The presentation of the projects featured in this year’s Agora Docs in Progress, the main meeting point for documentary films at the final stage before completion, was held on Tuesday, March 11, at Frida Liappa theater, as part of the Agora of the 27th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival. Directors and producers from Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean had the opportunity to showcase their documentaries to buyers, co-producers, sales agents, and international festival programmers, aiming to attract their interest and support.
The event was opened by Angeliki Vergou, Head of Agora, who warmly thanked the audience for attending this year’s Agora Docs in Progress presentation, before giving the floor to Yorgos Krassakopoulos, the Festival’s Head of Programming. "In recent years, we have been working more and more closely with Agora. I’m always truly excited about the projects that emerge from Agora, and I’m happy to follow the new work of emerging filmmakers. This year’s Docs in Progress lineup features ten exciting projects, which we are about to watch together. To all of you presenting your projects today, thank you for trusting us with your work at such a sensitive and vulnerable stage. We do our best to promote and support it in every way possible. A warm thank you, as well, to everyone here today to discover this year’s projects. I encourage you to be honest in your feedback to the filmmakers, but also open and, above all, kind. Kindness is essential in the difficult times we are going through. I know you are all experienced, but please remember: today is a special day. Enjoy it. Thank you," he noted.
Angeliki Vergou went on to warmly thank the sponsors and supporters of Agora for their ongoing and tangible contribution to its initiatives, as well as her close collaborators, Thanos Stavropoulos, Agora Manager, and Elena Gaïtanarou, who are in charge of Docs in Progress. Thanos Stavropoulos presented this year’s Docs in Progress awards, along with the moderator of the presentation, Gugi Gumilang, Programme Director of In-Docs and International Programmer for Hot Docs. Elena Gaïtanarou introduced the members of this year’s jury.
The participants prepared their presentations with the guidance of two renowned documentary experts: Gugi Gumilang and the multi-awarded, Oscar-nominated director and editor Ema Ryan Yamazaki.
The AGORA Docs in Progress Jury consists of:
Anna Glogowski | Commissioning Editor – France
Marcella Jelić | Sales & Acquisitions Department, Theatrical Distribution Coordinator, Restart, Croatia
Basil Tsiokos | Senior Programmer, Nonfiction, Sundance Institute – USA
This year’s selection takes us on a series of personal and political journeys, exploring issues of identity, displacement, resistance, and memory. From the intimate struggles of individuals facing physical and emotional obstacles to the sweeping impact of historical and global forces, these projects capture moments of hope, survival, and transformation, shedding light on the unseen and the forgotten.
Agora Docs in Progress Projects:
HOME COURT
Directors: Elpida Nikou, Rodrigo Hernandez, Production: Yuri Averof, Rea Apostolides – Anemon Productions, Co-production: Maaike Neve, Esther Van Driesum – Bind Film, Victor Ede – Cinephage, Boris Despodov – Arthouse Blockbusters, Greece, Netherlands, France, Bulgaria
SIX LETTERS FOR A RIVER
Director/Writer: Markos Holevas, Production: Leonidas Liambeys – Long Run Productions, Greece
FUTURE TENSES
Director: Christos Karakepelis, Writer: Natasha Segou, Production: Maria Drandaki – Homemade Films, Co-production: Julie Paratian – SISTER Productions, Greece, France
DEAR FUTURE
Director: Christiana Cheiranagnostaki, Production: Christiana Cheiranagnostaki – Tartaruga Films, Yorgos Tsourgiannis – Horsefly Films, Co-production: Aylin Gökmen – A Vol d’Oiseau, Greece, Switzerland
JANA
Director: Mohammad Reza Azadi, Production: Ali Haider – Filmkhaana, Maaria Sayed—Draw4Films, Mohammad Reza Azadi – Sarv Film Pakistan, Italy, Iran
LEVEL
Directors: Anna Berkhof, Carlos Mora Fuentes, Production: Carlos Mora Fuentes, Spain
MAGMA
Director: Mia Bendrimia, Production: Kira Simon-Kennedy – Nazar Films, France, Algeria
A SONG WITHOUT HOME
Director: Rati Tsiteladze, Production: Olga Slusareva – ArtWay Film, Georgia
TOWER, SUN AND THE SEVEN OF WANDS
Director: Tanya Vikhreva, Writer: Aleksander Rodionov, Production: Maria Gavrilova – Marx Film, GE, Georgia
YOU DON'T DIE TWO TIMES
Director: Ager Oueslati, Production: Raouf Oueslati, Ager Oueslati – Taswir Production, Thomas Kaske – Seera Films, Algeria, Germany
