Nick Cunningham

On March 9 the 25th Thessaloniki Doc Fest bestowed an honorary Golden Alexander upon the revered filmmaker for his entire body of work. "I would like to thank all of you who are present in this room and honour us, as well as the people who participated in the films and illuminated them with their presence. I want to thank the collaborators and contributors of the films, each of whom added their work and talent to what you see," Psillakis said.

The Party Film Sales also announced March 9 international sales on Orlando, My Political Biography to UK & Ireland, Spain, Italy, Poland and Portugal. The film premiered in the Berlinale Encounters Section and won 4 awards including: Teddy Award for Best Documentary, Special Jury Mention in Encounters, Special Jury Mention for Best Documentary and the independent award, Tagspiegel Readers Award.

The Swiss fest has unveiled the project selections for VdR-Industry, namely VdR-Pitching, VdR-Work in Progress and VdR-Rough Cut Lab. Aimed at filmmakers and producers, the VdR-Industry platform is “a springboard for audiovisual creation, offering support at every stage of production, concrete financing and distribution opportunities, as well as an inspiring and productive networking hub for the industry.”

The Agora market of the 25th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival handed out its professional awards March 9. This year’s attracted more than 400 international visitors. The top Greek award (the Onassis Film Award) went to Angeliki Aristomenopoulou for her project Holy Human Angel. The Forum Pitch Award was won by Alaa Dajani’s The Native Dance. Top Doc in Progress prize went to Post Love by Alexis Taillant.

The feature doc The Ghost of Richard Harris, directed by Adrian Sibley, has garnered multiple award noms across the UK and Ireland following its New York Craicfest Premiere. The film focuses on the Irish actor, poet and singer whose prodigious career was overshadowed by a reputation for drinking and riotous behaviour, earning him the epithet ‘hell raiser.’

Between March 12-14, Impact Days, the industry programme of FIFDH (International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights) will look to facilitate strategic collaborations between filmmakers and NGOs/governmental organisations, all of whom believe in the power of doc to effect radical change, whether in terms of policy or across society in general. Impact Days chief Laura Longobardi explains her programme’s mission to BDE.

Austrian film director Nikolaus Geyrhalter was awarded an honorary Golden Alexander by the 25th Thessaloniki Doc Fest before the March 7 screening of his new film Matter Out of Place. “I accept this award on behalf of all the people who have accompanied me during these years of my career, all those who have worked with me, and for all the people who have agreed to share their stories with me,” Geyrhalter said.

New York’s Museum of the Moving Image has announced the complete line-up for the 12th edition of First Look, MoMI’s festival of new and innovative international cinema which will take place March 15–19, 2023. The festival “introduces New York audiences to formally inventive works that seek to redefine the art form while engaging in a wide range of subjects and styles.”

Maurice O’Brien’s feature debut, about one man’s desire both to build and conquer a Wall of Death, is a madcap story of derring-do, obsession and pain, both physical and emotional, with a large dose of artistic ego thrown in for good measure. But the end result, as much in cinematic as in real-life terms, is quite magical. Director O’Brien and producer Grant Keir talk to BDE.

Formula One may not be to everybody’s taste, but it sure makes for compelling documentary. Torquil Jones’ latest film tells a high octane story of speed, rivalry and obsession, but this time from the perspective of the loved ones who are left behind to pick up the pieces after tragedy and mayhem ensue. “You have these two men [Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi]…to be in the moment with them, the sensation is incredible…but the negative side of it is, you get collateral damage,” the director tells BDE.