Closing Ceremony

Memorial Statue Square

At the Festival’s Closing Ceremony, Deputy Minister of Culture and representative of the Prime Minister, Iasonas Fotilas, attended and, in his address, expressed his great pleasure and honor in participating in the 10th Beyond Borders. He highlighted that this year’s edition invites audiences to delve into the truths behind the images and testimonies of people. He emphasized the power of documentary filmmaking, especially in an era of fabricated realities and easy misinformation, and the importance of documentation and personal testimony in the face of information overload.
He also noted state support through EKKOMED, with €7,600,000 allocated to approximately 200 documentaries over the past six years, and the broader backing of the film sector with €220,700,000 for 100 domestic and international productions. Referring to the recent change in the selection process for the Greek Oscar submission, he stated that he had listened to documentary filmmakers who protested their exclusion from the committee and would ensure their inclusion from next year. He concluded by wishing the Beyond Borders team continued inspiration in their outstanding work: “At the furthest point of our homeland, we show that the true and inviolable borders of our country are ultimately ourselves, the people, and our dreams.”
Stratos Amygdalos, Deputy Mayor of Culture of the Municipality of Megisti, a long-standing festival partner, delivered a warm greeting on behalf of the municipality. He remarked that the magic of cinema merges with the magic of the island and praised the dedication and passion of the festival’s team, which has transformed the festival into a central hub of culture and creativity for Kastellorizo. “The municipality believes in and supports the festival because we see it as one of the most important assets we can have,” he said.
The Municipality of Megisti honored the festival’s founder and artistic director, Irini Sarioglou, and Michel Noll, artistic advisor and director of international development, with commemorative plaques. Noll expressed his gratitude to the island and the Deputy Mayor, who from the very beginning supported the Festival, helping maintain its high standards and its capacity to continually surprise. He emphasized that Kastellorizo is a magical place, reminding us of the scale of the world and allowing us to see the “big picture.” “The Festival cultivates humanity, solidarity, and dialogue, and this is the direction we will continue to pursue,” he stressed.
Irini Sarioglou closed the ceremony with heartfelt thanks to her team, which she described as having evolved into a family, as well as to the members of the Jury, directors, producers, and the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has supported the Festival continuously since 2016. She also expressed gratitude to DEI, strategic partner of the Festival for the past three years, for its crucial contribution to ensuring smooth operations and the Festival’s dynamic development, to Panagiotis Poulakos, President of IDISME, and to local professionals and residents for their invaluable support.
“This Festival has many unique qualities: it is a Festival that honors the human being and dialogue,” she emphasized. “As long as there are genocides, wars, and any form of degradation that undermines human dignity, we will continue to provide a strong voice here and resist, not only with words but through our way of life.”
In a nod to the Festival’s ever-expanding reach, the Greece premiere of Asteroid Hunters by Thomas Marlier and Guillaume Lenel (France, 2024) was screened during the ceremony. This exciting film follows planetary scientists, astrophysicists, geochemists, and other experts who today form a global network of “sky guardians.” Their mission: to detect, observe, and study asteroids—space bodies that could be potentially destructive or provide valuable information about the formation of our solar system.
The Closing Ceremony always features live music, but this year, weather conditions created a unique surprise collaboration. Flight restrictions prevented the musicians accompanying the renowned performer Kostas Triantafyllidis from reaching the island, while maestro and pianist Miltos Logiadis and musician Christos Zerminos could not leave Kastellorizo. This led to the spontaneous creation of a “new orchestra” and a new program, which moved both the artists and the audience gathered in Hero Square. “I can’t believe I’m here playing with Logiadis and Zerminos—it’s something I’ll tell my grandchildren,” said Triantafyllidis, performing a wide range of beloved songs.
During the concert, the poem “Kastellorizo” by Maria Panagiotidou, which won first prize in a poetry competition organized by IDISME, was performed by Triantafyllidis and set to music by Andreas Anagnostopoulos.