Past, Present, and Future at Thessaloniki
261 Films, 71 Greek Documentaries, and a Vision for the Future
As the 27th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival gets underway from 6 to 16 March 2025, it reaffirms its place as a vital space for documentary filmmaking. With 261 films in this year’s lineup—including 71 Greek documentaries—the festival reflects both a global and local pulse. From the International Competition to the boundary-pushing >>Film Forward section, the program highlights filmmakers redefining the documentary form. A special tribute, «Geography of the Gaze: Off-Plan Greece (1950–2000),» uncovers forgotten cinematic perspectives on the country’s rural landscapes, featuring the long-lost Kastoria by Takis Kanellopoulos.
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News
Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival announces 2025 competition lineup
Nicolas Philibert and Lauren Greenfield honoured at 27th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival
Interview
«The boldest choices often emerged when we leaned into uncertainty»
Yorgos Krassakopoulos reflects on the radical themes shaping this year’s selection, the growing intersections between truth and experimentation in documentary, and the ethical dilemmas of representing reality in an increasingly complex world.
Films
iHUMAN
Director: Tonje Hessen Schei
This chilling and critical AI-documentary almost succumbs to the dark fascinations it depicts, leaving a strong and unsettling impression of nascent digital powers outgrowing human control.
Mr Nobody Against Putin
Director: David Borenstein, Pavel Talankin
How a small-town teaching assistant became an unlikely whistleblower on the grim reality of wartime propaganda.
Riefenstahl
Director: Andres Veiel
Leni Riefenstahl shaped a controversial legacy, prompting reflection on whether her work’s fascist ideals still resonate in contemporary culture.
The Moelln Letters
Director: Martina Priessner
Decades after the Mölln arson attacks, The Moelln Letters exposes how solidarity letters were concealed, revealing structural racism’s grip on historical memory.
Trains
Director: Maciej Drygas
Polish director Maciej Drygas's entrancing Trains is a mesmerising journey through much of the 20th century by rail, accompanied by a subtly intense soundtrack.
Yalla Parkour
Director: Areeb Zouaiter
Creating an identity among the ruins of Gaza.
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