Fernando Trueba made his first steps in cinema as a film critic, initially at the El País newspaper in the late 70s, and later on as the founder of the monthly magazine Casablanca, in 1980. The same year marked his debut as a film director with the film Ópera Prima. A tribute to one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of contemporary European cinema and recipient of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for the film Belle Époque.
Vibrant and fascinating, unraveling heart-wrenching human stories and burning up-to-the-minute issues, the Greek documentaries take center stage at the 26th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, which will take place from March 7 to March 17 2024, both in physical spaces and online. In total, 67 full-length and short documentaries from Greece will be screened in the three competition sections, International Competition, Newcomers and >>Film Forward, in the Open Horizons, NextGen, Platform+ and Special Screenings sections, as well as part of the tributes held within the framework of the 26th TiDF.
The 26th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival honors the completion of half a century since the restoration of the democratic regime in Greece with a series of events that render homage to the brave anti-dictatorship struggle, reminding us that Democracy is not only a form of government, but also an overall way of life and attitude that demands vigilance, sacrifices and self-reflection.
Astonishing documentaries by some of cinema’s greatest filmmakers, such as Steve McQueen, and Frederick Wiseman, as well as illuminating stories featuring notable figures from the art, music, and fashion fields, for example Patricia Field, Édouard Louis, Dario Argento, Anita Pallenberg are coming to the 26th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (March 7-17, 2024).
The 26th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (March 7-17, 2024) announces the films taking part in the three competition sections of this year’s festival edition; the International Competition, the Newcomers competition section and the >>Film Forward competition section. The competing documentaries are holding their world, international, or European premiere in the Festival, while the International Competition Golden Alexander winner will secure its place in the Oscars’ shortlist, for the Best Documentary Feature Academy Award.
In the aftermath of the startling and full of unanswered questions death of the political prisoner Alexei Navalny, who had been repeatedly persecuted by Vladimir Putin’s regime, before leaving his final breath at a maximum-security prison in the Arctic, the 26th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival screens on Friday March 8th, at John Cassavetes theater, the breathtaking documentary Navalny by the Canadian filmmaker Daniel Roher.
The 26th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival is delighted to welcome the internationally acclaimed artist (director, choreographer, visual artist and performer) Dimitris Papaioannou, shedding light on the multifarious aspects of an artist through different forms of art and expression, redefining the boundaries of representation, the allegorical power of images and the communication between a work of art and the audience.
His films, featuring both timely and timeless messages, always find the way to extract the most complex meanings and the tenderness through the most profoundly humane stories that break free from the conventions, stereotypes and safe spaces. The Festival, in addition to hosting a tribute to his work, will bestow an honorary Golden Alexander to Panayotis Evangelidis for his overall contribution to cinema and culture.
Documentaries that honor and praise the liberating act of self-determination, having left their mark on world queer cinema, take center stage at the grand tribute “Citizen Queer” of the 26th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival (7-17/3/2024). Stories of everyday life and invaluable historical documents on the early days and the evolution of the LGBTQI+ movement, stories personal and universal, featuring the people around us, our beloved ones and our very selves, explore what defines and surrounds, reminding us that only when together can we feel complete and self-fulfilled.
George Roussos 