Editor

Coming up with an extensive coverage and dailies do not miss the 12th THESSALONIKI DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL - Images of the 21st Century - MARCH 12 – 21, 2010

The parallel events of the 12th TDF include the Doc Market and several industry-related activities, as well as Panel Discussions, Masterclasses and Exhibitions.

The International Doc Market, introduced in 1999, will be held in the Byzantium hall at the 1st floor of the Electra Palace Hotel at Aristotelous Sq next to the Festival headquarters, providing a substantial space to its participants, outfitted with 30 digital, fully equipped booths for private viewing of the Market films. The market, organized in cooperation with the Greek Public Television (ERT S.A.) and with the support of the Media Program of the European Union, caters to the needs of television networks from European countries and a wide range of professionals from various parts of the world.

For the first time this year, the Doc Market will go Digital. All participants will have the opportunity to watch documentaries without the use of DVDs or VHS; all films will be easily located in the “digital library” in each of the booths.

Approximately 60 buyers will be attending from Europe, the USA and Canada, among them:
Madeleine Avramoussis (Arte - France), Linde Dehner (ZDF-ARTE - Germany), Beatrice Desinte-Fumier (RTBF - Belgium), Anne Grolleron (Histoire - France), Lorraine Hess (Link TV - USA), Marijke Huijbregts (AVRO - The Netherlands), Francis Kandel (Canal+ - France), Anna Kowalewska-Onaszkiewicz (Polish Television - Poland), Milorad Lapcevic (RTS - Serbia), Jenny Westergard (YLE - Finland) and Tomi Nakuci (RTSH Albanian Television - Albania). Approximately 480 films will be available in this year’s Doc Market.

PITCHING FORUM 2010

March 17 – 21
Open Pitching Sessions: Pavlos Zannas Theatre, Saturday, 20 March, 10.00-15.00 / Sunday 21 March, 10.00-13.00
The Pitching Forum – Docs In Thessaloniki, running since 2001 in collaboration with the European Documentary Network -a member-based organisation for professionals working with documentary feature projects- gives local and foreign documentary professionals the opportunity to have their projects pitched to a panel of international financiers, commissioning editors and representatives of the international audiovisual media. During the five-day program, 21 projects will be presented in the Pitching Forum.

PITCHING FORUM 2010 PROJECTS:

1. 30 Years of Darkness, Produced by: Olmo Figueredo González-Quevedo, La Claqueta, Spain, Directed by: Manuel H. Martín
2. Anita, Produced by: Alessandro Carroli, Kiné Produzioni Audiovisive, Italy, Directed by: Luca Magi
3. Armed Band, Produced by: Andrea Patierno, Todos Contentos y yo tambien, Italy, Directed by: Francesco Patierno
4. Beyond the Ice, Produced and directed by: Alessandro Pavone, Koine Films, UK
5. Cuba of India, Produced by: Monika Braid, Braidmade Films, UK, Directed by: Maciej Gorski
6. The Dolphin, Produced by: Judith Manassen-Ramon, Dani Menkin and Yonatan Nir, Israel, Directed by: Yonatan Nir and Dani Menkin
7. Giacomo Puccini: My Mystery Is Hidden in Me, Produced by: Luca Gianfrancesco and Sinisha Juricic, Enclave and Nukleus Film, Italy/Croatia, Directed by: Luca Gianfrancesco
8. The Great Book Robbery, Produced by: Alexandra Jansse, Xela Films, The Netherlands, Directed by: Benny Brunner
9. Life in a City Full of Errors, Produced by: Loukas Valentis, White Room Team, Greece, Directed by: Myrto Papadogeorgou
10. The Man who Built Shanghai, Produced by: Réka Pigniczky, 56 Films, Hungary, Directed by: Pierre-Olivier Francois and Réka Pigniczky
11. Manchester United from Svishtov, Produced by: Dragomir Keranov and Stanimir Trifonov, Vreme Film Studio, Bulgaria, Directed by: Stefan Valdobrev
12. Nitrate Flames, Produced by: Christian Fredrik Martin, Friland, Norway, Directed by: Mirko Stopar
13. Our School, Produced by: Mona Nicoara, Sat Mic Film, USA, Directed by: Mona Nicoara and Miruna Coca-Cozma
14. Pause, Produced and directed by: Mahboubeh Honarian, VeraMedia, Canada/Iran
15. Persona Non Grata, Produced by: Ingun Olsen, Sevensisters Films, UK, Directed by: Shira Lavy
16. Serbia's Hidden War: The Story Behind Brice Taton's Murder, Produced by: Michael Truckenbrodt, time prints Filmproduktion, Germany, Directed by: Milan Miletic
17. Slaves of the Gods, Produced by: Cibele Haas, Bang Bang Teo, Ireland, Directed by: Mark Mc Loughlin
18. The Striptease Day, Produced by: Bogdan Craciun and Tudor Giurgiu, Libra Film, Romania, Directed by: Tudor Giurgiu
19. The Towers of Silence, Produced by: Magnus Briem and Pavlos Roufos, Schadenfreude Films, Greece, Directed by: Fani Behraki
20. Violence, Produced by: Stina Gardell, Mantaray Film, Sweden, Directed by: Ewa Cederstam
21. The Wife is Boss, Produced by: Vidar Nordli Mathisen, relation04media, Norway, Directed by: Karl Emil Rikardsen

