Get to know the 11th Beyond Borders

With its central question “What remains once the obvious is removed”, Beyond Borders returns for its 11th edition. For the eleventh consecutive year, the festival transforms the island of Kastellorizo into a global meeting point for filmmakers, industry professionals, and audiences alike. It reaffirms that documentary filmmaking is not merely a medium for recording reality, but an act of shared responsibility, active engagement, and a deeper understanding of the world we inhabit.

This year’s edition chooses to turn its gaze toward what often remains unseen: human experiences that elude mainstream narratives, the subtle nuances of History, and the inherent power of documentaries to carve out spaces for open dialogue, critical thinking, and genuine empathy. In an era where geopolitical shifts, humanitarian crises, and the questioning of fundamental values redefine our collective reality, Beyond Borders remains steadfast in its mission: to spotlight stories that transcend borders, stereotypes, and certainty, while fiercely defending human rights, freedom of expression, and historical memory.

The Main Institutional Partner of Beyond Borders is EKKOMED (the Greek Center for Cinema, Audiovisual Media and Creation), the state agency dedicated to promoting Greek audiovisual production both domestically and internationally.

This year’s theme directly mirrors the festival’s own journey. Facing significant financial challenges and the ever-growing instability of cultural funding, the 11th edition of Beyond Borders was compelled to redefine its core essentials. When certainties, guaranteed grants, and the fixtures of the past are stripped away, what is it that endures? What constitutes the heartbeat that continues to give meaning and vision to a cultural institution?

It is precisely this reflection that inspired the festival’s visual identity this year, designed by Polkadot Design. Reduction is transformed into a creative act. Limitation becomes a language. The void is not treated as a deficit, but rather as a realm of possibilities—a clean canvas where the ideas, the people, and the values that forge the festival are brought into sharp focus.

As Irini Sarioglou, Artistic Director of the festival, states:

“Our central question, ‘What remains if you remove the obvious?’, serves as a springboard for deeper reflection and artistic exploration. Operating under severely limited resources and heightened precarity, we redefine our essence, viewing minimalism as a creative force. Through the art of documentary, we invite the audience to look past the self-evident and reconnect with the very core of the human experience.”

The festival received 634 submissions from 156 countries this year (375 medium and feature-length films, and 259 short films). Of the 42 films selected to compete, 35 will celebrate their Greek, International, or World Premieres. Many of these projects arrive at Kastellorizo after acclaimed runs at major international film festivals, including Berlin, Locarno, Amsterdam (IDFA), and Copenhagen (CPH:DOX). The festival is organized by the Hellenic Foundation for Historical Studies (IDISME), with the invaluable support of globally prestigious entities such as FIPRESCI, ZDF, ARTE, RAI TV, Al Jazeera, Swiss Films, and IDF Prague.

Beyond Borders will feature three screening stages:

• The Main Competition Section: Comprising 18 medium and feature-length documentaries (including 3 Greek productions).
• The μicro Competition Section: Comprising 24 short documentaries (including 5 Greek productions and co-productions).
• The Panorama Section (Out of Competition): Acting as the third stage, featuring 14 short, medium, and feature-length films, hosting daily cinematic tributes and high-impact features.

The cornerstone of this year’s Panorama is a Tribute to Swiss Documentary, organized in collaboration with and supported by Swiss Films. Audiences will have the opportunity to watch nine selected Swiss documentaries by acclaimed directors such as Christian Frei, Jacqueline Zünd, and Nicolas Wadimoff. Additionally, for the first time, in collaboration with HEAD – Genève, 4 short films created by the school’s students will be screened. This tribute forms a polyphonic mosaic of Swiss non-fiction filmmaking, capturing the evolution, audacity, and creative renewal of the genre.

Fostering international outreach and synergies with global cultural and research institutions, the 11th edition will host delegates from an honored country, media outlets, an academic institution, and a film festival:

• Honored Country: Switzerland
• Honored Media Outlets: Al Jazeera Documentary (Qatar) & Alpha TV (Greece)
• Honored Film Festival: Visions du Réel (one of the world’s leading documentary festivals)
• Honored Academic Institution: HEAD – Genève

AWARDS

A total of 10 awards will be presented across the two competition sections:

