Beyond Borders travels to Istanbul September 20-21 2025

The award-winning films of the 9th Beyond Borders | Kastellorizo International Documentary Festival will be showcased in a special two-day event at the Istanbul Sinematek!

Following the highly successful and celebratory 10th edition of the Festival (August 24–31, 2025), Beyond Borders expands its horizons once again, crossing borders to dock at the Istanbul Sinematek for two days of screenings, from September 20-21, and thought-provoking discussions.

In collaboration with the Istanbul Sinematek, Beyond Borders will present—for the second time in Turkey, continuing its fruitful partnership—a curated selection of award-winning films from its 9th edition.

With film screenings, bold conversations and cultural exchange, audiences in Turkey will have the opportunity to experience stories from around the world that stood out during the 9th edition of the Festival for their exploration of lesser-known aspects of history, their social sensitivity, originality of ideas, and artistic value.

As the Festival’s President, Irini Sarioglou, stated:

“Bringing Beyond Borders to Istanbul has been a long-held dream—a chance to reach those who may not be able to travel to the remote yet enchanting Kastellorizo. Through this journey, we aim to show that culture and dialogue have the power to unite worlds and perspectives. Our ongoing partnership with the Istanbul Sinematek, now in its second year, proves exactly that. We are proud to present these films—works of courage, humor, and truth—that deserve to travel as far as possible. We look forward to welcoming you for two unforgettable nights of cinema in Istanbul, carrying the warmth and soul of Kastellorizo with us.”

Featured must-see films include:

I Shall Not Hate (Bronze Wreath of Megisti) by Canadian director Tal Barda, which had its Greek premiere at the Festival. The film follows Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, the first Palestinian doctor working in an Israeli hospital, whose ethic of forgiveness and reconciliation is deeply tested when an Israeli tank shells his home, killing his three daughters.
Monument (Golden μicro Phoenix) by Maksim Avdeev, Russia, 2024, 15’ – Greek Premiere – a reflection on family, identity, and the abyss of ideology through the story of a father and his gay son.
Searching for Rodakis (Mediterranean Friendship Award) by Kerem Soyyilmaz, Turkey, 2023, 57’ – a moving discovery of a 17-year-old girl’s tombstone during the renovation of an old house near Istanbul.
Loxi (Best Greek Documentary Award) by Thanasis Kafetzis and Dimitris Zachos, Greece, 2024, 87’ – portraying Loxandra, a young woman with Down syndrome who becomes the first person with a disability to sign an acting contract with Greece’s National Theatre.
Koka (Golden Wreath of Megisti – Grand Prix) by Aliaksandr Tsymbaliuk, Poland, 2024, 47’ – Greek Premiere – depicting the relationship between a father and son living on the edge of the world near the Bering Sea.
Sister of Mine (Silver μicro Phoenix) by Mariusz Rusinski, Poland, 2023, 30’ – Greek Premiere – exploring the circumstances that led a talented teenager into drug addiction.

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

🎟️ Free entry for the public

📍 Venue: Sinematek / Sinema Evi, Osmanağa, Hasırcı Sk. No:16, 34714 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Turkey

For more information, visit www.beyondborders.gr or contact us at info@beyondborders.gr.

Screening Program

Saturday, September 20

16:00 – Searching for Rodakis by Kerem Soyyilmaz (Special Mediterranean Friendship Award)
17:30 – I Shall Not Hate by Tal Barda (Bronze Wreath of Megisti) – Greek Premiere
19:00 – Monument by Maksim Avdeev (Golden μicro Phoenix) – World Premiere

Sunday, Septemeber 21

16:00 – Koka by Aliaksandr Tsymbaliuk (Golden Wreath of Megisti – Grand Prix) – Greek Premiere
17:15 – Sister of Mine by Mariusz Rusinski (Silver μicro Phoenix) – Greek Premiere
18:00 – Loxy by Dimitris Zachos & Thanasis Kafetzis (Best Greek Documentary Award)

ABOUT THE FILMS

I Shall Not Hate – Tal Barda, Canada, 2024, 90’ – Greek Premiere
From the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza to the University of Toronto and Israel’s Supreme Court, I Shall Not Hate traces the uncharted journey of Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, the first Palestinian doctor to work in an Israeli hospital delivering babies. His ethic of forgiveness and reconciliation faces its ultimate test when an Israeli tank shells his home, killing his three daughters. Against all odds, he transforms his tragedy into a global campaign to eradicate hatred. Following the Hamas attack on October 7 and the subsequent war in Gaza, Dr. Abuelaish’s journey has become even more crucial to envisioning a future for both Palestinians and Israelis. This film is a letter of tolerance from a profoundly inspiring man with a message more urgent than ever.
Tal Barda is a French-American documentary filmmaker and producer born and raised in Jerusalem. A Greenhouse Film Programme and SIMA (Global Impact Media Awards) winner, and Tribeca Film Fund grantee, Tal’s diverse body of work has been screened at major international festivals and theaters worldwide. She has collaborated with broadcasters such as HBO, ARTE, BBC, CBC, ZDF, and IKON. Her most recent work, Criminal File 512, a three-part docuseries, became the most-watched documentary series on Israeli television in 2022. Her previous films include Woman of Valor (Israeli Academy Awards nominee, 2022), 100 Million Views (YesDocu/ZDF), Family in Transition (Best Film Award at DocAviv 2019), and The Wonderful Kingdom of Papa Alaev (ARTE, CNC, IKON, Channel 8, Greenhouse, Tribeca Film Fund).

