, international or European premiere in the competition sections and the Open Horizons section of the 25th TiDF.
- Narrow Path to Happiness by Kata Oláh (Hungary-USA) Agora Docs in Progress 2021
- Mighty Afrin: In the Time of Floods by Angelos Rallis (USA) Thessaloniki Pitching Forum 2020 – ERT Award & Agora Docs in Progress 2021
- Queen of the Deuce by Valerie Kontakos (Greece-Canada)Agora Docs in Progress 2019
- Avaton by Irini Karayannopoulou and Sandrine Cheyrol (Greece) Agora Docs in Progress 2021 – MuSou Award
- Dogwatch by Gregoris Rentis (Greece-France) Thessaloniki Goes to Cannes 2021
- And, Toward Happy Alleys by Sreemoyee Singh (India) Agora Docs in Progress 2022
- Citizen Miko by Robin Kvapil (Czech Republic) Agora Docs in Progress 2022 – MuSou Award
- Notes on Displacement by Khaled Jarrar (Palestine-Germany-Qatar) Agora Docs in Progress 2019 – recipient of the Neaniko Plano Subtitling Award
- A Steady Job by Gianluca Matarrese, Mattia Colombo (Italy-France) Thessaloniki Pitching Forum 2020 – winner of the main award
- Prison Blues by Dominikos Ignatiadis (Greece) Αgora Lab 2021
- A Dance Class by George Vitsaropoulos (Greece) Agora Lab 2022
- Everything You Say about Me by Evangelia Goula (Greece) Αgora Lab 2021
- The Village of Roses by Hanna Heilborn (Sweden) Thessaloniki Pitching Forum 2021
- We Will Not Fade Away by Alisa Kovalenko (Ukraine-France-Poland) Thessaloniki Pitching Forum 2020
- When I Meet My Friends by Giannis Karydas (Greece) Agora Lab 2021
For further information on the 2023 Agora programme of the 25th Thessaloniki International Documentary Film Festival click here