• The Golden (Grand Prix), Silver, and Bronze “Wreath of Megisti” (€2,000, €1,500, and €750 respectively), sponsored by ERT, awarded to the best films addressing historical events/personalities, current socio-political issues, and the promotion of human rights in any form.
• The EKKOMED Award (€1,000), sponsored by EKKOMED – Creative Greece, for the Best Documentary by a Greek Director.
• The “Odysseus” Award (€2,000), initiated and supported by the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy, for the Best Documentary by a Director of the Greek Diaspora.
• The #ThisisEU Award, courtesy of the Delegation of the European Commission in Greece, for the documentary that best promotes contemporary European values.
• The FIPRESCI Award, selected by the International Federation of Film Critics, for Best Film.
• The Golden, Silver, and Bronze “Phoenix” (€1,000, €750, and €500 respectively), supported by ZDF, for the best short documentary by a debut director. Winning and selected films from the μicro section will be broadcast on ZDF—one of Europe’s largest television documentary networks.

Note on the Trophy: The “Wreath of Megisti,” awarded annually to the top films of the Main Competition, is a faithful, handcrafted replica of an ancient gold wreath discovered in a burial urn on Kastellorizo in 1913, dating back to the mid-4th century BC.

JURIES

The Main Competition Jury is composed of renowned professionals from the film and audiovisual industries. The Jury President is Christian Frei, an internationally acclaimed director and producer. Joining him are Peter Arens (Head of History and Science at ZDF), Thanasis Vasiliou (director and film professor), Pimi Fasoula (Director of Communications and Marketing at Alpha TV), and Adel Ksiksi (Planning and Programming Manager at Al Jazeera Documentary).

The μicro Competition Jury features distinguished figures from journalism and cinema, presided over by Michaela Kolster (journalist and Program Director at ZDF/PHOENIX). The panel includes Thanasis Neofotistos (director), Lefteris Fylaktos (director and Head of Cultural, Educational & Children’s Programs at ERT), Marcin Kundera (director), and Aurélien Marsais (film festival programmer).

The FIPRESCI Jury consists of film critics Paola Casella, Nino Kovacic, and Robby Eksiel.

OPENING & CLOSING FILMS

The opening and closing ceremonies of the 11th edition carry special significance this year, as both selected documentaries are products of the festival’s own development programs.

The festival raises its curtain with Where Shadows Rest by Marianna Economou, which was finalized with the support of the Beyond Borders Co-Production Forum, underscoring the festival’s vital role in fostering international collaborations.

Conversely, the 11th edition will conclude with the World Premiere of Island Me A Film by Danae Elon. This cinematic portrait centers on Kastellorizo itself, capturing the history, memory, and unique identity of our frontier island.

Through these choices, both the first and final screenings of the 11th edition tangibly showcase the contribution of Beyond Borders not just as a exhibition venue, but as an incubator for the creation, collaboration, and production of new cinematic works with a global outlook.

CO-PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT FORUM & PITCHING LAB UNDER THE AUSPICES OF EKKOMED

This year, the festival launches a brand-new pilot initiative: its first Co-Production Development Forum. Greek creators and producers will have a unique opportunity to engage in one-on-one networking meetings with international commissioning editors, sales agents, and executive producers from top organizations (ARTE, Al Jazeera, ZDF, ERT). Guided by Rudy Buttignol C.M. during an intensive four-day program (August 24–27), participants will pitch and refine their selected proposals. For its inaugural year, this forum is exclusively dedicated to Greek productions or co-productions under the auspices of EKKOMED, aiming to elevate Greek cinema on the eve of the 39th European Film Awards, which Athens will host.

An integral part of the industry events is the two-day digital Audiovisual Pitching Lab, presenting 12 projects from around the world. Top-tier industry professionals will actively shape future filmmaking. Claudia Schreiner (Documentary Campus Masterschool, Germany) returns as Head Moderator. The jury is composed of students from the festival’s partner film school network: Mehmet Ferruh Kıray (Turkey), Alma Dumitras Bojescu (Romania), and Elise Le Floch (France). The winning project selected by the jury will receive sound post-production services valued at €3,000, courtesy of Eye of the North Studios – Sound Post Production Services.

FILM SCHOOL NETWORK

Placing a strong emphasis on the education and professional advancement of the next generation of filmmakers, Beyond Borders has established an innovative Film School Network comprising major film academies across Southeastern/Central Europe, the Middle East, South America, Australia, and Asia. This partnership involves entering graduation films into the μicro competition, placing students on the Pitching Lab jury, integrating them into international production teams to learn industry mechanics, and involving them in the festival’s programming committees.