Monument – Maksim Avdeev, Russia, 2024, 15’ – Greek Premiere
A deeply personal exploration of family, identity, and the chasm of ideology, Monument captures the raw tension between director Maksim Avdeev and his father. Bound by blood yet divided by irreconcilable beliefs, their relationship survives only through archival footage. Forced into exile due to his sexuality, Maksim breaks his long silence, calling his father after 18 months of estrangement. The film emerges as an unflinchingly intimate portrait of familial rupture, as Maksim struggles with the painful realization that his father’s devotion to Russian propaganda overshadows their parent-child bond. Through this distant dialogue, Maksim embarks on an emotional journey to bridge the rift between them, navigating love, acceptance, and the relentless pull of conflicting truths.
Born in the small Russian town of Agryz, Maksim Avdeev graduated from acting school in Saint Petersburg before relocating to Berlin to escape growing dangers faced by queer individuals in Russia. There, he began his filmmaking career as a screenwriter and director. Monument is his debut film.

Searching for Rodakis – Kerem Soyyilmaz, Turkey, 2023, 57’
Chrysoula, who died in 1887 at the age of 17, was buried beneath the floor of her family home in a small village 100 kilometers from Istanbul. Thirty-seven years later, during the population exchange, her family was forced to leave her behind when they were relocated to northern Greece. Over a century later, during renovations in 2016, a filmmaker’s family living in the house discovered Chrysoula’s tombstone. Directed by Kerem Soyyılmaz, this documentary chronicles the 2016 discovery, the research into Chrysoula’s lineage, and a journey that eventually led to Thessaloniki in 2022—told through the personal experiences of the director and his family.
Born in 1984 in Beşiktaş, Istanbul, Kerem Soyyilmaz has a background in commercial filmmaking. Searching for Rodakis is his first documentary and has won four awards, including Best Film at the 30th Adana Golden Boll Film Festival. He currently lives in Copenhagen and works on film and intercultural projects between Denmark and Turkey.

Loxy – Dimitris Zachos & Thanasis Kafetzis, Greece, 2024, 87’
Loxandra, a young woman with Down syndrome, becomes the first person with a disability to sign an acting contract with Greece’s National Theatre. Leaving her hometown and familiar routines, she travels to Athens to join the National Theatre’s professional ensemble. Over six months, Loxi rehearses, makes friends, falls in love, faces challenges, and persistently fights for accessibility in practice—breaking stereotypes one step at a time.
• Dimitris Zachos (Director): Studied Film at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. His thesis film Penguins earned awards in Greece and abroad. His 2020 film Dive won accolades at the 43rd Drama Short Film Festival. Loxi is his first feature-length documentary, co-directed with Thanasis Kafetzis. He has designed video projections for theater productions and taught directing and acting in film schools.
• Thanasis Kafetzis (Director): Born in Thessaloniki, a graduate of Aristotle University’s Film Department, now based in Athens as a filmmaker. He worked as cinematographer and assistant director on Next Stop: Utopia (official IDFA selection, multi-award winner worldwide). Loxi is his second feature-length documentary.

Koka – Aliaksandr Tsymbaliuk, Poland, 2024, 47’ – Greek Premiere
An intimate story about the bond between a father and son living on the edge of the world near the Bering Sea—imbued with the harshness of their environment and the simplicity of childhood, the strictness of paternal guidance, and the enduring presence of love that finds its place in every corner of the planet and every heart, even one seemingly harder than stone.
Aliaksandr Tsymbaliuk, 34, was born and raised in Pinsk, Belarus. After completing studies in Sound Engineering, he pursued filmmaking at the Łódź Film School in Poland. He has worked on various projects, both fiction and documentary (The Whaler Boy by Philipp Yuryev, 2020; Draw for Change! by Anna Moiseenko, 2020; Sunburned by Carolina Hellsgård, 2019). Tsymbaliuk eventually focused on documentary filmmaking, honing his craft as a cinematographer and director. His latest major work as a cinematographer, Queendom by Agnia Galdanova, premiered at SXSW 2023 and won the NEXT:WAVE Award at CPH:DOX.

Sister of Mine – Mariusz Rusinski, Poland, 2023, 30’ – Greek Premiere
Zuzia, a highly sensitive and artistically gifted teenager, struggles with drug addiction. Her brother—also the film’s director—seeks to uncover the circumstances that led to her downward spiral.
Mariusz Rusinski is a graduate of the Wajda School and the screenwriting program at PWSFTviT in Łódź, Poland. He is currently enrolled in the directing program at the Łódź Film School. His debut short film Julia at the Seaside premiered at the 60th Krakow Film Festival and was presented at numerous festivals, including New Horizons IFF and the Pärnu Film Festival. It was also nominated for the Jan Machulski Award for Best Documentary. Rusinski is currently developing a feature film through the Screenwriting Atelier program and working on a new short film at Łódź Film School.