9th BEYOND BORDERS, A Report from the First Two Days of Beyond Borders in Kastellorizo

KASTELLORIZO INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL

AUGUST 25 – SEPTEMBER 1, 2024

Under the patronage of H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou

Documentaries Connecting People: A Report from the First Two Days of Beyond Borders in Kastellorizo

The festival showcases bold and rare films that move and awaken audiences, books that illuminate the darkest corners of history, and forums that bring filmmakers closer together to foster co-productions. Alongside these are special screenings, workshops, and children’s activities filled with music and theater, all unfolding on an island that vibrates to the rhythm of Beyond Borders.

The festival’s strategic partner, PPC, the leading energy company in Southeast Europe, actively supports the arts and culture. As an integral part of the country’s social and economic fabric, PPC enhances dialogue with culture and the arts, backing everything and everyone that leads us into a better future—a future where culture takes center stage.

On Monday and Tuesday, the Main Competition featured films from Hungary, Turkey, France, Canada, Switzerland, and Greece. The festival’s screening program includes 36 world, international, and Greek premieres, with many of the documentaries having traveled to the world’s most prestigious film festivals, such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Locarno, Karlovy Vary, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and more.

A standout moment for the audience was Tal Barda’s I Shall Not Hate, one of the rare screenings of the film at a festival. It follows Palestinian doctor Izzeldin Abuelaish, dubbed the “Nelson Mandela of the Middle East,” who works at an Israeli hospital and whose three daughters and niece were killed by an Israeli operation in their home. Despite his deep despair, Dr. Abuelaish speaks of coexistence, describing hatred as a destructive disease, with education being the antidote.

Equally moving was Kerem Soyyilmaz’s Searching for Rodakis, where the Turkish filmmaker traces the family roots of Chrysoula, whose gravestone was found in his home after she was hastily buried there during a population exchange. “It is very important that this film is shown here,” said the director. “Kas and Kastellorizo are separated by a strip of water, and the film is a small message from the other side of the sea.” Present at the screening was Mr. Theodoros Grigoriadis, a descendant of the Rodakis family.

In Kix by Dávid Mikulán and Bálint Révész, we witness the harshness of street life for a group of boys who, in addition to facing indifference, come up against the criminal justice system in Orbán’s Hungary. Meanwhile, in The Parallel Currents, French director Pablo Chavanel discusses environmental destruction in Cambodia and development that disregards human lives. Having lived in Cambodia, Chavanel shared with the audience the collective trauma of the Khmer Rouge, which remains a taboo and a threat underpinning the current authoritarian regime.

Christos Adrianopoulos’s In the Sky of Nothingness with the least disarmed audiences with its realism and tenderness in depicting old age, ultimately telling his own personal family story. In Grandmother’s Footsteps, director Lola Peploe embarks on a deeply personal journey, tracing the steps of her artist grandmother, Cloclo, and seeking a sense of freedom in the Cycladic islands like Amorgos and Serifos, where Cloclo lived and painted.

Between screenings, audiences enjoyed a delightful musical interlude by the Aeolian Duet (Michalis Kondos and Rea Moraiti), with the piano and cello melodies ranging from the romantic nocturnes of Chopin to operatic arias and romantic pop songs with a retro vibe.

In the Panorama screenings, Leonidas Liambey’s film From Cambridge with Love made a significant impact. In this documentary, author and journalist Bruce Clark, a member of the Committee for the Return of the Parthenon Marbles, highlights the shifting sentiment in the UK towards the return of the marbles. Through interviews with younger academics, the film delves into issues like the colonial nature of the marbles’ removal, their incorrect placement in the British Museum, and the value of Pentelic marble in its homeland. “I feel like I am in the fortress of Hellenism here in Kastellorizo,” Clark remarked during the film’s presentation.

Another notable documentary was Halki – GR Eco Islands Initiative by Alexandros Skouras, which explores Halki as the first Green-Smart Island, highlighting significant initiatives by PPC. These include the construction of a photovoltaic park that significantly reduces electricity costs for island residents and the installation of four public PPC Blue charging stations, contributing to the reduction of the island’s transportation sector’s carbon footprint.

The history of Kastellorizo—a small island with a rich maritime tradition that has endured occupations by the Ottoman Empire, France, Italy, and Great Britain, was entirely burned down, deserted, and struggled to rebuild—is brought to life through the voices of its people in the documentaries At the Edge of the Aegean, Kastellorizo by Angelos Kovotsos and Irene Sarioglou, and Return by Nikos Karakostas.