Participating Schools:

• Lykourgos Stavrakos Film & Television School (Greece), Department of Film – Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), Lodz Film School (Poland), National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts (Bulgaria), Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade (Serbia), Beirut Film Institute (Lebanon), Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo (Bosnia), Faculty of Theatre and Film-UBB (Romania), Munich Film School (Germany), Film Academy Baden-Württemberg GmbH (Germany), Kadir Has University (Turkey), Maltepe University Communication Faculty (Turkey), Escuela Nacional de Cine of Venezuela (Venezuela), Australian Film Television and Radio School (Australia), Institut d’Études Scéniques Audiovisuelles et Cinématographiques (Lebanon), Creadoc Master – University of Poitiers (Γαλλία), Baltic Film, Media and Arts School (BFM) at Tallinn University (Estonia), and HEAD – Genève (Switzerland).

MASTERCLASSES

As is custom every year, masterclasses led by acclaimed documentary professionals will take place:

• Christian Frei, in his masterclass titled “Magnification That Will Endure”, will discuss the interconnected relationship between cinematography and directing, the movements of direct and observational cinema, as well as production constraints.
• Lefteris Fylaktos, in his masterclass “Window, Mirror, Bridge: Finding the Intersection”, will speak on the relationship between creator and subject beyond traditional objective observation. He will unpack the formation of a “Third Space” where personal vision meets reality, utilizing a methodological triad (the Window, the Mirror, the Bridge) to transform internal queries into conscious cinematic choices.
• Claudia Schreiner, in her masterclass titled “German PBS & Sustainable Production: Rules, Requirements, and Practices”, will present the funding rules of the German Public Broadcast System (PBS), alongside the now-mandatory European framework for sustainable production (green producing). The presentation will delve into the structure of the German market—the largest for documentary films in the EU, with a population of nearly 84 million. By analyzing the ARD and ZDF networks, their 9 independent regional stations, and a workforce of 27,000 feeding television, streaming, and cinema, this masterclass will offer a valuable guide on how to approach the right broadcasters and navigate their specific needs.

Concurrently, recognizing the support of EKKOMED – Creative Greece, Beyond Borders will host a Special Industry Information Event detailing regulatory, funding, and administrative updates in the Greek cinematic and audiovisual sectors to both domestic and international professionals.

PARALLEL CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

• Youth Screenings: In collaboration with the Chania Film Festival, documentaries by children for children will be screened, focusing on environmental awareness, reducing social inequalities, promoting equality, and lifelong learning opportunities. Held under the auspices of EKKOMED in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
• Book Presentations: Three literary events with historical, literary, and cinematic themes will occur. A highlight includes the premier presentation of the new book by Tasos Giapoutzis (Lecturer in Film Studies at the University of Essex), titled Nostalgia and Displacement in Contemporary European Cinema (Palgrave Macmillan), which explores the intricate interplay between nostalgia and displacement in modern European cinema through films like The Edge of Heaven, Tabu, Extinction, Limbo, and Nostalgia. Additionally, IDISME publications will present the first Greek edition of Twice a Stranger by Bruce Clark (edited by Irini Sarioglou and Anastasia Karastathi) and The Chronicle of Ten Days by Agapi Molyviati-Venezi.
• Children’s Workshops: The Art Bookbindery will host children’s workshops titled “Circus Trelano”. Operating on principles of sustainability and circular economy, the workshop introduces young participants to traditional bookbinding through upcycling. Using recycled paper remnants, children discover the joy of manual crafting and learn how eco-consciousness can breathe new life into waste. (Held under the auspices of EKKOMED in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals).
• Chess on the Island: The Rhodes Chess Club “Ippotis” will host lessons for children of all ages, live demonstrations, and give attendees the chance to match wits with two AI SenseRobot chess players.
• Traditional dance: teacher Lambrini Chatzifotiadi will hold lessons for primary and secondary school children, teaching them dances from various parts of Greece, including Kastellorizo, Constantinople, Thrace, and Symi, which they will then perform at the closing ceremony.
• Art Exhibition: Throughout the festival, an open-air sculpture exhibition by artist Alexandros Zygouris will be freely accessible on the island.

