13/03/2025 - The industry section of the Greek gathering has handed out 16 awards to projects at various stages of development

The Thessaloniki Documentary Festival’s Agora winners (© Thessaloniki Documentary Festival)

The winners of the 27th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival (TIDF)’s Agora were unveiled on 12 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 Leonidas Konstantarakos (Alaska Films, Greece), producer Marianne Ostrat (Alexandra Film, Estonia) and Nora Philippe (head of programme at EURODOC). They picked Highways of Hope, directed by Alexa Bakony and produced by Gábor Osváth and Veronika Gál, as the winner of the €10,000 IEFTA Award for Best Documentary in Development. The jury stated, “This project led by a young female team promises to cross European borders and break Indian stereotypes about Muslim minorities through an energetic story of emancipation. We were captivated by the main character facing a darkening world with youthful joyfulness and optimism.”

A Special Mention was given by the jury to Bugboy, directed by Lucas Paleocrassas and produced by Rea Apostolides, described as a “unique, joyful and tender coming-of-age film”. The project also received the Onassis Film Award, which comes with a cash prize of €5,000, and was “given to a documentary about being different and growing up, about all things insignificant that turn out to be important, about the small, invisible world that we often ignore. A different coming-of-age story, with a fresh perspective in the intimacy of its filming.”

Directed by Doreida Xhogu, Mama Klorin, which is being produced by Mina Dreki, received the €2,000 ERT – Thessaloniki Pitching Forum Award, intended for a Greek project in the selection, as it “is a promising journey into a very under-represented community of immigrant women working as cleaners in Greece”.

In the Docs in Progress section, the jury comprised Anna Glogowski (consultant and festival programmer), Marcella Jelić (sales and acquisitions at Split Screen and theatrical distribution coordinator at Restart), and Basil Tsiokos (senior programmer at the Sundance Film Festival). They bestowed the 2|35 Post-Production Main Award upon Magma by Mia Bendrimia, produced by Kira Simon-Kennedy, for “its deft ability to successfully transform one family's unspoken history and unresolved transgenerational trauma into an engaging investigation into contested narratives that reveal both the stories we tell ourselves and those we deliberately refuse to engage with, on both a personal and a national level”.

The Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center – Creative Greece Award, endowed with €3,000, went to Home Court by Elpida Nikou and Rodrigo Hernandez, for “crafting a warm, vibrant and uplifting portrait of friendship and the promise of dreams - and for posing under-explored and ultimately universally resonant questions of identity and belonging for second-generation migrants”.

In the Agora XR Lab, the newest initiative, a workshop dedicated to XR and new-media projects in development, the Beldocs XR Academy Award was bestowed upon a project in order to allow it to attend the next edition and meet additional XR professionals. The prize went to Imagine Farewell Station by Aristotelis Maragkos, as it “explores the fragility of memory and the inadequacy of language through an interactive time-travelling experience". The NewImages Festival Partnership Selection went to Bitxo by Lau Maquedano, and the project will thus attend the NewImages XR Market in April.

Finally, in the Agora Boost strand, the Crew United Prize, a five-year premium subscription to the Crew United platform, was given to The Groundskeeper, directed by Io Chaviara and Michalis Kastanidis. The Guidance Award from Paradiddle Pictures, providing advice on distribution, festivals, outreach and impact, was bestowed upon Magic Whistle by Avraam Goutzeloudis and Alexandros Katsis (Greece).

Here is the full list of award winners:

Thessaloniki Pitching Forum

IEFTA Award for Best Documentary in Development
Highways of Hope - Alexa Bakony (Hungary)
Producers: Gábor Osváth, Veronika Gál (Filmfabriq Ltd)

Special Mention
Bugboy - Lucas Paleocrassas (Greece/Denmark/France)
Producer: Rea Apostolides (Anemon)
Executive producer: Madeleine Avramoussis
Co-producers: Maria Stevnback Westergren (Toolbox), Adam Leibovitz (Flach Film Productions)

ERT – Thessaloniki Pitching Forum Award
Mama Klorin - Doreida Xhogu (Greece)
Producer: Mina Dreki (Marni Films)

Eurodoc Award
Taken by the White Man - Ana Sofia Fonseca (Portugal)
Producers: Daniella Rice, Ana Sofia Fonseca (Carrossel Produções)

DAE (Documentary Association of Europe) Award
The Last Summer - Jan Jurczak, Eleanora Iadkouskaya (Germany)
Producer: Frieder Schlaich (Filmgalerie 451)

Life on Pause - Anthoniy Hristov (Bulgaria)
Producer: Svetla Turnin (Documentary Media Foundation)

Aylon Productions Digital Award
My Aunties - Hazal Hanquet (Turkey)
Producers: Aslihan Altuğ, Anna Maria Aslanoğlu (Istos Film)

MFI Doc Lab Script 2 Film Workshop Award
Oh’ Heart, Don’t Be Afraid - Ana Kvichidze (Georgia/Germany)
Producer: Avtandil Khorava (Moonbow Production)
Co-producers: Natalia Imaz (Parabellum Films), Mariam Bitsadze (17/07 Productions), Niko Mikadze (Murman Original Pictures)

DOK Leipzig Accelerator Award
My Aunties - Hazal Hanquet

Docs in Progress awards

2|35 Post-Production Main Award
Magma - Mia Bendrimia (France/Algeria)
Producer: Kira Simon-Kennedy (Nazar Films)

Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center – Creative Greece Award
Home Court - Elpida Nikou, Rodrigo Hernandez (Greece/Netherlands/France/Bulgaria)
Producers: Yuri Averof, Rea Apostolides (Anemon Productions)
Co-producers: Maaike Neve, Esther Van Driesum (Bind Film), Victor Ede (Cinephage), Boris Despodov (Arthouse Blockbusters)

Neaniko Plano Subtitling Award
Tower, Sun and the Seven of Wands - Tanya Vikhreva (Georgia)
Producer: Maria Gavrilova (Marx Film GE)

Agora XR Lab

Beldocs XR Academy Award
Imagine Farewell Station - Aristotelis Maragkos (Greece)
Producer: Konstantinos Koukoulis (Πlankton Films)
Co-creator/co-producer: Dimitris Delinikolas (Emptyfilm)

NewImages Festival Partnership Selection
Bitxo - Lau Maquedano (Spain/Colombia)
Producers: Alberto López Garrido (Lamola Studios), Valet Siv Manrique (Piragna Animación), Lau Maquedano
Co-producers: Natxo Carrasco (HD Studio), Rubén Coca (Artyc Content)

Agora Boost

Crew United Prize
The Groundskeeper - Io Chaviara, Michalis Kastanidis (Greece)
Producer: Alexis Anastasiadis (FRENEL)
Co-producers: Io Chaviara, Michalis Kastanidis (Fabula Productions)

Guidance Award
Magic Whistle - Avraam Goutzeloudis, Alexandros Katsis (Greece)
Producer: Photini Economopoulou (OhMyDog Productions)

Onassis Film Award
Bugboy - Lucas Paleocrassas