Thessaloniki Pitching Forum

Thessaloniki Pitching Forum: March 10 - 14

Thessaloniki Pitching Forum is the co-producing and co-financing platform of the TiDF for creative and TV documentaries, documentaries for children and new media documentaries. The participants will have the opportunity to discuss their projects, to receive feedback and advice during a two-day lab and prepare for pitching with the help of documentary professionals. Then, they pitch their projects to a panel of industry professionals and have one-on-one meetings with financiers, international decision makers and representatives of the international audiovisual sector.

This year’s selection features 12 projects from 11 countries and highlights diverse and often overlooked stories and amplifies marginalized voices, while exploring multifaceted themes and genres. The selected projects focus on undocumented pieces of history, women's movements and environmental issues, as well as on the exploration of transgenerational trauma, identity issues, the cost of success in sports culture, and the intricacies of human relationships.

Τhis year’s Thessaloniki Pitching Forum Projects are:

DARK BLUE RIVER
Director: Sergej Kreso, Producer: Harmen Jalvingh - Doxy Films, The Netherlands

IF THESE STONES COULD TALK
Director: Hana Elias, Producer: Asmahan Bkerat, Palestine

KAFKA IN BELGRADE (working title)
Director: Maša Nešković, Producers: Maja Medić, Ena Bajraktarević - Marienbad film, Serbia
In collaboration with CIRCLE Doc Women Accelerator

LAKE
Director: Nikos Ziogas, Producers: Konstantina Stavrianou & Rena Vougioukalou - Graal Films, Antigoni Papantoni - rawDOCS, Greece

MOUNTAIN CRIES
Director: Lavinia Xausa, Producer: Sam Godfried - Yalla Docs, The Netherlands

OPERATION "CHAMPION"
Director: Mariam Nikolaishvili, Producer: Irina Gelashvili - Radium Films, Georgia

THE SECRET HAND
Director: Valerio Valente, Producer: Paolo Maria Spina - Revolver, Co-producers: Enrico Cannizzo - Filmine, Boris Despodov - Arthouse Blockbusters, Wojciech Karubin - Movie Mates, Italy, Germany, Bulgaria, Poland

SURVIVORS
Directors: Nina-Maria Paschalidou, Maria Louka, Producers: Mina Dreki, Iro Aidoni - Marni Films, Greece

WHILE OUR SUN BURNS
Director: David Krøyer, Producer: Anna Marina Skouros - Onomamono, Co-producer: Rea Apostolides - Anemon Productions, Denmark, Greece

WHY THE F*** AM I SO SAD?
Director: Nela Märki, Producer: Martin Rattini - Helios Sustainable Films, Italy

WOMEN OF 1922 (working title)
Directors: Aris Kaplanidis, Elias Roumeliotis, Producer: Ioanna Soultani - Soul Productions, Co-producer: Tonia Mishiali - Bark Like A Cat, Greece, Cyprus

WOMEN WALK HOME
Director: Stephanie Andreou, Producer: Adrián Gutiérrez - Astarte Films, Cyprus

Jury

Mario Adamson, Producer, Sisyfos Films - Sweden
Sophie Duncan, Marketplace & Talent Programmes Producer, Sheffield DocFest - UK
Suzanne Nodale, Sales Agent, Cinephil - France / Israel

Awards

Jury Awards

IEFTA Best Doc in Development Award
€ 10.000 to a project in development in the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum
ERT – Thessaloniki Pitching Forum Award
€ 2.000 to a Greek project
EURODOC Award
€ 1.000 and a EURODOC membership
DAE Consultancy Sessions Award
Bespoke consultation on a project with an industry expert
DOK Leipzig Accelerator Award
2 Co-Pro Market observer passes and accommodation (Co-Pro Market Observer entails participation in the Open Programme)
Aylon Productions Digital Services Award
Digital transfer of archival material up to 1 hour (2K)
Beldocs Award
Accommodation and accreditation for the next Beldocs International Documentary Festival in May 2024

Independent Awards

Onassis Film Award
€ 5.000 to a Greek project participating in the AGORA (Thessaloniki Pitching Forum or AGORA Docs in Progress)
Mediterranean Film Institute Award
(MFI Script2Film Workshop), which offers a Doc Lab scholarship worth € 2.000 to an international project (June – December 2024)
Sunny Side of the Doc Award
2 accreditations and € 500 towards travel expenses