On the second day of the festival, audiences were treated to two works in progress. Beyond Storytelling featured Oscar-winning actor Giuseppe Cederna, known for the legendary Mediterraneo, as he returns to Kastellorizo—a place deeply connected to his life. The screening is part of a project focusing on individuals intrinsically linked to the island. The workshop was led by academic Uri Cohen, director and producer Danae Elon, and award-winning filmmaker, writer, and photographer Liselle Mei. Another highlight was Meeting Zelenskyy by Andre Singer, which seeks to answer questions about the Ukrainian president by tracing his life from childhood under Soviet rule to his heady days as an entertainment star, through an extensive and in-depth personal interview with actor-filmmaker Liev Schreiber.

The festival also saw a strong start for its new initiative, the Co-Production Forum, with prominent directors and producers from Greece and abroad networking, sharing ideas, experiences, practices, and information. The aim is to support documentary filmmaking through collaborations and co-productions. As Michel Noll, founder of Ecrans des Mondes and artistic consultant & International Development Director of Beyond Borders, put it: “We want to create a space where creators find solutions. We don’t want films to gather dust on the shelf. Initiatives like this, the Network of Film Schools, the participation of students in the Audiovisual Pitching Lab, the micro film section with 341 submissions, and others, aim to support especially young creators. We can only survive through collaboration.” The forum featured successful co-production examples facilitated by the festival and discussions on funding challenges, the multifaceted roles of directors, the value of the unexpected in documentaries, and the role of boutique festivals like Beyond Borders in fostering innovation, independence, and highlighting the human element.

The first two days were also marked by packed book presentations. “We wouldn’t be here without such well-documented research on Kastellorizo,” said Irini Sarioglou, Artistic Director of Beyond Borders, during the presentation of Kastellorizo, At the Edge of the Aegean by Nikolaos Papanastasiou and Nikolaos Vogiatzis (published by IDISME), moderated by author and journalist Pavlos Methenitis. The Australian-Kastellorizian authors emphasized the importance of photographic material in their research, as all other archival evidence had been destroyed. “As Greeks of Australia, it is our duty not only to come and restore our homes but to know our ancestors’ past and traditions. We endured because we had something solid to hold onto—our culture, which was action, not words,” they said.

Another highly anticipated presentation, moderated by academic Matteo Compagnolo, featured Bruce Clark’s book Twice a Stranger (published by Granta Books London), which explores the population exchanges between Greece and Turkey through historical analysis and primary research, including interviews. The discussion touched on themes of memory, the sense of otherness among populations in their host countries, minority language issues, the arrogance of authorities, the impact of population exchanges on urban landscapes, mixed marriages, and more. “The book is both an invitation and a challenge,” it was noted. “It invites Greeks and Turks to reconsider a significant part of national consciousness shaped by the national myths of the 20th century. The book, in an accessible way, urges readers to choose a path that frees them from old reflexes leading to permanent deadlock.”

During the mornings and afternoons of the first two days, the island was filled with children eagerly awaiting the performances of Alexandros Melissinos’ Shadow Theater, where they delighted in the adventures of Karagiozis and Odysseus on the Island of the Cyclops or the Labors of Hercules. In the mornings, Lily Tegou and Niki Gkountoumi took the children on a journey into the world of music and dance, accompanied by live music (guitar and piano), teaching them songs and forming a small orchestra where the children played percussion instruments from the Orff system.

Photos from the first two days can be found here, along with clips from the films. The trailer for the 9th edition is available here.

Check out the festival’s daily schedule here and the full program here.

For more information, visit www.beyondborders.gr or contact the festival at info@beyondborders.gr. Stay tuned for all the news and updates from Beyond Borders by following the festival on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Organized by the Hellenic History Foundation (IDISME) in collaboration with the French Ecrans des Mondes.

Co-organized by the South Aegean Region and supported by the Hellenic Parliament, the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Ministry of National Defense, the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the General Secretariat for the Aegean and Island Policy of the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy, the National Centre of Audiovisual Media and Communication (EKOME), the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, the Greek Film Centre, the Australian Embassy in Athens, the German Embassy in Athens, the Austrian Embassy in Athens, and the Spanish Embassy in Athens.