PITCHING FORUM 2010 COMMISSIONING EDITORS:

Madeleine Avramoussis, ARTE G.E.I.E., France
Vera Bonnier, SVT, Sweden
Kathrin Brinkmann, ZDF/ARTE, Germany
László Demeter, DUNA TV, Hungary
Irene Gavala, ERT, Greece
Flora Gregory, Al Jazeera English, UK
Marijke Huijbregts, AVRO, The Netherlands
Cynthia Kane, ITVS, USA
Wim Van Rompaey, Lichtpunt, Belgium
Kostas Spiropoulos, SKAI, Greece
Jenny Vestergard, YLE, Finland
Philippa Kowarsky, Cinephil, Israel
PARALLEL EVENTS

MASTERCLASSES & PANEL DISCUSSIONS

PANEL DISCUSSION: DOCUMENTING REALITY - ETHICAL ISSUES IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Monday 15/03, 11:00 – 14:00, John Cassavetes Theater
Digital technology has significantly altered the documentary filmmaking process and aesthetics; consequently, the ethics of the documentary practice are also affected in various manners. Award-winning documentary filmmaker, producer, author and currently lecturer at the University of Sussex Wilma de Jong, will head a group of panelists who will discuss documentary ethics in the digital age.

PANEL DISCUSSION: THE EARTH AFTER COPENHAGEN
Wednesday 17/03, 11:00 – 14:00, John Cassavetes Theater
Motivated by the unsuccessful world summit on climate change that was held in Copenhagen on 7 –18 December 2009, the panel discussion will focus on political, fiscal and social causes for this setback and will address critical environmental issues. The panel coordinator is Elias Kannelis, journalist and publisher of prestigious magazine The Athens Review of Books.

EDN MASTERCLASS: BREATHLESS - PRODUCING AND PACKAGING SHORT DOCUMENTARIES
Thursday 18/03, 15:00–17:00, AKMI Theater
Producer Stefan Kloos will discuss how short documentaries can be financed, packaged and promoted in a compelling way by focusing on the co-production Breathless. The Breathless project was established in 2008 by the foundation Zipp–German-Czech Cultural Projects, the Institute of Documentary Film (IDF) and the International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film; five shorts on the theme Breathless – Dominance of the Moment were developed from conception to post-production as part of the project.

EXHIBITIONS

EYES ON THE WORLD - Alexia Foundation for World Peace and Cultural Understanding Photography Exhibit in collaboration with the American College of Thessaloniki
Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art
March 12-21, Tue. -Thu.-Sat.: 10:00-18:00, Wed.: 10:00-22:00, Fri.: 10:00-19:00, Sun.: 11:00-15:00, Mon. closed
A photojournalism exhibit, Eyes on the World was founded after the tragic death of Greek-American photojournalism student Alexia Tsairis, victim of the 1988 terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. The Alexia Foundation supports photographers through grants and scholarships and promotes photojournalism as an agent of social change. The exhibition is composed of 88 photographs that identify cultural differences and their political effects on the world community. In the context of the exhibition, a free photojournalism workshop will take place at the American College of Thessaloniki (13 and 14/03).

STREET SONNETS – Nysos Vassilopoulos
Thessaloniki Museum of Photography
March 13 - April 12, Tue. – Fri.: 11:00-19:00, Sat. – Sun.: 11:00-21:00, Mon. closed
Nysos Vasilopoulos is a Greek photographer, cinematographer and lighting designer based in Berlin. For the past six years, his black-and-white work has focused on the German capital and its human faces, capturing moments of theatricality, loneliness or joy; in his images there is always a dialogue between the individual and the collective. The exhibition is curated by Vangelis Ioakimidis, Head of the Photography Museum of Thessaloniki.


JUST TALKING

March 14 - 19 (inclusive)
Electra Palace Hotel ground floor, Excelsior Room
16.00 – 17.30
The Just Talking event, introduced in 2006, brings filmmakers and industry professionals from various parts of the world together and creates a platform of communication, expanding the borders of creativity and forging collaboration. The event includes discussion groups of directors, journalists and buyers on a daily basis. The sessions revolve around various issues that concern filmmakers, in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Apart from the groups, all other accredited festival attendees are admitted to the sessions and can either simply listen or participate.


CONCERTS & PARTIES

12th TDF Opening Party
Friday, 12/03, 23:00, Punto Es bar & restaurant

Yiannis Aggelakas DJ set and Live
Thursday 18/03, 22.30, Residents bar
Yianis Aggelakas is perhaps the single most influential figure in the Greek rock scene of the past three decades. The front man of Tripes (i.e. Holes) a now-defunct, extremely popular band that shaped Greek rock from the 80s and 90s, he has now reinvented himself through various collaborations.

Amnesty International Party
Friday 19/03, 22:00, Cafe Bazaar
The Greek branch of Amnesty International organizes a party to celebrate its partnership with the 12th TDF.

12th TDF Closing Party
Saturday, 20/03, 23:00, Aegli