24th THESSALONIKI DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL // 10-20/3/2022
The 24th TDF announces Agora Docs activities and submission deadlines
Agora Docs is an inseparable and invaluable part of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival and has established itself as a meeting hub between directors, producers and buyers from all over the world, promoting and supporting documentary film throughout all production stages. Agora Docs returns for the upcoming 24th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, held from March 10-20, 2022. The most dynamic and vibrant documentary industry event in Southeast Europe, Agora Docs of the 24th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival will take place from March 11-19, 2022, inviting documentary filmmakers to submit their films in the Agora Doc Market, the Docs in Progress and the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum sections.
Agora Docs is supported by Creative Europe Media and its development activities focus on the regions of Southeast Europe and the Mediterranean. In a friendly and relaxed environment, industry professionals are meeting with film producers and directors (both onsite and online) to discuss their projects and plan their next steps.
Agora invites filmmakers who have a documentary in post-production and are looking for a distributor, a festival premiere or completion funds to submit their films in Agora Docs in Progress (deadline for entries: January 14, 2022).
For the eleventh consecutive year, the Docs in Progress segment remains the main meeting event for documentary films that have entered the last stage prior to their completion. Directors and producers have the chance to present their documentary films to buyers, co-producers, festival representatives and sales agents, and attract their interest.
The movies are also competing for a series of important awards: the 2|35 Post-Production Main Award, the MuSou Music and Sound Award, the Neaniko Plano Subtitling Award, as well as for the award of free accreditation and accommodation at the Visions du Réel Documentary Festival. The selected projects will have the opportunity to prepare their pitch and get advice on their next steps in an online consultation session before the Festival.
Agora Docs also presents the Agora Lab initiative, a 3-day development workshop (16-19 March), in which experienced editors and doc professionals both from Greece and abroad guide filmmakers of Greek documentaries towards their final cut. Up to five projects will be selected from the Docs in Progress pool of submissions.
In addition, Agora hosts Thessaloniki Pitching Forum (deadline for entries: January 14, 2022), an initiative focused on developing documentaries. The Thessaloniki Pitching Forum explores the limits of documentary by inviting TV and creative documentaries, documentary series documentaries for children and new media projects (Virtual Reality or/and Augmented Reality, etc.).
The participants will have the opportunity to discuss their project and get feedback on their content during a two-day online workshop in February. They will work on their material and gear up for their pitch preparation at the Pitching Forum, before a panel of experts. At the same time, the participants will have one-on-one meetings with industry professionals interested in their project.
The final selection will include a total of 14 projects, addressed to an international public.
Thessaloniki Pitching Forum and Docs in Progress are welcoming projects coming from the following countries: Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kosovo*, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine.
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
For online application forms and more info, check the website
Agora Docs also presents Meet the Future scheduled to be held from March 11-19, 2022, setting its glance at the future, Agora Docs discovers and introduces the up-and-coming filmmakers from the wider region of the Balkans, Southeast Europe and the Mediterranean, making their first career steps, through the Meet the Future initiative. More details will be announced later on.
Doc Counselling is yet another initiative within the framework of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. Top-notch professionals provide guidance to filmmakers taking part in the Festival’s program and the Agora, offering one-on-one consultancy sessions on topics such as festival strategy, documentary funding, distribution, Media desk help, educational programs, marketing etc.
Moreover, the Agora Doc Market is fully digitalized, with 30 available screening booths, operating through the professional digital platform Cinando, showcasing documentaries produced within the last two years and giving the opportunity to filmmakers to present their films to the accredited movie industry professionals (producers, sales agents, distributors, festival representatives, etc) who attend the Agora. Each year the Agora Doc Market hosts around 400 films and invites more than 100 buyers and industry professionals who visit Thessaloniki to promote or buy documentary films. Fees apply. Deadline: February 28, 2022.
For more information on the Agora Docs visit the Festival’s website or contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
