Nick Cunningham

The ten films selected for the International Competition of the 27th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival (March 6-16, 2025) will be eyeing up a series of prizes, among them the Golden Alexander, accompanied by a cash prize of 12,000 euros. The 10 docs within the festival’s Newcomers section will compete for the Golden Alexander “Dimitri Eipides” Award, accompanied by a €10,000 cash prize, and the Silver Alexander Award.

The >>Film Forward competition section hosts movies that “challenge conventions and utter a bold and daring cinematic language.” Ten films are selected for the section and awards include the >>Film Forward Golden Alexander, featuring a 6,000-euro cash prize, and the >>Film Forward Silver Alexander, featuring a 3,000-euro cash prize. The 27th Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival runs March 6-16.

The final opportunity to apply for the Short Pitch Program 2025 is fast approaching. Taking place May 10 in Warsaw during Millenium Docs Against Gravity, the program is open to short documentary films (up to 25 minutes) from CEE that are at development or rough-cut stage. Five selected projects will be presented to a distinguished panel of sales agents, distributors, festival or TV representatives. Applications deadline: February 16.

Exec producer Errol Morris discusses the Oscar-nominated short doc The Only Girl in the Orchestra both with director Molly O'Brien and the film’s illustrious subject, double bassist Orin O'Brien, Molly’s aunt. “I started feeling the vibration of the bass being so attractive and so appealing and so deep and sombre and meaningful,” says Orin of her initial fascination for the instrument. “It was kind of a religion substitute as it were, I feel. Most musicians feel that way. They feel that it's not a profession, it's a vocation.”

Director Molly O’Brien profiles her aunt Orin who, in 1966, was the only woman in the 104-strong New York Philharmonic. “I set out to make a film about Orin's philosophy of life and her philosophy of music. I didn't think it would resonate this widely. And I'm absolutely thrilled that it has. It means that that little niggly thought in the back of my head in the morning saying, ‘make this film, make this film, make this film’ was correct. I'm glad I listened to it,” the director tells BDE.

The feature documentary Facing War, directed by Tommy Gulliksen and depicting Jens Stoltenberg’s final years as NATO Secretary General, has been selected as the opening film of this year’s edition of CPH:DOX taking place March 19-30. The film will have its world premiere at the opening gala in the concert hall of the Royal Danish Academy of Music on March 19 at 19:30.

The leading sales outfit will handle world sales on Tamara Stepanyan’s new feature doc, a co-production between Armenia and France, and set to world premiere February 16. My Armenian Phantoms is described as an evocative journey through the forgotten world of Armenian cinema and its legacy. “The film celebrates a cultural legacy which has unfortunately long been overshadowed and we cannot wait for the audience to experience the power of this cinema,” says Suzanne Nodale, Cinephil co-Managing Director.

The Romanian filmmaker's appearance at the next edition of the Festival will be celebrated with a masterclass and a retrospective of all his feature-length works. “Composed of major works, his filmography has made Porumboiu one of the most well-loved and respected European filmmakers of the 21st century,” write festival organisers. The 56th edition of Visions du Réel runs April 4-13.

The International Documentary Film Festival of Navarra will be part of the association of key European documentary festivals for one year. “As the Doc Alliance guest festival, Punto de Vista will participate in joint events and meetings at which the network members exchange experiences and ideas regarding topics such as educational practices, supporting emerging talents, XR programming, inclusive programming and sustainability,” Doc Alliance writes.

CPH:DOX and Kunsthal Charlottenborg, one of Denmark’s most prominent art institutions, together Human Rights Watch Denmark and the Frececo Foundation, will collaborate in 2025 to promote human rights via an exhibition, a thematic film program, as well as talks and panels. "Through documentary films, art, conversation, and debate, CPH:DOX and Kunsthal Charlottenborg have both the credibility and the platform to communicate human rights through real people and lived experiences,” says Niklas Engstrøm, Artistic Director of CPH:DOX.