Film festivals owe a great deal of their prestigious and influential position in the festival network to the success of their market. A strong market is what makes a strong festival. The better the unfinished projects presented in the market, the better the festival. The Agora Doc Market of the 22nd Thessaloniki Documentary Festival is on an upward trajectory and is the most important market in Southeast Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle Eastern regions.

For the first time, the Agora Doc Market presents three initiatives that aim to boost film production in our region.

1. Thessaloniki Pitching Forum, a co-production and co-financing platform for creative, television and new media documentaries.
2. Agora Lab, a development workshop, where internationally acclaimed documentary experts offer free guidance to Greek filmmakers, who have projects at the editing stage.
3. Doc Counseling offers one-on-one advisory sessions to documentary filmmakers.

Aiming to strengthen the Agora Doc Market, the Festival presents a Golden Alexander award, which will be bestowed upon important figures of the audio-visual sector for their achievements in documentary. The first Golden Alexander award in the history of Agora Doc Market will be bestowed to sales agent Catherine le Clef. Le Clef is considered one of the best-connected figures in the world of documentary sales. As a sales agent she has taken on award-winning docs such as: Citizenfour, Cameraperson, Communion, Sonita, Our Time Machine, Five Broken Cameras, China’s Van Goghs, Last Train Home.

With the support of the European program Creative Europe MEDIA, the Agora presents more than 400 documentaries in its digital video library (in collaboration with Cinando).

Among the, more than 170, industry professionals there are representatives from TV channels and buyers: ARTE (France), Histoire (France), HOT DOCS (Canada), WGBH/PBS (USA), RTP 1&2 (Portugal), VRT (Belgium), CAT&DOCS (France), RISE AND SHINE (Germany), VENICE INTERNATIONAL FILM CRITIC’S WEEK (Italy), DECKERT DISTRIBUTION (Germany), RADIO&TV (Bosnia & Herzegovina), CINEPHIL (Israel), FID MARSEILLE (France), FILMS TRANSIT (Canada), AL JAZEERA DOCUMENTARY CHANNEL (Qatar), BULGARIAN NATIONAL TV (Bulgaria), SUNNY SIDE OF THE DOC (France), MONTREAL INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL (Canada), RADIO & TV (Slovakia), TG4 (Ireland), TRT WORLD (Turkey), RTS (Switzerland) and more.

AGORA DOCS IN PROGRESS

Wednesday March 11 2020, 10.00-13.00, Tonia Marketaki Theatre, Warehouse D

The Agora Doc Market presents the Agora Docs in Progress: 11 projects from South-eastern Europe and the Mediterranean region participate in closed sessions exclusively for Thessaloniki’s invited industry professionals, sales agents, distributors, producers and festival programmers.

The 2|35 post-production company offers the main DiP award (post-production services), which is accompanied by a free accreditation and accommodation for the Visions du Réel festival next April (more details below). The MuSou company offers an award for music and sound services and the Greek Film Centre offers an award of 3,000 euro in cash. For the first time, Neaniko Plano will present an award for Subtitling.

The international Agora Docs in Progress jury consists of:

Anja Dziersk, Rise and Shine World Sales, Germany
Giona Nazzaro – Venice International Film Critics’ Week & Visions du Réel, Italy
Vicky Miha, asterisk*, Greece

The Pitching Training will be supervised by documentary consultant and programmer Anna Glogowski (It’s All Real).