THE FILM PROGRAM OF THE 11TH EDITION

Main Competition Section

1. Bajau Laut – the Sea is our Home | Dir: Joo Peter | Malaysia, 62’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
2. Bugboy | Dir: Loukas Paleokrassas | Greece, 86’, 2026
3. EXILE(S), Stories of an Island | Dir: Giorgos Iliopoulos | Greece, 130’, 2026
4. Faces of War | Dir: Didier Cros | France, 66’, 2026 | International Premiere
5. Fantastique | Dir: Marjolijn Prins | Belgium – France – Netherlands, 71’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
6. Materia Prima | Dir: Jens Schanze | Germany, 89’, 2026 | Greek Premiere
7. My Father and Qaddafi | Dir: Jihan | Libya – USA, 88’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
8. Past Future Continuous | Dir: Morteza Ahmadvand, Firouzeh Khosrovani | Iran – Italy – Norway, 76’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
9. Slow Death | Dir: İlkay Nişancı | Turkey, 85’, 2026 | Greek Premiere
10. The Illusion of a Quiet Night | Dir: Olga Chernykh | Ukraine, 70’, 2026 | Greek Premiere
11. The Travelers | Dir: David Bingong | Cameroon – Spain, 60’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
12. There is Another Way | Dir: Stephen Apkon | Switzerland – USA, 67’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
13. True to our inner deamons | Dir: Tasos Goletsos | Greece, 90’, 2025
14. What Remains of our Mothers’ Loves | Dir: Cathy Dubois | France, 66’, 2025 | World Premiere
15. Yrupe | Dir: Candela Sotos | Spain, 79’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
16. All About the Money | Dir: Sinéad O’Shea | Ireland, 94’, 2026
17. Lost for Words | Dir: Hannah Papacek-Harper | France / UK, 90’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
18. Truth or Dare | Dir: Tonislav Hristov | Bulgaria, 85’, 2025 | Greek Premiere

μicro Competition Section

1. A Reconnaissance | Dir: Stefan Kruse | Denmark – Germany, 28’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
2. Anatomy of a Lost Sound | Dir: Zuko Garagić | Bosnia & Herzegovina, 19’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
3. And the Storm Dreamed of Horses | Dir: Coralie Hina Gourdon | French Polynesia – Cuba – France, 22’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
4. Averno | Dir: Filippo Maria Pontiggia | Italy, 23’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
5. Behind the Shadows | Dir: Konstantinos Potamianos | Greece – China, 13’, 2025
6. Body | Dir: Saad Zuberi & Husain Qaizar | Pakistan, 12’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
7. Emery, Marble and Vine | Dir: Orestis Rouskas | Greece, 21’, 2025
8. Every Time You Leave, You Are Born Again | Dir: Mladen Bundalo | Belgium – Bosnia & Herzegovina, 24’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
9. Heidi’s House | Dir: Johanna Sofia Heusser | Switzerland, 11’, 2026 | Greek Premiere
10. How to Listen to Fountains | Dir: Eva Sajanová | Slovakia, 10’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
11. In Between Dreams | Dir: Aritra Biswas | France, 14’, 2026 | World Premiere
12. It’s Always Ever About the Conservation of the Species | Dir: Eva Louisa Gemmer | Germany, 30’, 2025 | World Premiere
13. Just Come | Dir: Konstantina Liontou | Greece – South Africa, 21’, 2026 | World Premiere
14. Koki, Ciao | Dir: Quenton Miller | Netherlands, 11’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
15. Lake Tekapo: Guardians of the Night | Dir: Radomír Štefka | Czech Republic, 28’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
16. Light | Dir: Aner Etxebarria | Spain, 18’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
17. Our Homes Do Not Exist | Dir: Anna Lamour | France – Greece, 14’, 2025
18. Ping Pong | Dir: Tianji Yu | China, 15’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
19. Practical Italian Grammar | Dir: Daniel Cortés | Cuba – Germany – Colombia, 12’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
20. The Exhibition | Dir: Dáša Raimanová, Béla Váradi | UK, Norway, Hungary 23’, 2026 | Greek Premiere
21. When the Chair Fell Into the Void | Dir: Julia Kushnarenko | Belgium – Hungary – Portugal, 24’, 2026 | International Premiere
22. Why Are All My Friends Depressed? | Dir: Hannah Jandl, Lea Tama Springer | Germany, 25’, 2025 | International Premiere
23. With Torn Curtains | Dir: Valia Chatzichristodoulou | Greece, 25’, 2026 | World Premiere

Panorama (Out of Competition)

