KATERINA PARRI
With 80 world premieres, major tributes, Golden Alexander honorees and guests such as Juliette Binoche and Desmond Child, the 28th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (5–15 March 2026) celebrates the power of documentary cinema.
The 28th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival will take place from Thursday, March 5 to Sunday, March 15, 2026, both in physical venues and online. A total of 252 short- and feature-length documentaries will be screened. Among them are 80 world premieres–a record number in the Festival’s history–as well as 32 international and 11 European premieres.
The event will be held at its historic headquarters, in the Olympion and Pavlos Zannas theaters, in the Port venues (Frida Liappa, Tonia Marketaki, John Cassavetes, Stavros Tornes), as well as at the Makedonikon cinema. At the same time, audiences can watch films online through the Festival’s digital platform: online.filmfestival.gr.
During today’s official presentation of the 28th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival program, speakers referred to the orientation of this year’s Festival:
“All recent festivals have taken place in a climate of uncertainty for the whole world. This Festival, which is about to begin in just a few days, will be no exception. From Ukraine and Gaza to Sudan, Iran, and anywhere democracy, justice and human rights are being tested, concern for the next day remains great. The hope that conflicts will end and that peace, stability and social harmony will prevail cannot be realized as long as violence, racism, hate speech and authoritarian political practices are normalized. As long as the machinery of war remains in operation, openly threatening global stability, no one can afford to remain complacent.
Here at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, we have the privilege, the joy, but above all the responsibility to underline the importance and true power of documentary art – the indelible power of memory and truth. Guided by our belief in the universal values of freedom, democracy, equality, inclusion and dignity, we have prepared a Festival that will highlight everything happening around the world. Everything that concerns us. Without asterisks. This is our orientation in order to provide a safe framework for talented and tireless documentary filmmakers from around the world to present their work-work that sometimes entails risks and personal costs greater than what the camera reveals. For this reason, bringing them and their invaluable work together with the Festival audience, fostering fruitful interaction for 11 days in Thessaloniki, is for us a mission of the utmost importance.”
POSTER AND TRAILER
● The posters of the 28th TDF are designed by visual artist Alexandros Psychoulis.
● This year’s Festival spot was created by director Steve Krikris.
You can watch the Festival spot here:
OPENING FILM
The opening of the 28th TDF will take place on Thursday, March 5, 2026, with the film Ask the I Ching by Ivy Meeropol, about journalist and author E. Jean Carroll, who filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump for sexual abuse and defamation and became the only woman to defeat him twice in a courtroom. The film will have its international premiere in Thessaloniki.
CLOSING WITH AN OSCAR NOMINEE
The Festival will conclude on Sunday, March 15, 2026, with the screening of the powerful, Academy Award–nominated documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin by David Borenstein, co-directed by Pavel “Pasha” Talankin. The Festival will celebrate cinema with a live broadcast of the OSCARS® ceremony and an all-night party at Olympion.
JULIETTE BINOCHE AT TDF
Actress Juliette Binoche will honor the 28th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival with her presence in her capacity as a director, presenting the documentary In-I In Motion, about her collaboration with the renowned British dancer and choreographer Akram Khan.
Binoche will also be in Thessaloniki as President of the European Film Academy, ahead of the countdown to the European Film Awards ceremony, which will take place in Athens in 2027. The great star will share thoughts, impressions and experiences about her now dual identity as actress and director in an open discussion to be held during the Festival.
TRIBUTE TO THE ARCHIVES
The 28th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival presents a major tribute titled All the Memory in the World, which will run through different facets of this year’s edition–from films and discussions to the official spot and publications. The tribute includes:
● Films that do not simply recycle the past, but critically reinterpret it, opening a dialogue between memory, History and the present.
● Commissioned artwork: As part of its collaboration with the General State Archives of Greece, the Festival commissioned an original work by director Aristotelis Maragkos, who created the short film Pragmatognosia (Expert Witness), which also serves as the concluding part of the archival film triptych Rewind.
● An open discussion titled “Genealogy of the Future,” to be held on Monday, March 9 (Pavlos Zannas Theater, 11:00).
● A special edition–the UnCatalogue–and the magazine First Shot, forming a distinctive archival triptych.
● Participation in an exhibition: The Festival takes part in an exhibition at MOMus–Experimental Center for the Arts with the installation THIRD PERSON (PLURAL) by visual artist Aikaterini Gegisian, based on archival material. A cinematic version of the work will be screened at the 28th TDF.
FILMOGRAPHY
On Friday, March 13, audiences will be introduced to the platform filmography, which aims to operate and be publicly accessible after Easter 2026.
Filmography is a digital database that will include valuable information on films of Greek cinema. It is an invaluable project dedicated to the documentation, preservation and promotion of Greek film heritage, implemented with funding from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0.”
The project is carried out in collaboration with the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center – Creative Greece (EKKOMED) and the Hellenic Film Academy (HFA).
GOLDEN ALEXANDER AND TRIBUTE TO VOULOULA SKOURA
The 28th edition turns its gaze to the distinctive filmmaker Vouloula Skoura, who through her work redefines our relationship with memory, History and time. As part of the tribute, 20 of her films will be screened, while the director will be honored with a Golden Alexander for her contribution to Greek cinema and culture.
