27th Thessaloniki Int’l Documentary Festival Gets Underway In Greece

The 27^th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival is underway in the Greek port city, a gathering point for some of the biggest names in nonfiction filmmaking – and young talents eager to join those ranks.

The festival opened Thursday night with About a Hero, directed by Piotr Winiewicz and “narrated by Werner Herzog” (quotes belong around that part of the description because the Teutonic-accented voiceover sounds like the famed German-born filmmaker, but as the Thessaloniki program notes, “our narrator… is not who he seems.”).

If that characterization of About a Hero sounds unnecessarily opaque, consider that TiDF is paying not just heed but tribute to Artificial Intelligence at this year’s festival. “AI, an Inevitable Intelligence” as the theme has been dubbed, “invites the audience to embark on a fascinating journey that includes a selection of eye-opening documentaries, an impressive visual installation, a masterclass, a special two-language edition, as well as the Festival’s magazine First Shot, co-created this year with the help of AI as a form of experimentation. A cinematic exploration of the new reality, standing in the threshold between the man-made and the digital.”

Along with About a Hero, documentaries with an AI theme include:

In addition, TiDF 2025 will showcase several AI-themed short documentaries; the festival has also partnered with OpenDocs on “a pioneering program of worldwide scope, offering support, financing, AI tools and consulting services to artists from all over the world. It is an initiative launched by Anna Giralt Gris and Jorge Caballero that aims at enabling artists from all over the world to incorporate AI tools into storytelling.” Five films made as part of the TiDF-OpenDocs collaboration will be presented at the festival.

In total, TiDF will screen 261 documentaries – including 72 world, 40 international and 11 European premieres. Among the world premieres are Child of Dust, directed by Weronika Mliczewska. The film revolves around Sang, “one of the thousands of unwanted and marginalized children abandoned by American soldiers after the Vietnam War.” Now in his 50s, Sang finally identifies his father, but to take the relationship any further, “he must race against time.”

Child of Dust premieres in International Competition, as does Supernatural, directed by Ventura Durall. The latter film centers on a father and son; the son, a medical doctor, adheres to a rational worldview, while his father is a faith healer. “The confrontation turns into an exploration of the opposite beliefs between Science and Magic.”

Queens of Joy, world premiering in the festival’s Newcomers competition, takes place in Ukraine. “Amidst the maelstrom of war… three drag queens – Diva Monroe, Marlene, and Aura – refuse to abandon their homeland. Instead of fleeing, they choose to fight: for freedom, the LGBTQ+ community, and their very existence.” Queens of Joy is directed by Olga Gibelinda.

The Treasure Hunter also premieres in Newcomers competition. Giacomo Gex’s documentary examines a mythical, untold treasure – “Yamashita’s Gold” — “allegedly buried by the Japanese Army across the Philippine archipelago during World War II… Treasure hunters from all over the world have tried to obtain it, including Jack and his father, who have dedicated their lives to this pursuit, spending millions of dollars in the process.”

Vera Krichevskaya’s Connected, world premiering in the Open Horizons section, “follows Dr. Dmitry Zimin who stood alone as the primary public financial supporter of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, risking everything to champion change in his homeland.”

TiDF is screening four documentaries by Golden Bear winner Nicolas Philibert as part of a tribute to the acclaimed French filmmaker. On the festival’s opening night, he received the honorary Golden Alexander in recognition of his contribution to cinema. The festival also is honoring the work of American filmmaker Lauren Greenfield, presenting a full retrospective of her work, including her most recent project – the five-part documentary series Social Studies that premiered to rave reviews on FX last fall.

Greenfield is set to deliver a masterclass titled “Social Studies: The Artist’s Journey” on March 13, in English with a simultaneous translation in Greek. She is also serving on the International Competition jury, along with Dimitris Athiridis, the Greek photographer, documentary filmmaker, producer, and editor, and Signe Byrge Sørensen, the Danish producer and four-time Oscar nominee.

The Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival is led by General Director Elise Jalladeau, Artistic Director Orestis Andreadakis, Head of Program Yorgos Krassakopoulos, Head of Agora Angeliki Vergou, and Head of Greek Program Eleni Androutsopoulou.

At a news conference on February 24, they acknowledged the context in which this year’s festival is taking place, “a critical moment for our broader neighborhood, Europe, but also for the whole world,” as the festival leadership put it jointly. “Fundamental principles of our culture -democracy, freedom, tolerance- have unfortunately been disputed recently, while the cries of hate multiply in the most dangerous way.

“The 261 short and full-length documentaries screened at the 27th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival portray and unveil what we experience in our precarious times… Four months have passed since the Festival’s last press conference and it seems like we are already living in a completely different world. Unfortunately, not a better one. Some have said that we are living in a science fiction film, but I disagree. It is not a science fiction film, it is a historical documentary about the 1930s, screened backwards, and this time we are the protagonists, or rather the victims. It is an educational documentary that taught us nothing. It is a gut-wrenching testimony for the horror of fascism and the totalitarianism that it seems we have forgotten. It is a film record of a horrific historical reality that some are trying to repeat in the worst possible way.”

The forceful statement from the festival leadership also said the following: “…[T]he Thessaloniki Documentary Festival has always been a place of dialogue, of freedom, of culture. While misinformation and distortion of facts become tools of manipulation, documentary filmmaking reminds us of the power of truth. And in times of crisis, such a space, where the power of truth shines, is more necessary than ever.

“All these, of course, did not come suddenly, but have been in preparation for a long time. By demagogues who preached hatred, by populists who cultivated hostility, by conspiracy theorists who mocked true science, by manufacturers of lies and easy solutions who targeted art and tried to convince us that it is useless. But Art is one of the most powerful weapons of Democracy. Art is not a luxury or a neutral zone. It has responsibility, it has a say, it takes a stance. And this is what we will try to prove to this year’s Thessaloniki Documentary Festival with films that capture real stories.”