1. Better Not Kill the Groove | Dir: Jonathan Leggett | Switzerland, 6’, 2024 | Greek Premiere
2. Between Dogs and Wolves | Dir: Mathilde Sauvère, Khalissa Akadi | Switzerland, 13’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
3. Blame | Dir: Christian Frei | Switzerland, 122’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
4. Genesis 2.0 | Dir: Christian Frei | Switzerland / China / Russia / South Korea / USA, 112’, 2018
5. Gyaros: The Story of the Sea | Dir: Mike Bekos | Greece, 25’, 2026 | (In collaboration with WWF Greece)
6. Light of Cappadocia | Dir: Irini Sarioglou | Greece, 70’, 2025
7. Ms. President | Dir: Marek Sulik | Slovakia / Czech Republic, 108’, 2024 | Greek Premiere
8. My Homeland | Dir: Tabarak Allah ABBAS | Switzerland, 12’, 2023 | Greek Premiere
9. The Queen of New York | Dir: Valerie Kontakos | Greece / Canada, 78’, 2022
10. Reminiscence | Dir: Ira Melnichenko | Switzerland, 26’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
11. War Photographer | Dir: Christian Frei | Switzerland, 96’, 2001 | (Academy Award Nominee)
12. Where We Belong | Dir: Jacqueline Zünd | Switzerland, 78’, 2019 | Greek Premiere
13. Who is Still Alive | Dir: Nicolas Wadimoff | Switzerland / France / Occupied Palestinian Territories, 113’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
14. Forty Years Without Giancarlo Siani | Dir: Filippo Soldi | Italy, 90’, 2025 | Greek Premiere

Festival photographs can be downloaded HERE, and film stills are available HERE.

The official trailer for the 11th edition can be viewed HERE.

For more information, please visit www.beyondborders.gr or contact the festival team directly at info@beyondborders.gr.

Stay tuned for all updates and announcements by following Beyond Borders on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

The festival is held under the auspices of the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy.

Main Institutional Partner: EKKOMED

The 11th edition is realized with the support of the Hellenic Parliament, the Ministry of National Defence, the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ERT (Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation), GNTO (Greek National Tourism Organization), the Latsis Foundation, ZDF, Swiss Films, the Embassy of Germany in Athens, the Embassy of Spain in Athens, and the Embassy of Slovakia in Athens.

