15th THESSALONIKI DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL - Images of the 21st Century
March 15 – 24, 2013
15th DOC FILM LINE-UP, FIPRESCI JURY & SIDEBAR EVENTS
The 15th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival - Images of the 21st Century, part of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, presents approximately 200 films (shorts and features) by directors from all over the world, as well as a full parallel events program.
OPENING FILM
First Position by Bess Kargman, USA, 2011, 90’.
Multi-award winning documentary First Position takes us on a journey inside the world of professional ballet dancing through the stories of six charismatic young dancers from different social and ethnic backgrounds. As they prepare for the Youth America Grand Prix competition, often fighting physical pain and mental exhaustion, we share their aspirations and become witnesses not only to their incredible gifts, but also to their profound commitment to their art; the result is a compelling and deeply poignant film.
FILM PREMIERES
The 15th TDF will present 5 world, 9 international, 4 European and 76 Greek premieres, amongst which are:
Indian Summer by Simon Brook, France (World), the extraordinary journey of a woman who fought breast cancer with Ayurvedic and ancient Indian medicine; Europe Trap by Anna Giralt Gris, Spain/Greece (World), the portrait of an Afghan refugee looking for her only son; Ash by Herbert Sveinbjornsson, Iceland (World), which chronicles the effects of Eyjafjallajokull’s volcanic eruption on the lives of three farming families; Valentine Road by Marta Cunningham, USA (International), the shocking story of the murder of gay youth Larry King and that of his killer; Mama Coca by Suzan Sekerci, Colombia/Germany (International), a powerful film about the world's cocaine trade and its impact on the Colombian population; The Pit by Ricardo Iscar, Spain (European), a documentary about the hidden world and lives of the musicians of the Gran Teatre Liceu of Barcelona orchestra and Parts of a Family by Ricardo Gutierrez, Netherlands/Mexico (European), which chronicles the filmmaker’s parents’ relationship of 50 years.
FIPRESCI JURY
An international FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) jury will hand out one award to a Greek documentary and one award to a foreign documentary.
The five-member FIPRESCI Jury is composed of:
Peter Wintonick, Canada, President
Alberto Castellano, Italy
Yakout El-Deep, Egypt and
Kirsten Kieninger, Germany
Nikos Tsagarakis, Greece
SIDEBAR EVENTS
FROM THE BATTLE OF CHILE TO EUROPE IN CRISIS: MISTAKES, PRECEPTS AND HOPES - ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION
Thursday, March 21, 10:30-13:00, Cine John Cassavetes
On the occasion of the tribute to the work of renowned Chilean documentarian Patricio Guzman, whose work is inextricably interwoven with the political and social upheavals in his country, a round table discussion with Guzman and other participants will explore what Europe, and Greece in particular, can learn today from Latin America of the past and the present.
ACCESS TO LIFE - ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION
Saturday, March 23, 14:30-16:30, Cine John Cassavetes
Taking its cue from the documentary Fire in the Blood, screening during the 15th TDF, a panel including Dylan Mohan Gray, the film’s director, the Doctors Without Borders representative Apostolos Veizis and Dr Alexis Benos, Professor in Social Medicine & Primary Health Care, will discuss and explore issues pertaining to the ways in which pharmaceutical companies deliberately prevent the access of medicine to developing countries.
MAKING & BREAKING THE ACT OF KILLING - EDN DOCS IN THESSALONIKI MASTERCLASS
Thursday, March 21, 17:00-18:30, Cine John Cassavetes
Producer Signe Byrge Sorensen and sales agent Philippa Kowarsky will discuss Joshua Oppenheimer’s documentary The Act of Killing (winner of the Panorama Audience Award and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury in the 2013 Berlin IFF), and the work process behind making the film and exposing it to the world. Discussion topics will include establishing a realistic production frame without compromising cinematic vision and packaging and launching the film for the international market. The Masterclass is organized by the 15th TDF and the European Documentary Network.
THESSALONIKI 101 – PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki – Warehouse B1, Port, 16-24/03, daily 11:00-19:00
The 15th TDF, with the support of the State Museum of Contemporary Art, presents the photography exhibition Thessaloniki 101. The TDF collaborated with Iranian-Canadian photographer Babak Salari and organized an online photography workshop addressed to 15 amateur photographer participants aged 25 or younger who documented various aspects of their city, such as its history and monuments, its Ottoman and Byzantine heritage, its contemporary urban landscapes, as well as significant social issues such as the economic crisis and its various repercussions.
THESSALONIKI CINEMATHEQUE LIBRARY
Following the launch of the Thessaloniki Cinematheque this past November, a film museum and cinema center operating all year long with film screenings, retrospectives and discussions and housed at the Thessaloniki Port, its extensive library will be inaugurated during the 15th TDF. Approximately 8,000 books and Greek and international magazines on film constitute the collection, part of which is already digitized for prosperity and easier access to the public.
JUST TALKING
17-23 March (inclusive), 16.00–17.30
Electra Palace Hotel ground floor, Excelsior Room
The Just Talking event, introduced in 2006, brings filmmakers from various parts of the world together and creates a platform of communication, promoting creativity and forging collaboration. Daily discussion groups of directors and producers revolve around issues that concern documentary filmmakers. Apart from the groups, all other accredited festival attendees are admitted to the sessions and can either simply listen or participate.
LIVE STREAMING PROJECT
The 15th TDF will be implementing again this year an innovative program in collaboration with the Electro-Acoustic and Television Systems Laboratory at the Polytechnic School of Thessaloniki’s Aristotle University. Film screenings, directors’ Q&As and various events will be made accessible to the Greek periphery through the use of streaming technology, thus providing documentary faraway audiences the opportunity to experience the Festival.