ACTS OF LOVE Direction Isidore Bethel, Co-direction Francis Leplay, Production Lucie Rego, Pauline Tran Van Lieu - Hutong Productions, Co-production Jamie Gonçalves - Sin Sitio Cine, France, USA
AFFECTIVE GEOGRAPHY Direction Mari Moraga, Production Eduarda Galvão - Súbita Filmes, Co-production Mário Patrocínio, Luis Campos - BRO Cinema, Brazil, Portugal
DISPLACED IN HEAVEN (working title) Direction - Production Khaled Jarrar, Jenin Films, Co-production Thomas Kaske, Kaske Film, Palestine, Germany, Qatar
EPIC OF A STONE Direction Sean Wang, Production Jia Zhao - Muyi Film, Co-production Zijian Wang - Black Fin, Valérie Montmartin - Little Big Story, Rea Apostolides, Yuri Averof - Anemon Productions, The Netherlands, China, France, Greece
ESPERANTO Direction - Production Stratis Chatzielenoudas, Greece
A HAPPY MAN Direction Soňa G. Lutherová, Production Maros Hecko – Azyl Production, Peter Veverka, Nova Prospekt, Co-production Filip Čermák, Slovakia, Czech Republic
IF IT’S NOT OK IT’S NOT THE END Direction - Production Salvador Muñoz, Co-production Raul Mora Jorquera, Producciones Minúsculas, Greece, Spain
LAND OF MILK AND HONEY Direction Gonzalo Recio, Co-direction Héctor Domínguez-Viguera, Carlos Mora, Production Andrés Díaz, Zerkalo Films, Spain
MADE IN VAIN Direction Michael Klioumis, Production Louizos Aslanidis, Ekso Productions, Co-production Michael Klioumis, Greece
Q Direction - Production Jude Chehab, Development Production Rita Baghdadi, Chehab Films, USA, Lebanon
TARGUIA Direction Leila Artese Benhadj, Production Justin Pechberty, Les Valseurs, France, Algeria

THESSALONIKI PITCHING FORUM    

Monday, March 9 (09.00–14.00) / open to the public

Thessaloniki Pitching Forum is the new co-producing and co-financing platform of the TDF for creative and TV documentaries, as well as for new media documentaries (virtual and enhanced reality). The participants will have the opportunity to discuss their projects, to receive feedback and advice during a two-day lab and prepare for pitching with the help of documentary professionals. Then, they pitch their projects to a panel of industry professionals and have one-on-one meetings with financiers, international decision makers and representatives of the international audiovisual sector.

The Thessaloniki Pitching Forum consists of Group Work (7-8/3, Warehouse C & Takis Kanellopoulos Theatre), Pitching day (9/3, 09.30–14.00, Pavlos Zannas Theatre) and the Roundtable Meetings (9/3 – 15.00-18.00 & 10/3 – 09.00-18.00, Warehouse C).

The awards of the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum are: The Thessaloniki Pitching Forum Award (2,000 euro), the ERT – Thessaloniki Pitching Forum Award (2,000 euro) to a Greek project, the Mediterranean Film Institute Award (MFI Script2Film Workshop), that offers a DocLab scholarship worth 2,500 euro, as well as accommodation in Nisyros and Rhodes islands where the MFI takes place). Further awards are: the DAE - Documentary Association of Europe Award (Consultation and free membership), the Aylon Productions Digital Services Award (Digitization by Aylon Productions) and the Beldocs Award (Accommodation and Accreditation for the next International Documentary Festival Beldocs).

The international jury of the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum consists of:

Heidi Tao Yang, Hot Docs Film Funds - Canada
Gitte Hansen, First Hand Films - Switzerland
Hanka Kastelicová, HBO Europe - Czech Republic

The Thessaloniki Pitching Forum Panel of Commissioners comprises of:

Kenan Aliyev, Current Time TV, USA
Magdalena Borowska, TVP, Poland
Maëlle Guenegues, CAT&Docs, France
Devin Karambelas, WGBH/PBS, USA
Hanka Kastelicová, HBO Europe , Czech Republic
Sabine Lange, ARTE, France
Fabio Mancini, RAI, Italy
Choy Lin Mok, TRTWorld, Turkey
Jan Rofekamp, Films Transit, Canada
Depi Vrettou, ERT, Greece
Heidi Tao Yang, HotDocs, Canada
Debra Zimmerman, WMM, USA

The tutors of the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum are:

Gitte Hansen | Deputy Director, First Hand Films – Switzerland
Brian Hill | Documentary Director, Managing Director, Century Films – UK
Ove Rishøj Jensen | Consultant, Paradiddle Pictures – Denmark
Paula Vaccaro | Producer, Consultant, Pinball London – UK

Renowned film editor Jesper Osmund will be offering advice to participants.