Main Competition Section
Bajau Laut – the Sea is our Home | Dir: Joo Peter | Malaysia, 62’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
Their homes are set on fire and their boats are destroyed: the “sea gypsies” of Malaysia, a stateless population with a rich tradition, wage an unequal struggle for survival against violent evictions and the erasure of their culture.
Bugboy | Dir: Loukas Paleokrassas | Greece, 86’, 2026
Giorgos, a shy teenager struggling with strabismus and his parents’ traumatic divorce, finds refuge in the world of insects. His unexpected connection with a cricket becomes the catalyst for a touching journey of self-discovery and coming-of-age.
EXILE(S), Stories of an Island | Dir: Giorgos Iliopoulos | Greece, 130’, 2026
One hundred years after the Treaty of Lausanne, the inhabitants of Imbros search for a new present amid ruined villages and shifted borders. A living cultural palimpsest, where memory and a difficult coexistence redefine the island’s daily life.
Faces of War | Dir: Didier Cros | France, 66’, 2026 | International Premiere
At a medical center in Lviv, Ukraine, a team of French and Ukrainian surgeons fights to reconstruct the bodies of deformed and amputated war victims. A gripping chronicle of physical and psychological rehabilitation, capturing the deep scars of Russian attacks as well as the power of human resilience.
Fantastique | Dir: Marjolijn Prins | Belgium – France – Netherlands, 71’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
14-year-old Fanta, one of the very few female acrobats in Guinea, struggles between school, caring for her sick mother, and her dream of an international tour, ultimately searching for her own voice.
Materia Prima | Dir: Jens Schanze | Germany, 89’, 2026 | Greek Premiere
The vast lithium deposits in the Bolivian Andes trigger global interest. As Europeans and South Americans negotiate the extraction of raw materials, a historical document from the 16th century comes to light, linking the colonial past with the present.
My Father and Qaddafi | Dir: Jihan | Libya – USA, 88’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
A daughter searches for traces of her father, a leader of the peaceful opposition against Qaddafi, who mysteriously disappeared. Through her mother’s multi-year struggle, she attempts to connect with a man she does not remember and to reconcile with her roots.
Past Future Continuous | Dir: Morteza Ahmadvand, Firouzeh Khosrovani | Iran – Italy – Norway, 76’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
Maryam fled to America after the Iranian revolution and never returned. Today, via security cameras, she monitors her paternal home in Iran: a fragile digital connection to the past that freezes every time the internet is cut, in a poetic documentary about exile, memory, and nostalgia.
Slow Death | Dir: İlkay Nişancı | Turkey, 85’, 2026 | Greek Premiere
The diary of an activist-researcher regarding the destruction of the Elbistan plain, which was sacrificed on the altar of development and “swallowed” by power plants and coal mines.
The Illusion of a Quiet Night | Dir: Olga Chernykh | Ukraine, 70’, 2026 | Greek Premiere
On the night of July 27, 2025, forty filmmakers simultaneously recorded life in every corner of Ukraine, from the war fronts to the occupied territories. A shocking, collective portrait of a country under constant alert.
The Travelers | Dir: David Bingong | Cameroon – Spain, 60’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
On the border between Morocco and Spain, a group of migrants experiences one failed crossing attempt after another. Equipped only with a camera and a few songs as weapons of resistance, the documentary captures their endless waiting, frustrations, and unwavering faith in a future in Europe.
There is Another Way | Dir: Stephen Apkon | Switzerland – USA, 67’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
The “Combatants for Peace” organization consists of former enemies—Israelis and Palestinians—who refuse to succumb to violence. Following the outbreak of the war and the attacks in Gaza, the movement faces its greatest challenge: keeping alive the faith that another path is possible.
True to our inner deamons | Dir: Tasos Goletsos | Greece, 90’, 2025
Somewhere between reality and magic, everyday people immerse themselves in ecstatic rituals, seeking redemption and absolute freedom. An evocative journey of physical transformation and faith, where the protagonists surrender to whatever calls them from the depths of their souls.
What Remains of our Mothers’ Loves | Dir: Cathy Dubois | France, 66’, 2025 | World Premiere
The director searches for her identity through the story of her French mother and her Senegalese father, who disappeared before she was born. A poetic, autobiographical journey that explores Africanness, social prejudices, and the memories that shaped her inner world.
Yrupe | Dir: Candela Sotos | Spain, 79’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
The search for a lost film by the pioneer of Spanish scientific cinema, Guillermo Fernández-Zúñiga, unfolds into a journey through family memories and national archives. There, the slow growth of the aquatic yrupẽ plant reveals layers of images and silence.
All About the Money | Dir: Sinéad O’Shea | Ireland, 94’, 2026
The son of one of America’s wealthiest families establishes a communist revolutionary base in rural Massachusetts to overthrow the capitalist system, initiating an unbelievable trajectory of radical ideas, betrayal, and exile.
Lost for Words | Dir: Hannah Papacek-Harper | France / UK, 90’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
Prompted by the removal of words describing nature (such as acorn or wildflower) from a children’s dictionary, the documentary travels across the United Kingdom, inviting us through the voices of scientists, artists, and children to reconnect with our environment.
Truth or Dare | Dir: Tonislav Hristov | Bulgaria, 85’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
In a Europe experiencing unprecedented polarization, an experienced investigative journalist who has received death threats confronts an engineer who fabricates and spreads false news, revealing how fake news is used to destabilize the continent.

