Agora, the most dynamic and vibrant documentary industry event in Southeast Europe and the Mediterranean, returns for the upcoming 28th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival held from March 5th to March 15th, 2026. Agora invites documentary filmmakers to submit creative and TV documentaries, documentary series, as well as documentaries for children, to the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum and Agora Docs in Progress sections. Moreover, Agora XR Lab, a lab dedicated to XR projects and new media in development, is presented for the second consecutive year.
Agora, an inseparable and invaluable part of the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival has consolidated itself as a meeting hub between directors, producers and buyers from all over the world, promoting and supporting documentary films throughout all production stages. The TiDF28 Agora will take place from March 6th to March 14th, 2026.
Agora’s developmental actions and activities, which focus on the regions of Central and Southeast Europe, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, are carried out with the support of the Creative Europe Media program and in collaboration with the Documentary Association of Europe (DAE). In a friendly and relaxed environment, industry professionals are meeting with film producers and directors, both onsite and online, to discuss their projects and plan their next steps.
The Onassis Foundation bestows the Onassis Film Award to a Greek project taking part in the 28th TiDF’s Agora, either in Thessaloniki Pitching Forum or in the Docs in Progress section. The award is accompanied by a 5,000-euro cash prize, and its goal is to foreground the up-and-coming filmmakers.
THESSALONIKI PITCHING FORUM
Submission deadline: up until November 26th, 2025
Agora hosts once again the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum, an initiative focused on developing documentary films. The Thessaloniki Pitching Forum explores the limits of the documentary genre by inviting creative and TV documentaries, documentary series, documentaries for children and new media projects (virtual reality or/and augmented reality etc.).
The participants will have the opportunity to discuss their projects and get feedback, views and fruitful commentary on their content during a two-day online workshop, where they will work on their material and gear up for their pitch preparation at the Pitching Forum before a panel of experts. At the same time, the participants will have one-on-one meetings with the industry professionals interested in their projects.
The final selection will include up to a total of 14 projects, addressed to an international public.Within the context of the 28th TiDF’s Agora, the following awards will be bestowed: the IEFTA - Best Doc in Development Award, accompanied by a 10,000-euro prize, the ERT Award to a Greek project (2,000 euros), the EURODOC Award with a cash prize of 1,000 euros and network membership, the Scholarship for the Script2Film Doc Lab of the Mediterranean Film Institute (June-December 2026), the DAE Award (consulting sessions), and the DOK Leipzig Accelerator Award (selection of a project to participate to the Open Program and two free accreditations, October 2026).
The list of recent completed films that had taken part in the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum includes: Super Paradise by Steve Krikris (Thessaloniki IDF 2025), Lo by Thanassis Vassiliou (Thessaloniki IDF 2025), Stray Bodies by Elina Psykou (CPH:DOX Competition 2024, Thessaloniki IDF 2024), Cadillac Dreams by Elene Mikaberidze (CPH:DOX 2024), We Will Not Fade Away by Alisa Kovalenko (Berlinale Generation 14plus 2023), A Steady Job by Mattia Colombo, Gianluca Matarrese (Thessaloniki IDF 2023), Mighty Afrin: In the Time of Floods by Angelos Rallis (Thessaloniki IDF 2023), Karaoke Nation by Einari Paakkanen (CPH:DOX 2022, Visions du Réel 2022), Boylesque by Bogna Kowalczyk (Hot Docs 2022), and more.
AGORA DOCS IN PROGRESS
Submission deadline: up until December 5th, 2025
Agora invites filmmakers with a documentary in the post-production stage who are looking for a distributor, a festival premiere or completion funds to submit their films in the Agora Docs in Progress section. Among the documentaries that have successfully participated at Agora Docs in Progress stand out: Tack by Vania Turner, Panellinion by Spyros Mantzavinos and Kostas Antarachas, Queen of the Deuce by Valerie Kontakos, Mighty Afrin: In the Time of Floods by Angelos Rallis, Days and Nights of Demetra K. by Eva Stefani, When Tomatoes Met Wagner by Marianna Economou, Next Stop: Utopia by Apostolos Karakasis. Agora Docs in Progress is open to creative and TV documentaries, documentary series and documentaries for children.
Agora Docs in Progress segment remains the main meeting event for documentary films that have entered the last stage prior to their completion. Directors and producers have the chance to present their films to buyers, co-producers, festival representatives and sales agents, and attract their interest.
The Agora Docs in Progress awards include the Two Thirty Five Post-Production Award, the Neaniko Plano Subtitling Award and the EKKOMED (Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center) Award to a Greek project, accompanied by a 3,000-euro cash prize. The selected projects will have the opportunity to prepare their pitch and get advice on their next steps in a consultation session before the Festival.
Thessaloniki Pitching Forum and Agora Docs in Progress are welcoming projects coming from the following countries: Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kosovo*, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine.
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
AGORA XR Lab
Submission deadline: up until November 26th 2025
AGORA XR Lab, one of the latest TIDF AGORA’s initiatives, is a workshop dedicated to XR and new media projects in development. It is designed for emerging storytellers keen to explore new forms of expression in factual and non-factual storytelling and pushing the boundaries of what audiovisual work can be in the digital age.
The Festival invites up-and-coming artists from different artistic and professional fields to submit their projects. The focus is on projects that bridge the realms of film, digital media, new tech, and performing arts. AGORA XR Lab fosters innovation and collaboration by supporting creative, interdisciplinary partnerships in film, the arts, science, technology, and social impact initiatives.
Vassiliki Khonsari, award-winning creative producer and writer, and co-founder of iNK Stories a New York City-based studio renowned for pioneering storytelling across games, films, XR, and immersive experiences, is the lead mentor of the program.
For online submission of the application form and more info about TIDF AGORA, visit the website: https://www.filmfestival.gr/en/professionals/tidf-agora or contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Agora is carried out with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Creative Europe Media program, NSRF 2021-2027 and the Region of Central, and in collaboration with EKKOMED, Creative Europe Media Desk Greece and our partners and sponsors from Greece and Europe.
