– The industry section of the Greek gathering has handed out awards to projects at various stages of development
The winners of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival’s Agora
The winners of the 28th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival (TIDF)’s Agora were unveiled on 11 March. In the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum, the co-production and co-financing platform of the TIDF intended for creative works, TV documentaries, docs for kids and doc series destined for theatrical distribution and TV broadcast, the international jury consisted of producer Malin Hüber, of HER Film; Èric Motjer, head of DocsBarcelona Pro and co-artistic director of the DocsBarcelona International Documentary Film Festival; and Selin Murat, executive director of the IDFA Bertha Fund. They picked Nava Mamă, directed by Ana Vijdea and produced by Vijdea, Ana Gheorghe and Cosmin Nicoara, as the winner of the €10,000 IEFTF Award for Best Documentary in Development. The jury stated that the debut feature “navigates the inner and outer worlds of an incredible young person with intimacy and delicacy”, praising the filmmaker’s resilience and creativity in crafting a collaborative and emotionally resonant exploration of youth.
The €2,000 ERT – Thessaloniki Pitching Forum Award, intended for a Greek project in the selection, went to Unwanted Past, directed by Thanassis Vassiliou and produced by Konstantinos Vassilaros. The jury highlighted the project’s determination to pursue truth and recognition while confronting “a dark and silenced past”. The film also received the Onassis Film Award, accompanied by a €5,000 cash prize, for its powerful yet sensitive cinematic approach to collective trauma and historical memory.
The DAE (Documentary Association of Europe) Award was bestowed upon Of the Trees Unmoved, directed by Nino Benashvili and produced by Tekla Machavariani, for its intimate portrait of exile and belonging. Meanwhile, Who We Are, directed by Sophie Ataya, and produced by Thomas Kaske and Marion Schmidt, received both the DOK Leipzig Award and the Aylon Productions Digital Services Award. The jury commended the project’s personal investigation into family archives and the erased Palestinian experience.
Elsewhere, the EURODOC Award went to Voices, directed and produced by Persefoni Miliou, for its creative exploration of different body abilities and its empathetic storytelling approach. A EURODOC Special Mention was awarded to The Last Class, directed by Michele Fornasero and produced by Alice Drago, which also received the Mediterranean Film Institute – George Kalogeropoulos Award.
In the Docs in Progress section, the jury comprised sales agent and festival manager Anja Dziersk (Rise and Shine World Sales), film critic Ahmed Shawky (El Gouna Film Festival) and producer Ada Solomon (MicroFILM). They bestowed the 2|35 Post-Production Main Award upon Immortal Flowers, directed by Brian Logvinsky, and produced by Harrison Jaffee, Anna Konik and Tommaso Rositani, praising the project’s rare access to a generation of young people living intensely amid the uncertainty of war.
The Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center – Creative Greece Award, endowed with €3,000, went to Careful Where You Tread by Smaro Papaevangelou, produced by Iro Aidoni and Mina Dreki, for its poignant and humorous portrayal of a father-daughter relationship. Meanwhile, Mati 2307, directed and produced by journalist Marianna Kakaounaki, received the Impronta Films Guidance Award, while the Neaniko Plano Subtitling Award went to Landwards, directed by Rama Ayasra and produced by Asmahan Bkerat.
In the Agora XR Lab, the Beldocs XR Academy Award was bestowed upon Nothing Is Ever Really Lost, directed by Anna Szylar and produced by Pola Komarowa. The jury praised the mixed-reality project for its sensitive exploration of grief and memory through AI-powered conversations between a mother and daughter.
Finally, in the Agora Boost strand, the Crew United Prize, a five-year premium subscription to the Crew United platform, was given to Moving Still, directed by Ioanna Tsoucala and produced by Elias Katsoufis. The Guidance Award from Paradiddle Pictures, providing consultancy for a project’s next development steps, was bestowed upon Makasi by Danai Maria Samara, produced by Spiros Betsis.
During the ceremony, Agora head Angeliki Vergou also announced that she would be stepping down from her role after many years of shaping the initiative into one of the leading documentary industry platforms in Europe. She will continue collaborating with the festival as Agora advisor for International Partnerships and Development, while the Agora will remain under the leadership of manager Thanos Stavropoulos and the team that has steered its growth in recent years.
Here is the full list of award winners:
Thessaloniki Pitching Forum
IEFTF Award for Best Documentary in Development
Nava Mamă – Ana Vijdea (Romania/France)
Producers: Ana Vijdea, Ana Gheorghe, Cosmin Nicoara (Remora Films)
Co-producer: Louis Beaudemont (Les Steppes Productions)
ERT – Thessaloniki Pitching Forum Award
Unwanted Past – Thanassis Vassiliou (Greece)
Producer: Konstantinos Vassilaros (StudioBauhaus)
EURODOC Award
Voices – Persefoni Miliou (Greece)
Producers: Persefoni Miliou (Per Se Productions), Sofia Mavragani
EURODOC Special Mention
The Last Class – Michele Fornasero (Italy)
Producer: Alice Drago (Epica Film)
Co-producer: Francesca Portalupi (Indyca)
DAE (Documentary Association of Europe) Award
Of the Trees Unmoved – Nino Benashvili (Georgia/Germany)
Producer: Tekla Machavariani (Nushi Film)
Co-producers: Eva Blondiau, Elmar Imanov (Color of May)
DOK Leipzig Award
Who We Are – Sophie Ataya (Germany)
Producers: Thomas Kaske, Marion Schmidt (Seera Films)
Aylon Productions Digital Award
Who We Are – Sophie Ataya
Mediterranean Film Institute – George Kalogeropoulos Award
The Last Class – Michele Fornasero
Onassis Film Award
Unwanted Past – Thanassis Vassiliou
Docs in Progress
2|35 Post-Production Main Award
Immortal Flowers – Brian Logvinsky (USA/Ukraine)
Producers: Harrison Jaffee, Anna Konik (Catharsis Pictures), Tommaso Rositani (FFB Pictures)
Co-producer: Eugene Rachkovsky (Tabor Production)
Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center – Creative Greece Award
Careful Where You Tread – Smaro Papaevangelou (Greece)
Producers: Iro Aidoni, Mina Dreki (Marni Films)
Impronta Films Guidance Award
Mati 2307 – Marianna Kakaounaki (Greece)
Producer: Marianna Kakaounaki
Neaniko Plano Subtitling Award
Landwards – Rama Ayasra (Jordan)
Producer: Asmahan Bkerat (Arkima Productions)
Agora XR Lab
Beldocs XR Academy Award
Nothing Is Ever Really Lost – Anna Szylar (Poland)
Producer: Pola Komarowa (Monster Mind Studio)
Agora Boost
Crew United Prize
Moving Still – Ioanna Tsoucala (Greece)
Producer: Elias Katsoufis (Hiccup Film)
Guidance Award
Makasi – Danai Maria Samara (Greece)
Producer: Spiros Betsis (NOT A PROJECT)