μicro Competition Section
A Reconnaissance | Dir: Stefan Kruse | Denmark – Germany, 28’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
An experimental cinematic essay prompted by the first flight of a Frontex military drone over the Mediterranean. The film explores the invisible militarization of borders and questions whether we can ultimately resist the all-seeing power of technological surveillance.
Anatomy of a Lost Sound | Dir: Zuko Garagić | Bosnia & Herzegovina, 19’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
An experimental, hybrid film that follows the lifecycle of a radical audio recording in a paramilitary youth camp in Central Europe, unraveling the historical guilt of an entire continent.
And the Storm Dreamed of Horses | Dir: Coralie Hina Gourdon | French Polynesia – Cuba – France, 22’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
A cowboy and his horse find themselves facing a catastrophic hurricane. Amid the absolute collapse of the world around them, the two share a silent, mutual grief.
Averno | Dir: Filippo Maria Pontiggia | Italy, 23’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
In Pozzuoli, right at the center of the Phlegraean Fields crater, the earth breathes in a continuous, eerie cycle of lifting and sinking, keeping alive a latent, mystical energy of centuries.
Behind the Shadows | Dir: Konstantinos Potamianos | Greece – China, 13’, 2025
A cultural dialogue between a Greek Karagiozis puppeteer and a Chinese master of shadow theater. The film is born out of the director’s need to return to his childhood memories, seeking the ancient roots of an art made of light and darkness.
Body | Dir: Saad Zuberi & Husain Qaizar | Pakistan, 12’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
The collaboration of a local photographer in Pakistan with male bodybuilders turns into a daring documentation of the limits of physical build, the obsession with success, and the changing concepts of masculinity in a conservative society.
Emery, Marble and Vine | Dir: Orestis Rouskas | Greece, 21’, 2025
Facing the suffocating pressure of overtourism, certain residents of Naxos put forward an alternative way of living and creating. A film about the daily resistance required to salvage the authentic soul of the island.
Every Time You Leave, You Are Born Again | Dir: Mladen Bundalo | Belgium – Bosnia & Herzegovina, 24’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
A director’s journey back to his birthplace transforms into a captivating internal monologue. As the bus jolts along the road, the concept of departure and refuge acquires a new, deeper existential weight.
Heidi’s House | Dir: Johanna Sofia Heusser | Switzerland, 11’, 2026 | Greek Premiere
The poetic story of a woman who migrated to Tinos in the 1980s and self-taught herself the island’s architecture. A film full of tenderness, seen through the eyes of her granddaughter.
How to Listen to Fountains | Dir: Eva Sajanová | Slovakia, 10’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
An inventive film about public space, where city fountains suddenly come alive, acquire their own voice, and start a disruptive rebellion to grab the attention of passersby.
In Between Dreams | Dir: Aritra Biswas | France, 14’, 2026 | World Premiere
A filmmaker from Kolkata wanders through Paris, searching in vain for something that reminds him of his homeland. However, an encounter with strangers will give birth to an unexpected sense of familiarity through shared stories of migration.
It’s Always Ever About the Conservation of the Species | Dir: Eva Louisa Gemmer | Germany, 30’, 2025 | World Premiere
A final sex education class in a third-grade gymnasium class leaves dry theory about contraception aside. The documentary gives the floor to the teenagers themselves, who speak disarmingly about sex, desires, and, above all, their insecurities.
Just Come | Dir: Konstantina Liontou | Greece – South Africa, 21’, 2026 | World Premiere
Langa, Cape Town’s oldest township, is gradually transformed from a bleak remnant of Apartheid into a tourist attraction. The residents themselves speak about their right to tell their own story, redefining the terms of tourism within their community.
Koki, Ciao | Dir: Quenton Miller | Netherlands, 11’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
A clever political film starring Koki: the 67-year-old talking parrot of Yugoslavia’s leader, Tito. Closed today in a cage-attraction, this living witness of History unfolds his surreal, geopolitical past of the Cold War, back when he entertained everyone from Khrushchev to Sophia Loren as a diplomatic “tool.”
Lake Tekapo: Guardians of the Night | Dir: Radomír Štefka | Czech Republic, 28’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
The film records the joint struggle of scientists and residents against light pollution in the Lake Tekapo region of New Zealand, highlighting the night darkness as an invaluable, fragile natural treasure.
Light | Dir: Aner Etxebarria | Spain, 18’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
The shocking story of a female leader of the indigenous Wounaan community in the rainforest. When armed groups spread terror and death in her homeland, she becomes the sole “light” of her community, returning to the forest to face them face-to-face, demanding peace.
Our Homes Do Not Exist | Dir: Anna Lamour | France – Greece, 14’, 2025
Shot on Super 8 film, this visual diary captures the slow fragmentation of a family home in Athens. Through a wandering across inhabited and abandoned spaces, the need to invent a new, collective homeland upon the ruins of reality is born.
Ping Pong | Dir: Tianji Yu | China, 15’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
Prompted by a ping-pong paddle, a man remembers an old friend from university, until he discovers a post about the latter’s vote in favor of Trump in the US elections. Searching for answers, he begins a dialogue with an AI assistant, where friendship and politics blur dangerously.
Practical Italian Grammar | Dir: Daniel Cortés | Cuba – Germany – Colombia, 12’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
Miguel and his family are preparing to migrate from Cuba to Italy, where his mother already lives. While waiting for approval, they take the first, crucial step of every migrant: learning the language of their new homeland.
The Exhibition | Dir: Dáša Raimanová, Béla Váradi | UK, Norway, Hungary 23’, 2026 | Greek Premiere
Queer Roma visual artist Béla Váradi returns from London to his birthplace in Hungary to publicly present his works. In a country where the display of LGBTQI+ content is essentially banned, Béla exposes himself before his community, balancing between acceptance and rejection.
When the Chair Fell Into the Void | Dir: Julia Kushnarenko | Belgium – Hungary – Portugal, 24’, 2026 | International Premiere
A hybrid film on the boundaries of documentary and dance. Anonymous migrants who were forced to flee their homeland confess their experiences of loss and disconnection, while masked dancers transform their words and memories into movement within the urban landscape.
Why Are All My Friends Depressed? | Dir: Hannah Jandl, Lea Tama Springer | Germany, 25’, 2025 | International Premiere
A film that poses the question that concerns us all: do we actually suffer from depression today, or is society itself making us sick? Through discussions, literature, and TikTok, the documentary searches for what is happening with an entire generation that, although it seems to have everything, gets trapped in the pressure of success and anxiety about the future.
With Torn Curtains | Dir: Valia Chatzichristodoulou | Greece, 25’, 2026 | World Premiere
How does a person blind from birth create images? An atmospheric documentary about Konstantinos, who perceives colors and shapes beyond vision, smells green, feels light, and guides us through his own, deeply poetic perspective of the world.

