THESSALONIKI DOCUMENTARY 2025 Agora
Thessaloniki Documentary Festival’s Agora reveals Docs in Progress and Agora Boost selections
- Ten projects have been selected for the former strand, while Agora Boost will offer expert guidance to four Greek documentary projects at various stages of development

The 27th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival (TIDF, 6-16 March) is set to further its tradition of nurturing emerging and established documentary talent with the announcement of the line-ups of two industry initiatives, Agora Docs in Progress and Agora Boost (previously known as the Agora Lab). Running from 7-15 March, Agora is designed to connect filmmakers with buyers, co-producers, festival representatives, VoD platforms and sales agents.
Agora Docs in Progress is tailored for documentary projects in the final stages of production, and has selected ten films from 12 countries across Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean region. This year’s selection features projects that engage with deeply personal and political narratives, examining themes of identity, displacement, resilience and memory. Through intimate portrayals of individuals confronting physical and emotional boundaries, alongside the broader influence of historical and global forces, the projects highlight moments of hope, survival and transformation, bringing attention to the unseen and the often-overlooked.
Some of the recent titles previously discovered at Agora Docs in Progress include Savanna and the Mountain [+see also:
film review
interview: Paulo Carneiro
film profile] by Paulo Carneiro (Cannes Directors’ Fortnight), Ms. President [+see also:
film review
interview: Marek Šulík
film profile] by Marek Šulík (Best Film at the Ji.hlava IDFF), Tell Them About Us by Rand Beiruty (CPH:DOX and TIDF) and Diaries from Lebanon [+see also:
film review
interview: Myriam El Hajj
film profile] by Myriam El Hajj (Berlinale Panorama Dokumente).
Filmmakers in the programme will benefit from mentorship provided by international documentary experts. Among the mentors are Gugi Gumilang, In-Docs programme director and international film programmer for Hot Docs, and Oscar-nominated filmmaker and editor Ema Ryan Yamazaki. Projects presented at Agora Docs in Progress are also eligible for several awards: the Two Thirty-Five (2|35) Award for post-production image and sound, the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center – Creative Greece Award of €3,000 for a Greek project, the Neaniko Plano Subtitling Award, and the Onassis Film Award of €5,000 for a Greek project participating in the Agora Pitching Forum or Agora Docs in Progress.
Complementing the Docs in Progress initiative, Agora Boost is a consultancy workshop dedicated exclusively to empowering Greek filmmakers. Focused on projects that explore themes of international significance, which are selected through the application process of the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum and Agora Docs in Progress, Agora Boost provides expert guidance and advice at all stages of development. The programme grants two awards: the Guidance Award from Paradiddle Pictures (Denmark) and the Crew United Prize, which includes a complimentary five-year premium membership to Crew United.
The consultancy team for Agora Boost comprises seasoned industry professionals: Konstantinos Aivaliotis, producer and festival director of Ethnofest (Greece); Arkaitz Basterra, producer, filmmaker and member of the investor committee at Moby Dick Film Capital (Spain); Ieva Ūbele, creative producer at Baltic Balkan Productions (Latvia); and Zeynep Güzel, film consultant and head of Doc Station at Berlinale Talents (Germany).
Here is the selection of projects for both sections:
Agora Docs in Progress
Jana - Mohammad Reza Azadi (Pakistan/Italy/Iran)
Producers: Ali Haider (Filmkhaana), Maaria Sayed (Draw4Films),
Mohammad Reza Azadi (Sarv Film)
Magma - Mia Bendrimia (France/Algeria)
Producer: Kira Simon-Kennedy (Nazar Films)
Level - Anna Berkhof, Carlos Mora Fuentes (Spain)
Producer: Carlos Mora Fuentes
Dear Future - Christiana Cheiranagnostaki (Greece/Switzerland)
Producers: Christiana Cheiranagnostaki (Tartaruga Films), Yorgos Tsourgiannis (Horsefly Films)
Co-producer: Aylin Gökmen (A Vol d’Oiseau)
Six Letters for a River - Markos Holevas (Greece)
Producer: Leonidas Liambeys (Long Run Productions)
Future Tenses - Christos Karakepelis (Greece/France)
Producer: Maria Drandaki (Homemade Films)
Co-producer: Julie Paratian (Sister Productions)
Home Court - Elpida Nikou, Rodrigo Hernandez (Greece/Netherlands/France/Bulgaria)
Producers: Yuri Averof, Rea Apostolides (Anemon Productions)
Co-producers: Maaike Neve, Esther Van Driesum (Bind Film), Victor Ede (Cinephage), Boris Despodov (Arthouse Blockbusters)
You Don’t Die Two Times - Ager Oueslati (Algeria/Germany)
Producers: Raouf Oueslati, Ager Oueslati (Taswir Production Edition)
Co-producer: Thomas Kaske (Seera Film)
A Song Without Home - Rati Tsiteladze (Georgia)
Producer: Olga Slusareva (ArtWay Film)
Tower, Sun and the Seven of Wands - Tanya Vikhreva (Georgia)
Producer: Maria Gavrilova (Marx Film GE)
Agora Boost
The Groundskeeper - Io Chaviara, Michalis Kastanidis (Greece)
Producer: Alexis Anastasiadis (FRENEL)
Co-producers: Io Chaviara, Michalis Kastanidis (Fabula Productions)
Underdog - Dimitris Delinikolas (Greece)
Producer: Photini Economopoulou (OhMyDog Productions)
Co-producer: Dimitris Delinikolas (Emptyfilm)
Who Killed Zackie Oh? - Sofia Farantatou (Greece/Switzerland)
Producer: Maria Sidiropoulou (Thunderbird Production)
Co-producers: Nicolas Wadimoff, Annick Bouissou (AKKA Films)
Magic Whistle - Avraam Goutzeloudis, Alexandros Katsis (Greece)
Producer: Photini Economopoulou (OhMyDog Productions)
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