26/02/2014 - Local productions will have a strong presence, with 60 titles in the screening schedule and nine projects vying for attention at the Agora

Local entries in the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival’s various screening programmes, as well as in the Agora Docs in Progress section and EDN Pitching Forum, have been unveiled, just a little over two weeks before the start of the festival’s 16th edition (14-23 March).

A total of 60 documentaries will be dissecting the country’s political status and painting its social portrait in its times of economic crisis, while also emphasising the importance of artistic creation and the inspirational character of important figures.

Documentary veteran and acclaimed TV personality Stelios Kouloglou will be attending the festival with The Godmother, which examines the life and work of Angela Merkel, while Emily Yiannoukou and Alexandros Papanikolaou will offer a backstage view of left-wing political leader Alexis Tsipras’ election campaign in their work Hope on the Line. 

International human-rights issues will be brought to the forefront via Anneta Papathanasiou’s Playing with Fire, which reveals the harsh tribulations faced by Afghan actresses, while Nina Maria Paschalidou’s Kismet will examine Middle Eastern pop culture via the effects of Turkish TV dramas on Arab women’s emancipation. 

Yiannis Tritsibidas’ Viet Costas. Citizenship: Undefined will shed light on the little-known story of a Greek man who fought in Vietnam in the French Foreign Legion, before changing sides and becoming a Vietcong hero. 

The ever-evolving Agora will this year be offering a €15,000 post-production prize to the best of its five local and four Balkan and Mediterranean titles to be presented to sales agents and distributors attending its Docs in Progress section, while four more Greek titles will be featured at the annual EDN Pitching Forum. Rounding out its influential role at the festival, the Agora will again be holding its Market Talks with international documentary professionals.