Panorama (Out of Competition)
Better Not Kill the Groove | Dir: Jonathan Leggett | Switzerland, 6’, 2024 | Greek Premiere
Through the world of freestyle scooter, a boy in search of identity explores the limits of his body and emotions.
Between Dogs and Wolves | Dir: Mathilde Sauvère, Khalissa Akadi | Switzerland, 13’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
Following the murder of Odair Moniz in an underprivileged neighborhood of Lisbon, young Leo searches for justice and vindication, confronting the fundamental question of how a revolution can be born.
Blame | Dir: Christian Frei | Switzerland, 122’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
A sober and visually captivating political investigation into how the pandemic, fueled by conspiracy theories, reshaped the global geopolitical scene and strengthened the far-right, reminding us that while we look for culprits, the next pathogen is already being born in nature.
Genesis 2.0 | Dir: Christian Frei | Switzerland / China / Russia / South Korea / USA, 112’, 2018
The discovery of a perfectly preserved mammoth carcass in the Arctic Ocean becomes the starting point for the next big technological revolution in genetics, threatening to turn our world upside down.
Gyaros: The Story of the Sea | Dir: Mike Bekos | Greece, 25’, 2026 | (In collaboration with WWF Greece)
With the sea itself as the narrator, the documentary unfolds the history of Gyaros from antiquity to its modern rebirth as a Marine Protected Area, highlighting the timeless connection between man and nature.
Light of Cappadocia | Dir: Irini Sarioglou | Greece, 70’, 2025
A fascinating journey from Farasa of Cappadocia to Mount Athos, following the footsteps of Saint Arsenios and Saint Paisios.
Ms. President | Dir: Marek Sulik | Slovakia / Czech Republic, 108’, 2024 | Greek Premiere
A remarkably intimate portrait of the first female president of Slovakia.
My Homeland | Dir: Tabarak Allah ABBAS | Switzerland, 12’, 2023 | Greek Premiere
In a futuristic Baghdad of the early ’90s, a young couple fights killer robots to escape the city and protect the future of their newborn child.
The Queen of New York | Dir: Valerie Kontakos | Greece / Canada, 78’, 2022
A fascinating look into the life of Chelly Wilson, a Greek immigrant who built an empire of adult movie theaters in the New York of the ’70s and ’80s.
Reminiscence | Dir: Ira Melnichenko | Switzerland, 26’, 2025 | Greek Premiere
A young Ukrainian refugee in Switzerland retrieves the fragments of her memories.
War Photographer | Dir: Christian Frei | Switzerland, 96’, 2001 | (Academy Award Nominee)
The Oscar-nominated documentary follows top photojournalist James Nachtwey into war zones, recording a shocking look at destruction, pain, and, ultimately, hope via a small camera mounted on his photographic camera.
Where We Belong | Dir: Jacqueline Zünd | Switzerland, 78’, 2019 | Greek Premiere
When parents separate, children are called upon to balance between two homes. The documentary approaches this reality, focusing on how vulnerably, yet how bravely, intelligently, and with humor they perceive the situation themselves.
Who is Still Alive | Dir: Nicolas Wadimoff | Switzerland / France / Occupied Palestinian Territories.Through a crudely drawn map of Gaza on a black floor, nine Palestinians who escaped from the hell of genocide, share their stories of loss and lost dreams, attempting to reconnect with themselves and return to life