The concurrent AGORA film market played host to the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum and the Docs in Progress sidebar.
But the short answer was no.
I feel that our competition sections are pretty great.
A pier that serves as the hub for the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival.TiDF
Stray Bodieswon two Special Mentions after causing an uproar at the festival.
Abortion, IVF treatments and assisted suicide are among the services being sought by protagonists of the film.
Right-wing protesters and the Greek Orthodox Church expressed outrage over the documentary.
Head of ProgrammingYorgos KrassakopoulosTiDF
Local authorities called in riot police to head off the potential for violent demonstrations around the films premiere.
TheStray Bodiesposter, depicting a pregnant Virgin Mary-like figure nailed to a cross, also offended some conservatives.
The director told Variety, With the film, we want to open a dialogue.
And we thought, with the poster, we could open a dialogue.
But now, theres no dialogue.
There are only monologues.
Religious and political conservatives in Greece have been roiled by growing acceptance of LGBTQ rights.
Krassakopoulos, the head of programming, told us TiDFs program reflected these major developments in Greece.
One of our main tributes was in queer documentaries, he observes.
And this is how the idea of programming and planning a tribute to queer documentary came about.
He continues, In a way, you never program or you never work in an echo chamber.
So, you always are influenced by things that are happening around you.
He says the festival takes particular care to ensure a positive experience for filmmakers.
We pride ourselves on our Q&As… People are really interested in what you are showing them.
They want to know more, not like how many days did that take to shoot, but deeper.
And Thessaloniki is also a very hospitable city, and the food is amazing and that does not hurt.
