OPEN LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER

“Culture at the borders is not a luxury — it is presence.”

Dear Prime Minister,

I am addressing you publicly through this letter, not to accuse, but to raise a question that goes to the heart of our cultural policy.

The Beyond Borders Kastellorizo International Documentary Festival — an institution with international recognition, which for the past ten years has connected Greece with the global creative community — is now at immediate risk of suspension.

Not due to a lack of effort.
But due to the absence of consistent support.

And here lies the critical issue:

Culture at the borders is not a luxury — it is presence.

Kastellorizo is not merely a hosting location.
It is a place where the very notion of the country acquires daily and tangible meaning.
And every cultural initiative there is not simply an “event,” but an act of public presence.

Today, this institution is at risk not because of a lack of ideas or potential, but because of the absence of a stable framework that would allow it to continue.

And so a reasonable — yet difficult — question arises:

If the country itself cannot ensure the continuity of such a presence at its borders, who will?

This question is not posed to provoke.
It is posed to underscore the need for a clear political choice.

Because the absence of support is not neutrality.
It is a decision — with consequences.

Prime Minister,

The continuation of the festival is not a secondary matter of cultural management.
It is a choice that concerns the country’s image and presence.

At a time when the significance of borders is once again coming to the forefront, the absence of culture from them cannot go unnoticed.

The responsibility is clear.
And time is now limited.

With Honour,

Irini Sarioglou

President and Artistic Director of Beyond Borders