For its 10th anniversary, “Beyond Borders” Kastellorizo International Documentary Festival celebrates with a special edition dedicated to Greece and its creative powers. This year’s festival, which will take place on August 24-30, on the history of Greek documentaries, and their efforts to record reality, comment on it and reshape it in the most imaginative and direct way.
The Festival’s visual identity, designed by the creative agency Polkadot Design, draws inspiration from the art of weaving – an art that represents memory, narrative and continuity. Just as the women weavers of 1905, protagonists of the first film recording to be made in the Balkans, wove their present through art, so contemporary documentary filmmakers weave a tapestry of our own reality with images and sound. Greek documentary thus becomes a cinematic loom, where past and present are tightly woven together, creating a narrative canvas that extends into the future.
The festival is organized by the Hellenic History Foundation, in collaboration with Écrans des Mondes, and co-organized by the South Aegean Region with the support of the Hellenic Parliament, the Ministry of National Defense, the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the General Secretariat of the Aegean and Island Policy of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center S.A.-Creative Greece (H.F.A.C.-Creative Greece), the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), the Greek National Tourism Organization and the embassies of Australia, Germany, Austria, Spain, and Switzerland in Athens. The festival is also supported by renowned global entities such as ZDF, ARTE, BBC, RAI TV, Movies that Matter, IDF Prague, PHOENIX, FIPRESCI, and others.
This year the Festival received a record 907 submissions from 92 countries (600 feature films and featurettes, and 307 shorts). Of the 42 films that have been selected to compete in the festival, 35 are screened in Greek, international and world premieres, while many have been showcased at the world’s biggest film festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Locarno, Karlovy Vary, Amsterdam (IDFA), Copenhagen (CPX DOX), etc.
Beyond Borders will feature three distinct screening sections: the Main Competition, which includes 18 medium and feature-length documentaries; the micro Competition, which includes 24 short documentaries; and the non-competitive Panorama section, which will present daily screenings of thematic tributes and standout films.
This year’s Panorama focuses on a Tribute to Greek Documentary, featuring eight selected works—including films and television episodes by both acclaimed directors and emerging voices; a polyphonic mosaic of Greek documentary production, capturing the genre’s evolution, audacity, and creative renewal.
Awards
The two competitive sections of the festival will present a total of 10 awards:
• Golden (Grand Prix), Silver and Bronze Wreath of Megisti Awards (€7,500, €3,000 and €2,000 respectively), sponsored partially by ERT, will be given to the best documentaries that explore historical events and figures, current sociopolitical issues, and the promotion of human rights in any form or expression.
• The H.F.A.C.-Creative Greece Award will be presented to the best Greek-directed documentary.
• The “Odysseus” Award, initiated and supported the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy, will honor the best documentary directed by a Greek filmmaker of the diaspora.
• The #THISISEU Award (sponsored by ERT), presented by the European Commission Representation in Greece, will go to the documentary that best promotes contemporary European values.
• The FIPRESCI (sponsored by ERT) will be given to the best film selected by the International Federation of Film Critics.
In the micro Competition Section, which includes 24 short documentaries, the best short documentaries by emerging directors will be presented with the Golden, Silver, and Bronze Phoenix Awards (€1,250, €1,000, and €750 respectively), supported by ZDF/Phoenix TV.
The micro Competition Jury features prominent figures from journalism, literature, and film. Jury President is Michaela Kolster, journalist and Program Director of ZDF/PHOENIX. The jury also includes:
- Bruce Clark, author and long-time contributor to the international press;
- Alex Sakalis, author and journalist;
- Gilles Perrin, professor of French literature and cinema;
- Vasilis Loules, award-winning director in both documentary and fiction.
The FIPRESCI Jury includes film critics Jan Storø, Elli Mastorou, and Nikolaos Alettras.
Learn more about the films that will compete at the 10th Beyond Borders
Special events and initiatives
During the festival, the Critics’ Corner initiative will also take place. Every morning, the three FIPRESCI jury members will engage in open dialogue with professionals and the general public about the films screened the night before in competition. This event celebrates the 100th anniversary of FIPRESCI and will be held as part of the 10th anniversary edition on Friday, August 29.
For the second consecutive year, the successful Co-Production Forum “Meet Your Co-Producer in Kastellorizo” returns. Fifteen senior-level film professionals—directors, screenwriters, producers, and executive producers—will present their work, share case studies of completed films, and mentor at least one documentary project through in-person and online meetings aimed at co-production.
As part of the Panorama section, a special event titled The Future of Documentary will take place on Saturday, August 30, dedicated to the evolving landscape of documentary filmmaking. The award-winning documentary Ending Wars and Making Peace by Jobst Knigge will be screened, followed by a discussion with the director on his creative process. He will be joined by a panel of directors, academics, producers, and decision-makers will join to explore the present and future of documentary creation, from artistic trends and production ecosystems to audience engagement.
A core part of the festival is the two-day Audiovisual Pitching Lab, where 12 selected projects from around the world are presented online and discussed with leading figures in the film industry. The winning project will receive a free professional color grading package for its final cut.
Emphasizing not only film screenings but also education and career development, the festival has also created a pioneering Film School Network, partnering with top institutions from Southeastern and Central Europe, the Middle East, and South America.
Alongside the main program, Beyond Borders, in collaboration with the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center S.A.-Creative Greece (H.F.A.C.-Creative Greece), will host a special informative event on the Audiovisual Sector Outreach Program. Aimed at both the general public and industry professionals, this initiative is part of EKKOMED’s new cultural policy tools, designed to strengthen the presence of Greek audiovisual creation both domestically and internationally.
Parallel Cultural Activities
In addition to film screenings and workshops, the festival organizes parallel cultural events, turning Kastellorizo into a global cultural meeting point.
Throughout the screening week and during breaks, musical interludes will be performed by the Athens String Quartet, featuring members of the Athens State Orchestra. During the festival week, documentaries by children for children will be screened as part of a partnership with the Chania Film Festival. The children’s program will also feature workshops, chess classes and acrobatic shows.
The concert “Nocturnal Confessions” will bring together two distinguished Greek soloists: conductor and pianist Miltos Logiadis and composer-accordion virtuoso Christos Zerbinos. The program includes selections from the albums “Spring Equinox” (traditional pieces) and “From the Keys to the Heart,” dedicated to Manos Hadjidakis.
In parallel with the screenings, a sculpture exhibition by visual artist Alexandros Zygouris will be presented, while every day, journalist and author Pavlos Methenitis and academic Matteo Compagnolo will recommend selected books spanning history, literature, and cinema. The Festival will conclude with a concert by Kostas Triantafyllidis.
