In his movies, Philibert expresses a series of topical and fundamental social concerns, displaying loyalty, respect and sensibility towards the issue he touches upon. In his own words: “First and foremost, I am fascinated by the fragile character of the unpredictable, rather than the comfort of certainty. The unseen side is always the most intriguing.”

One of the most prolific documentary filmmakers of our time, Golden Bear, César and European Film Academy winner Nicolas Philibert, with several acclaimed documentaries under his belt such as To Be and to Have and Nénette will be awarded the Festival’s honorary Golden Alexander for his overall contribution to cinema at the 27th TiDF. Nicolas Philibert will also deliver a masterclass, moderated by documentarist, producer and screenwriter Marco Gastine.

Within the framework of the spotlight hosted by the 27th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, a trilogy of Philibert’s films on alternative psychiatric approaches will be screened, along with an illuminating portrait of people working as nurse practitioners.

In Each and Every Moment (2018), the director follows the ups-and-downs of a training programme that brings thousands of students, both female and male, faced up against notions such as physical vulnerability, pain and diseases.

Their time is entangled between lectures and practical exercise, as part of a strenuous and enduring process, during which they are called to acquire knowledge and get acquainted with complex technical procedures, without losing sight of their humanity and empathy.

On the Adamant (2023), which snatched the Golden Bear at the 2023 Berlinale Film Festival, casts a tender and enlightening glance at the warm and hospitable microcosmos of Adamant, a unique floating day care center of mental health, situated on river Seine, in the very heart of Paris. An invaluable document on a one-of-a-kind care healthcare unit that welcomes adults who suffer from mental disorders.

In his two following documentaries, At Averroès & Rosa Parks (2024) and The Typewriter and Other Headaches (2024), Philibert delves even deeper into the issue unraveled in the documentary On the Adamant.

Averroès and Rosa Parks are two psychiatric units located in Paris, which make part of the same network as Adamant. Making use of interviews and recording meetings between patients and caretakers, the director brings forth a psychiatric approach that makes room for what the patients themselves have to say.

As the patients open up to the director, an agonizing question gradually emerges: Within the constraints of a worn-out healthcare system, how can the abandoned be granted their rightful place in the world? At Averroès & Rosa Parks had its premiere at the Berlinale Film Festival.

In Nicolas Philibert (2024), Philibert, alongside a group of volunteers, visit people suffering from mental illnesses in their homes, and take on the initiative to repair and fix their most precious objects and devices: a typewriter, a soundsystem, a printer.

The volunteers listen carefully, with respect and patience, the stories, the needs and the concerns of each patient, while Nicolas Philibert engulfs them with the same kind of respect through his camerawork. A touching documentary and call for compassion, at once.

The 27th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, will be held from March 6th to March 16th, 2025.