The projects are:

1. BARK OF A STARVING DOG (working title) Direction Ketevani Kapanadze, Production Ana Tsimintia, This Street Hurts Me, Georgia
2. BOYLESQUE Direction Bogna Kowalczyk, Production Tomasz Morawski, Katarzyna Kuczyńska, Haka Films, Poland
3. DEAD SEA GUARDIANS Direction Ido Glass, Yoav Kleinman, Production Kleinman & Glass, Co-production Linda Goldstein Knowlton, Israel, USA
4. EXILE(S) Direction Giorgos Iliopoulos, Production Sofia Exarchou, Greece
5. EXPEDITION 49 Direction Alisa Kovalenko, Co-author Stephane Siohan, Production Stephane Siohan, East Roads Films, Co-production Valery Kalmykov, Trueman Production, Ukraine, France
6. FED CUP 86 Direction Adam Sedlak, Production Vratislav Šlajer, Jakub Košt´ál, Bionaut, Co-production Ludka Kierczak, Kosmonaut, Raketa, Czech Republic, In collaboration with Eurodoc
7. KARAOKE NATION Direction Einari Paakkanen, Production Marianne Mäkelä, Napafilms, Co-production Stina Gardell, Mantaray Film & Stefan Kloos, Kloos & Co, Finland, Sweden, In collaboration with MFI
8. LP Direction Luca Lancise, Production Simone Catania, Michele Fornasero, Indyca, Italy
9. MACHIAS 5AM Direction Pauline Lietar, Production Jennifer Deschamps, Little Big Story, France
10. MIGHTY AFRIN Direction Angelos Rallis, Production Maria del Mar Rodriguez, Angelos Rallis, AR Productions, Co-production Birgit Kemner, Manny Films, Greece, France
11. THE STATE OF ISRAEL VS HANEEN ZOABI Direction Noa Ben Hagai, Production Osnat Trabelsi, Trabelsi Productions, Co-production Paul Cadieux, Filmoption International, Israel, Canada
12. A STEADY JOB Direction Mattia Colombo, Gianluca Matarrese, Production Giovanni Donfrancesco, Altara Films, Co-production Jasmina Sijercic, Bocalupo Films, Italy, France
13. STRANDHZA Direction Pepa Hristova, Production Julia Cöllen, Karsten Krause, Fünferfilm, Co-production Martichka Bozhilova, Agitprop, Germany, Bulgaria
14. STRAY BODIES Direction Elina Psykou, Production Antigoni Rota, Jungle Films, Co-production Contrast Film, Doc Lab, Red Carpet Films, Anemon Productions, Greece, Switzerland, Italy, Bulgaria

 

Agora Lab

A new Agora Doc Market initiative: The Agora Lab offers sessions, where experienced editors and doc professionals guide filmmakers along sharpening and fine-tuning their projects toward their final cut, boosting their individual strengths and navigating them through the tricky terrain of festival strategy. These projects are selected from the Docs in Progress pool of submissions.

ARRAFA: WHERE DEAD PEOPLE USED TO LIVE, Direction Marios Kleftakis, Isavella Alopoudi, Production Isavella Alopoudi, Marios Kleftakis, Greece
EVERYTHING YOU SAY ABOUT ME | OTI VAKERESA MANGE, Direction - Production Evaggelia Goula, Greece
Ι_LEFT, Direction - Production Yolanda Markopoulou, POLYPLANITY Productions, Co-production Kaj Holmberg, Why Not Films, Greece, Germany
ΜΕΜΕΝΤΟ, Direction Nikos Ziogas, Production Αntigoni Gavriatopoulou, A&G Films Media Entertainment, Greece
WHEN I MEET MY FRIENDS, Direction Yannis Karydas, Production Chrysanthi Goula, Squeezer Films, Co-production Alexis Anastasiadis, Artcut, Greece

The consultants are: 
Cecilie Bolvinkel 
Documentary consultant, producer, Rough Cut Service - Finland
Francois Sculier
Editor, director, trainer – France
Philippe Bellaïche
Director of Photography, director – Israel

MEET THE FUTURE

A spotlight on up-and-coming documentary filmmakers from the Balkan and Southeast European region, who are at the beginning of their promising career. This year the focus is on Serbia.

Serbians directors participating in Meet the Future will introduce themselves to the industry professionals and will present material from their upcoming film.

The participant directors are:

Danilo Cekovic
Vanja Kovacevic
Tea Lukac
Luka Papić

Award-winning producer Konstantinos Kontovrakis (Heretic) will be the tutor for the presentation.

