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THESSALONIKI DOCUMENTARY 2018

The 20th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival focuses on brave new voices

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- The most important documentary gathering in Greece has unveiled its international competition, parallel sections and a new competitive VR documentary programme

The 20th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival focuses on brave new voices
Obscuro Barroco by Evangelia Kranioti

Celebrating its 20th-anniversary edition this year, the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (TDF) has presented its full line-up. With 180 features and 48 short documentaries – including eight world, four international and eight European premieres – the biggest Greek documentary festival will unspool in its six usual screening venues at the Olympion complex and the city’s port, and will expand to two additional places in greater Thessaloniki, running from 2-11 March.

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Ten documentaries from all over the world, made by debutant or sophomore directors who represent the boldest new voices in documentary, are competing for the Golden Alexander. European co-productions are in the majority in the selection, with six documentaries in total, including two Greek co-productions. Among the selected docs are Evangelia Kranioti’s (Exotica, Erotica, Etc. [+see also:
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) sophomore effort, Obscuro Barroco [+see also:
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(France/Greece), the winner of the Berlinale’s Teddy Special Jury Award, the IDFA First Appearance Award winner The Distant Barking of Dogs [+see also:
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by Simon Lereng Wilmont (Denmark/Finland/Sweden), the Locarno-awarded Meteors [+see also:
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interview: Gürcan Keltek
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by Gürcan Keltek (Netherlands/Turkey), and the debut documentaries Angkar [+see also:
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by Neary Adeline Hay (France/Cambodia), Hotel Jugoslavija [+see also:
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by Nicolas Wagnières (Switzerland/Serbia) and Zacharias MavroidisAcross Her Body [+see also:
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, which will have its world premiere at the TDF. The rest of the competition comprises All That Passes by a Window That Doesn’t Open by Martin Dicicco (USA/Qatar), Awaken by Jiawei Ning (China), Baronesa by Juliana Antunes (Brazil) and Las Cinéphilas by María Álvarez (Argentina).

Greek documentary once again constitutes the TDF’s main showcase, with a total of 53 features and 25 short documentaries that are mainly included in the Greek Panorama section and deal with current affairs, political and social problems, the financial and refugee crisis, human rights and personal stories. Among the selected documentaries are Anneta Papathanasiou and Angelos Kovotsos’ political Europe, the Dream [+see also:
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, Yorgos AvgeropoulosUp to the Last Drop: The Secret Water War in Europe [+see also:
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and Cristo Petrou’s Lamda pi [+see also:
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, about Greek electronic music pioneer Lena Platonos. The international selection is divided into nine different sections, with Kaleidoscope firmly in the lead and including some of the most highly acclaimed recent docs, such as A Skin So Soft [+see also:
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interview: Denis Côté
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by Denis Côté (Canada/Switzerland), City of the Sun [+see also:
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by Rati Oneli (Georgia), Golden Dawn Girls [+see also:
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by Havard Bustnes (Norway/Finland/Denmark), Makala [+see also:
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interview: Emmanuel Gras
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by Emmanuel Gras (France), the late Michael Glawogger’s Untitled [+see also:
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, co-directed by Monika Willi (Austria), and the Berlinale-premiered What Comes Around [+see also:
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by Reem Saleh (Lebanon/Egypt/Greece/Qatar/Slovenia).

Finally, the 20th TDF is initiating a Virtual Reality Documentaries Competition for titles from Greece and the Balkans, with seven European experiences set to participate. The winner will receive an award sponsored by the Greek Film Centre.

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