The awards of the 28th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival were handed out March 15 2026. Host Vassilis Terzopoulos, the Festival’s Greek Program Coordinator, welcomed the audience at the awards ceremony, stating that “during a difficult period for both our region and the entire planet, Thessaloniki once again became the focal point for revealing the truth about the world around us, a truth we genuinely need,” while noting that the Festival “honours all those who document and share this truth with us.”
Three films were awarded with the Golden Alexanders of the Festival’s competition sections. The International Competition Golden Alexander was bestowed upon the Polish documentary Closure by Michał Marczak, which will automatically be eligible for submission for Academy Award® consideration in the Documentary Feature category.
The Newcomers Golden Alexander was awarded to the documentary At No Cost by Mary Bouli, and the Film Forward Golden Alexander went to the documentary Dear Future by Christiana Cheiranagnostaki.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION AWARDS
Ten films of over 70 minutes in length competed for the Golden Alexander and the Silver Alexander Award. The Golden Alexander award was accompanied by a €12,000 cash prize. The Silver Alexander Award was accompanied by a €5,000 cash prize.
The International Competition jury was composed of:
- Dana Bunescu (film editor)
- Caroline Libresco (curator, programmer, producer, and creative executive)
- Yorgos Papalios (film producer)
International Competition Golden Alexander
- Winner: Closure by Michał Marczak. Citation: The Golden Alexander goes to a film that mobilizes cinema to the fullest degree, giving us the experience of being one with the interior life of a father in an impossible state, and making something radically present out of absence.
Director Michał Marczak said: “I feel profoundly moved, standing here before you, a year after presenting the film at the Agora Thessaloniki Pitching Forum. It was such an important time for me because that was when we finalized our collaboration with the film’s French producers. I dreamt of returning here to present the film, and I’m so glad it came to be. I’d like to thank Daniel, who is featured in the documentary and who recently suffered a serious back injury, which is why he was unable to come to Thessaloniki. I am very grateful he allowed me to tell his family’s story, and I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the crew for our exceptional collaboration.”
The International Competition Silver Alexander
- Winner: Birds of War by Janay Boulos & Abd Alkader Habak. Citation: The Silver Alexander goes to a movie about the crucial role that everyday citizens play in protecting our humanity, defending democracy, and insisting on love in the face of intractable violence, hate, and war.
Abd Alkader Habak thanked the Festival and the jury for this honor, mentioning that this particular film was both a path and a destiny for him and his partner, Janay Boulos, as it chronicles the different cycles of their life amidst armed conflicts, as well as how war shaped their shared trajectory in both life and art.
Special Mentions were bestowed upon the documentaries The Beauty of Errors by Jukka Kärkkäinen and Around Paradise by Yulia Lokshina.
NEWCOMERS COMPETITION AWARDS
Ten films of over 50 minutes in length, created by young filmmakers, competed for the Golden Alexander “Dimitri Eipides” and the Silver Alexander Award. The Golden Alexander “Dimitri Eipides” award was accompanied by a €10,000 cash prize. The Silver Alexander Award was accompanied by a €4,000 cash prize.
The Newcomers Competition jury was composed of:
- Melody Gilbert (documentary filmmaker, and educator)
- Farahnaz Sharifi (filmmaker and film editor)
- Chryssa Tzelepi (documentary filmmaker)
The Newcomers Competition Golden Alexander
- Winner: At No Cost by Mary Bouli. Citation: This film is an intimate, cinematic exploration of a young woman who tries to take control of her body. At every step of the way, we witness the filmmaker reveal subtle but powerful moments. It is a journey from innocence to understanding how to protect and care for her body, despite the medical system’s indifference.
The Newcomers Competition Silver Alexander
- Winner: Replica by Chouwa Liang. Citation: In a time we are witnessing a lack of intimacy and human connections, this film reveals a new way of living and loving. It skillfully weaves stories about loneliness, societal expectations for women, and the reality of virtual relationships. We appreciate the filmmakers’ non-judgemental and empathic approach to this controversial topic.
FILM FORWARD COMPETITION AWARDS
The Film Forward Competition Section included ten films of over 45 minutes, which experiment with the form and method of documentary filmmaking. The films competed for the Golden Alexander, which is accompanied by a €6,000 cash prize, and the Silver Alexander, which is accompanied by a €3,000 cash prize.
The Film Forward Competition jury was composed of:
- Aikaterini Gegisian (visual artist)
- Sandra Pires (architect and cultural programmer)
- Alberto Valverde (programmer and ECAM Forum Coordinator)
The Film Forward Competition Golden Alexander
- Winner: Dear Future by Christiana Cheiranagnostaki. Citation: For the systematic exploration of archives as western colonial structures and formal connection of fragments in the current moment of hypervisuality.
The Film Forward Competition Silver Alexander
- Winner: Level by Carlos Mora Fuentes and Anna Berkhof. Citation: For the gift of its visual poetry and for giving form to the tenderness we feel when connecting to nature.
IMMERSIVE: ALL AROUND CINEMA AWARD
The Immersive competition section of the 28th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival embraces creations that make use of high-end technologies to present different views of extended reality, transcending film genres and immersing the viewer in an exciting interactive viewing experience. The Golden Alexander awarded to the best film of the section was accompanied by a monetary award of €2,000.
The Immersive: All Around Cinema Competition jury was composed of:
- Avinash Changa (Creative technologist)
- Carla Navarro (Festival organiser)
- Nikos Papageorgiou (PhD in Art History, Archaeologist)
The Immersive Golden Alexander
- Winner: Another Place by Domenico Singha Pedroli Citation: Over several days of reviewing and discussion, we evaluated each entry on its concept, narrative, and use of the immersive medium. The jury is pleased to award the XR prize to Another Place. This work resonates because it explores a socially important contemporary topic while making full use of what immersive does best. Its sound, visuals, and carefully considered interactions are well implemented and balanced, reinforcing one another to draw the audience into the experience in a way no other medium could replicate, making it not just a strong XR artwork, but an exemplary one.
Click here to read about all the awards of the 28th TiDF, including the professional Agora awards.
