Agora, the industry section of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, announced its awards Wednesday.
Among the awards in the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum section was the IEFTA Award for Best Documentary in Development, accompanied by a 10,000 euro cash prize. This went to “Highways of Hope,” directed by Alexa Bakony, and produced by Gábor Osváth and Veronika Gál of Filmfabriq in Hungary. The film centers on Gulnaz, a 21-year-old Muslim woman from India, who drives trucks across Europe. The jury said: “This project led by a young female team promises to cross European borders and break Indian stereotypes about Muslim minorities through an energetic story of emancipation. We were captivated by the main character facing a darkening world with youthful joyfulness and optimism.”
A special mention was given by the jury to “Bugboy,” directed by Lucas Paleocrassas, and produced by Rea Apostolides of Anemon in Greece. The project is about the relationship between a boy and an insect, which reveals the transformative power of nature. The jury said it was “a unique, joyful and tender coming-of-age film produced by a very experienced team.”
The jury of the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum consisted of producer Leonidas Konstantarakos of Alaska Films in Greece, producer Marianne Ostrat of Alexandra Film in Estonia, and Nora Philippe, head of program at Eurodoc in France.
The ERT – Thessaloniki Pitching Forum Award for a Greek project, accompanied by a cash prize of 2,000 euros, was given to “Mama Klorin,” directed by Doreida Xhogu, and produced by Mina Dreki of Marni Films in Greece.
The jury said: “ ‘Mama Klorin’ is a promising journey into a very under-represented community of immigrant women working as cleaners in Greece. Filmed with love and dignity by one of their daughters, this multilayered project strives to make the invisible work visible.”
The Eurodoc Award of 1,000 euros went to “Taken by the White Man,” directed by Ana Sofia Fonseca, and produced by Daniella Rice and Ana Sofia Fonseca of Carrossel Produções in Portugal.
The jury said: “ ‘Taken by the White Man’ tells a moving and unique story of homecoming, investigative and intimate reappropriation of one’s self and reparation, against the backdrop of the horrors of Portuguese colonialism in Mozambique and contemporary slavery.”
The Documentary Assn. of Europe Award went to two projects: “The Last Summer,” directed by Jan Jurczak and Eleanora Iadkouskaya, and produced by Frieder Schlaich of Filmgalerie 451 in Germany; and “Life on Pause,” directed by Anthoniy Hristov, and produced by Svetla Turnin at Documentary Media Foundation in Bulgaria.
“The Last Summer” follows 17-year-old Sergei Sorokopud, who navigates war, family conflicts and friendship near the Ukrainian-Belarusian border. The jury said: “Loaded with raw and explosive energy, ‘The Last Summer’ is a very intimate and moving look at what it’s like to go through adolescence in times of war.”
“Life on Pause” follows the intertwined stories of three vibrant transgender youth fighting for acceptance and equal rights in Bulgaria. The jury said: “ ‘Life on Pause’ is a courageous project that sheds light on a Bulgarian trans rights legal fight which resonates strongly on the European and global scenes, and which is deeply and rightfully grounded in the community it represents.”
The Aylon Productions Digital Services Award was bestowed on “My Aunties,” directed by Hazal Hanquet, and produced by Aslihan Altuğ and Anna Maria Aslanoğlu of Istos Film in Turkey. It tells Aslı and Ayşın’s 40-year story of love and friendship as it unfolds through the eyes of their niece, Hazal, in a country that tries to hide them. The jury said it was “an intergenerational tale told through precious archives that document a courageous queer love story that transcends time, while exploring family dynamics and alternative models of love and kinship in contemporary Turkey.”
A series of independent awards were also handed out.
The Onassis Film Award, with a 5,000 euros prize, went to “Bugboy.” The jury said the film was “a different coming-of-age story, with a fresh perspective in the intimacy of its filming.” It was “about being different and growing up, about all things insignificant that turn out to be important, about the small, invisible world that we often ignore.”
The Mediterranean Film Institute Doc Award was bestowed on “Oh, Heart Don’t Be Afraid,” directed by Ana Kvichidze, and produced by Avtandil Khorava of Moonbow Production. The jury said the award recognized the film’s “distinctive storyline, unique characters, profound social relevance, and poetic filmic approach.”
The DOK Leipzig Accelerator Award went to “My Aunties.” “The project introduces us to two free-spirited, wild and brave women from Istanbul: the ‘aunties’ of the director who brings the story of their 40-year queer relationship to us,” the jury said.
The international jury of Agora Docs in Progress was composed of Anna Glogowski, a consultant and festival programmer from France, Marcella Jelić, a sales and acquisitions exec from Split Screen in Croatia, and Basil Tsiokos, senior programmer at Sundance Film Festival in the U.S.
Among its awards were the Two Thirty-Five Award, which went to “Magma,” directed by Mia Bendrimia, and produced by Kira Simon-Kennedy of Nazar Films in France. The award was given for the film’s “deft ability to successfully transform one family’s unspoken history and unresolved transgenerational trauma into an engaging investigation into contested narratives that reveal both the stories we tell ourselves and those we deliberately refuse to engage with, on both a personal and a national level.”
“Magma”
Courtesy of Nazar Films
The Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center – Creative Greece Award, accompanied with 3,000 euros, went to “Home Court,” directed by Elpida Nikou and Rodrigo Hernandez, and produced by Yuri Averof and Rea Apostolides of Anemon Productions.
The jury said the award was “for crafting a warm, vibrant, and uplifting portrait of friendship and the promise of dreams – and for posing under-explored and ultimately universally resonant questions of identity and belonging for second-generation migrants.”
The Neaniko Plano Subtitling Award went to “Tower, Sun and the Seven of Wands,” directed by Tanya Vikhreva, written by Aleksander Rodionov, and produced by Maria Gavrilova of Marx Film in Georgia.
The award was for “bringing an unexpected, unorthodox, and often disarmingly humorous angle on the ongoing war in Ukraine, one focused on the divergent perspectives of the residents of occupied Crimea, exploring the eye-opening influences of superstition on one hand and Russian propaganda on the other.”
The AGORA XR LAB awards included the Beldocs XR Academy award, which went to “/Imagine Farewell Station,” directed by Aristotelis Maragkos, and produced by Konstantinos Koukoulis of Πlankton Films.
The film selected to participate to the NewImages XR Market was “Bitxo,” directed by Lau Maquedano, and produced by Alberto López Garrido of Lamola Studios, Valet Siv Manrique of Piragna Animación and Lau Maquedano.
As part of the Agora Boost section, the Crew United Prize was bestowed on “The Groundskeeper,” directed by Io Chaviara and Michalis Kastanidis, and produced by Alexis Anastasiadis.
The jury said: “Deindustrialization, memory – collective and individual, and the role that space plays in it, but also the recognition by someone of the role his/her work plays in the production of mass destruction (reminding us here of Harun Farocki’s work) are some of the themes that ‘The Groundskeeper’ will invite us to look at.”
The Guidance Award was bestowed on “Magic Whistle,” directed by Avraam Goutzeloudis and Alexandros Katsis, and produced by Photini Economopoulou of OhMyDog Productions in Greece.