Doc Counseling, March 8-13, 2020

A new service offered to attending filmmakers providing hands-on, one-on-one consultancy sessions on topics such as: festival strategy, documentary funding, distribution, Media desk help, TV buys, social media and marketing among others.

The participating experts are:

Anna Kasimati –Creative Europe MEDIA
Jan Rofekamp –Films Transit, sales agent / consultant, Canada
Vicky Miha – asterisk*, marketing consultant / producer, Greece
Madeleine Avramoussis – Documentary expert / consultant, France
Maria Bonsanti – Eurodoc, training, France
Debra Zimmerman – Women Make Movies, producer / distributor, USA
Selin Murat – Montreal International Documentary Festival & DAE, programmer, Canada
Ilias Georgiopoulos, Danaos Films, distributor, Greece
Antigoni Papantoni, Heretic Outreach, acquisitions, Greece
Francis Kandel, TV Broadcast, Canal Plus, France

Agora Doc Market Masterclass

SCRIPTING THE UNSCRIPTED By Alexandre O. Philippe

Wednesday March 11, 18.00-19.00, Stavros Tornes Theatre, Warehouse 1

Documentaries are often referred to as “non-scripted" or "unscripted content,” while their fiction counterparts are called “narratives.” Yet, documentary filmmakers are beholden to the same principles of dramatic structure, storytelling, character development, movement, tempo, and visual syntax. The process of non-fiction filmmaking poses challenges that are unique to the form, but documentaries can—and often should—be scripted. In this masterclass, two-time Sundance alum Alexandre O. Philippe will demonstrate the necessity of structuring and scripting your “unscripted” stories, the value of writing a screenplay in lieu of searching for a narrative arc in the editing room, and provide a variety of techniques for documentary filmmakers looking to perfect their storytelling skills. 

MOVING DOCS

Documentary Film Audiences in Europe: Findings from the Moving Docs Survey

Friday March 13 2020, 11.00-12.30, Agora Hub, Warehouse C

In December 2019, Moving Docs and the European Documentary Network – in partnership with Europa Cinemas, Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Docs Barcelona, Doc Lounge, IceDocs, Rise & Shine, CineDoc Greece and the Panteion University of Greece – launched a survey on documentary film audiences in Europe. Available in seven languages, it received over 1,500 responses. In this presentation, project leader Dr Huw D Jones (University of Southampton, UK) will summarize the survey findings. His presentation will examine who watches documentary films in Europe, how often they watch such films on different platforms, and what would encourage them to watch more documentaries. It will also examine why audiences watch documentary films and how they are affected by this viewing experience. The report will help Moving Docs’ partners, documentary distributors and festival programmers learn more about their audiences and offer practical advice about how to better reach and engage more diverse ages and interest groups.

COLLABORATION WITH VISIONS DU RÉEL

The Thessaloniki Documentary Festival and Visions du Réel (Switzerland) are happy to announce their collaboration for 2019 - 2020. The two festivals and their Markets (Agora and Industry respectively) agree on mutual exchange and screening of six national films in their Doc Market and Media Library.

The Greek films participating in the 22nd TDF that will take part in Visions du Réel in April are the following:

EXPRESS SCOPELITIS, 70΄

Direction Aimilia Milou 
Production Antigoni Gavriatopoulou, AG FILMS
Co-production Giannis Exintaris, N-TRANCE LT

FOURTH CHARACTER, 81΄

Direction Katerina Patroni
Production Eleni Chandrinou
Co-production Maria Kontogianni, Michalis Sarantinos, STEFICON

MUSIC OF THINGS, 90΄

Direction Menios Karayannis
Production Menios Karayannis

SPIROS AND THE CIRCLE OF DEATH, 56΄

Direction Dimitrios Kafidas, Linos Kafidas
Production Dimitrios Kafidas, Linos Kafidas

SUNDAYS, 81΄

Direction Alethea Avramis
Production Yorgos Karnavas, Konstantinos Kontovrakis, Heretic
Co-production Mathieu Bompoint, Mezzanine Films

THE UNKNOWN ATHENIANS, 76΄

Direction Angeliki Antoniou
Production Angeliki Antoniou