Beyond Borders travels to Athens 2025- Review

Great Public Response to the Three-Day Screenings of Beyond Borders International Documentary Festival in Athens

The three-day screenings of the Beyond Borders Kastellorizo International Documentary Festival received an overwhelmingly positive response from the audience. Held for the second consecutive year with the exclusive energy support of PPC, the event took place at the packed hall of the Greek Film Archive from March 28 to 30, 2025. The festival’s award-winning documentaries captivated, moved and sparked discussions, fostering a meaningful platform for dialogue and communication. The March screenings, which bring the festival’s award-winning films to Athens, have now become an annual institution, while the awarded films will also travel to the respective Cinematheques of Istanbul and Switzerland every autumn.

At the same time, Beyond Borders is gearing up for its milestone 10th edition, set to take place from August 24 to 31, 2025, in Kastellorizo, with film submissions open until April 30, 2025.

The festival’s Strategic Partner, PPC Group, played a crucial role in making the screenings freely accessible to all in Athens. As the leading energy company in Southeastern Europe, PPC actively supports the arts and culture, empowering those who shape our future—a future where culture takes center stage.

The showcased documentaries explored themes of war, memory, collective and personal struggles, and family bonds in a rapidly changing world fraught with uncertainty. The Beyond Borders Kastellorizo International Documentary Festival remains committed to highlighting carefully selected films that illuminate the most obscure and challenging aspects of reality—so that no one can claim ignorance.

One of the festival’s distinguished guests in Athens was Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, a Palestinian doctor who worked in an Israeli hospital but tragically lost his three daughters and niece in an Israeli airstrike on his home. Nominated five times for the Nobel Peace Prize, Abuelaish has traveled the world with the documentary I Shall Not Hate, which had its Greek premiere in Kastellorizo last summer, where it was honored with the Bronze Wreath of Megisti. Deeply moved, Abuelaish expressed that he had never experienced such a warm reception from both the festival and the audience as he did in Greece.

After watching the screening with his son—who was seeing the film for the first time—he addressed the standing ovation: “If I knew my daughters would be the last sacrifice for peace between Palestine and Israel, I would accept it. Sadly, the suffering continues. More than 70 of my family members have been killed to this day. I thank Beyond Borders for bringing this film, which conveys a message of hope, courage, and justice while exposing the realities of our world. Palestinians are just like you—we love life, peace, and knowledge, but we lack freedom. We want to be a free nation. This can never be achieved through violence. The world is shaking, and violence, fear, discrimination, division, and hatred dominate. I worry for future generations—what kind of world will political leaders leave them? It is time to humanize, not politicize. We are all potential victims, but we refuse to accept the role of the victim. We must raise our voices and work together to make the world a better place. There are no borders—every conflict spreads. But I will not hate, because hatred is a destructive disease. Its antidote is resilience, education, knowledge, tolerance, and kindness. If I hated, I would be paralyzed. Instead, I am determined to channel everything into a vein of equality, justice, and freedom.” He also announced that in June, he will assume leadership of a global institute for social studies at the University of Leuven in Belgium.

The festival’s opening was attended by notable guests, including Marcela Hanusová, Ambassador of Slovakia, and a high-level delegation from the Embassy of Palestine.

On the festival’s second day, the documentary Loxi by Dimitris Zachos and Thanasis Kafetzis, which won the Best Greek Documentary Award, was among the films screened. The screening was fully accessible and Dimitris Zachos engaged in discussions with the audience about the film’s creation and the significant challenges, discrimination, exclusion, and isolation faced by people with disabilities in Greece.

Beyond Borders’ President, Irini Sarioglou, stated: “For 18 years, the Hellenic History Foundation has been striving to make history the most beloved subject for the public. Once again, Beyond Borders comes to Athens to bring these precious works of art to a wider audience. We are honored and delighted by the presence of so many people here, and we promise to continue improving and growing.”

See you in Kastellorizo for the 10th edition!

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

Co-organized by: The Region of South Aegean, with the support of the Hellenic Parliament, theMinistry of National Defense, theGeneral Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, theGeneral Secretariat for the Aegean and Island Policy of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, the Greek Film Centre – Creative Greece, the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), the Embassy of Australia in Athens, the Embassy of Germany in Athens, the Embassy of Austria in Athens and the Embassy of Spain in Athens.

Find photos from the three-day event HERE. Find film stills and festival moments HERE. Watch a short video from the first day at the Greek Film Archive HERE.