Snapshot of a growing festival
6th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival: Images of the 21st Century

It’s not too early to start preparing for a visit to Greece’s second largest port city for the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. It will be held March 15-21. The submission deadline was January 26th 2004.

The festival boasts a line-up of new films aimed to inform – as well as move audiences into action. Since 1999, the festival has showcased new works from around the world and focused on filmmakers like Michael Moore, Joris Ivens and Werner Herzog. From the start, Director Dimitri Eipides has focused on pressing social issues. Past special sections include: "Yugoslavia in Focus: Anatomy of Horror" (2001), "Children of a Harsh Reality" (2002), "Contemporary Issues: Palestine" (2003). While international in scope, the festival includes all the new Greek documentaries too; a local competitive category was added last year.

A major draw for university students, the festival also attracts film professionals from the Balkan region, Europe and beyond. Each year documentary-makers attend the European Documentary Network Pitching Sessions held during the festival. Commissioning editors from major European stations attend that event as well as the festival’s Doc Market. Last year, in its fifth year, the Doc Market attracted 38 buyers from 18 countries. There were 1,158 viewings (!) of 321 films. The market is held in collaboration with Hellenic Radio and Television (ERT). This year it’ll be held March 16-20.

Past "Images of the 21st Century" highlights:

• Noam Chomsky wows Olympion theatre audiences twice by videoconference (1999, 2002).


• Albert Maysles holds tete-a-tetes with young filmmakers (2001).


• Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf presents film Afghan Alphabet, the same year the festival holds a telethon for Afghani refugees (2002).

Festival films have ranged from raucous Gaea Girls, a loud portrait of Japanese female wrestlers, in 2001, to Louvre City, Nicolas Philibert’s quiet exploration (part of last year’s retrospective). The festival also offers all-night marathons of popular films, as well as photo/art exhibits and concerts.






For more information, contact:
Katerina Kaklamani
TDF- IMAGES OF THE 21st CENTURY
9, Alexandras Avenue, 114 73 Athens Greece
Tel: (30) Tel: +(30) 210 870 60 09, Fax +(30) 210 64 56 251
email: newhorizons@filmfestival.gr

For Doc Market details, contact:
Myrto Rigopoulou
TDF- IMAGES OF THE 21ST CENTURY
9, Alexandras Avenue, 114 73 Athens Greece
Tel: (30) 210 870 60 13, Fax (30) 210 64 48 143,
email: info@filmfestival.gr