GOLDEN ALEXANDER AND SPOTLIGHT ON BILL MORRISON
The 28th TDF will present an Honorary Golden Alexander to American multimedia artist Bill Morrison, who will attend the Festival to present his work and deliver a masterclass open to the public. Six of his films will be screened. Morrison has been described by The New York Times as “the poet laureate of lost films.”
GOLDEN ALEXANDER TO GIORGOS PAPALIOS
The Festival will also present an Honorary Golden Alexander to the emblematic producer Giorgos Papalios, whose name has been closely associated with the revival of Greek cinema and who supported emerging filmmakers at the beginning of their careers.
As part of the Festival, the documentary Riding the Waves by Yannis Karapiperidis, about Giorgos Papalios, will be screened, while the producer will serve as a member of the International Competition jury.
ACCESSIBILITY
Serving the vision of a cinema without exclusions, the Thessaloniki Film Festival expands its accessibility initiatives, with Alpha Bank as Accessibility Sponsor, organizing a truly pioneering screening accessible to neurodivergent audiences.
The documentary Heracles, Achelous and My Grandmother (1997) by Dimitris Koutsiampasakos will be screened under enhanced accessibility conditions for the first time in Greece, through the use of cinematic pictograms.
In addition, Vouloula Skoura’s documentary Etel Adnan: Words in Exile (2007) will be screened with Audio Description (AD) for blind and visually impaired audiences, and with Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH).
Within the framework of this year’s edition, a closed workshop titled From Fairy Tale to Practice: Disability, Cinema and Power will be conducted by Cool Crips.
GREEK DOCUMENTARIES
We welcome 57 Greek films to the 28th TDF, featured in the international programme (International Competition, Newcomers Competition, Film Forward Competition, Open Horizons) and in the Platform+ section.
The documentaries participating in the expanded Platform+ section will be screened on the Festival’s digital platform and will be available from March 6 to March 20, ensuring broader audience reach.
Among the Greek documentaries presented are:
– The COSMOTE TV special screening Why Are the Mountains Black: Rituals by Phoebus Kontogiannis.
– The ERT special screening …A Sea Road by Voula Kostaki.
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME
The 28th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival hosts four international competition sections:
• International Competition: A total of 14 films, including three Greek entries, compete for the Golden Alexander (accompanied by a €12,000 cash prize) and the Silver Alexander (€5,000).
• Newcomers Competition: Featuring first and second films by emerging filmmakers, 14 films–including three Greek–compete for the “Golden Alexander – Dimitri Eipides” (€10,000) and the Silver Alexander (€4,000).
• Film Forward Competition: Challenging cinematic conventions and presenting radical works, this section includes 10 films, among them three Greek. The awards are the Golden Alexander Film Forward (€6,000) and the Silver Alexander (€3,000).
• Immersive: All Around Cinema: Eight pioneering works compete for the Golden Alexander Immersive (€2,000). Audiences will also have the opportunity to experience the interactive installation HeartBeat: The Heart Finds Its Rhythm in the Silence of Encounter by French visual artist Fanny Fortage, also known as Bonnie Lisbon.
• Discover dynamic and inventive documentaries in Open Horizons.
• Experience outstanding nonfiction cinema in Top Docs.
• Enjoy captivating moments for younger audiences through NextGen.
DESMOND CHILD IN THESSALONIKI
The world premiere of the documentary Desmond Child Rocks the Parthenon will take place at the Festival, with the American composer and producer Desmond Child attending in person. He will be joined by the film’s director Heather Winters, as well as its producer, renowned composer and lyricist Phoebus.
AGORA
Dynamic initiatives, new collaborations and fresh actions are presented at the Agora, the Festival’s industry and development hub, which will take place both in physical venues and online.
TDF’s Agora showcases and supports the films and creators of tomorrow through initiatives such as the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum, Docs in Progress, Agora XR Lab, Agora Boost, Agora Talks, Talking Heads and more.
Among the new initiatives hosted this year, the European Film Academy, in collaboration with the Agora, will organize a Think Tank bringing together leading European documentary professionals. In addition, the Agora invites four producers from the Basque Country to present their projects to accredited industry professionals.
THE FESTIVAL BECOMES A FILM
Beyond being an institution of international scope, the Thessaloniki Film Festival will itself become a film this year.
The Festival’s Grand Sponsor, COSMOTE TELEKOM, has taken the initiative to produce a hybrid documentary about the Festival’s history and everyday life. The film is directed by Tzortzis Grigorakis, the filmmaker behind Digger, and produced by Christina Stavropoulou and Nikolas Alavanos of FIlmiki Productions.
The protagonists, Christos Passalis and Konstantina Messini, along with the entire crew, will be present throughout this year’s Festival to capture its hidden stories and behind-the-scenes moments.
PODCAST SECTION
A total of 10 podcasts compete in the Festival’s Podcast Competition Section, vying for the Best Podcast Award, which carries a €2,000 cash prize. Audiences will also have the opportunity to enjoy 13 additional podcasts in the Nexus section.
The 28th TDF will also present the ENS Louis Lumière – French Institute of Greece Award for Emerging Audio Documentary Creator, in collaboration with the Louis Lumière School and the French Institute of Greece.
PUBLICATIONS
• The Festival’s special bilingual edition on archives includes texts by academics, artists and journalists.
• The beloved UnCatalogue is titled Out of Archive.
• First Shot will be dedicated to the filmography platform.
The Festival programme and further information about the films are available at www.filmfestival.gr. Ticket pre-sales begin on Tuesday, March 3.
