Onassis Culture at the 26th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival

"TACK," an Onassis Culture production, had its world premiere at the 26th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival’s Newcomers Competition and won five awards: the WIFT GR Award by the Greek Chapter of Women in Film & Television for the best documentary by a woman filmmaker; the FIPRESCI Award (International Federation of Film Critics) for Best Greek documentary; the Best Film Award by the Youth Jury comprised of students from the School of Film of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; the ERT Award (Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation) accompanied by a cash prize of 3,000 €; and a Special Mention in the International Newcomers Competition.

Vania Turner’s “TACK” follows Olympic medalist Sofia Bekatorou and Amalia, a talented young sailor champion, as they move to the forefront of a seismic shift in Greek society. In a milestone trial, Amalia faces grueling courtroom proceedings, intense victim blaming, and attempts to discredit her. Sofia stands firmly by her side, providing support and crucial testimony. Always on each other’s side, they achieve a measure of justice, but at the same time, they realize that their struggle to change the social norms within Greek society has only just begun. As a film, “TACK” complements the above actions and values of the Onassis Foundation, aspiring to empower every person who has experienced violence to raise their voice and eventually change the plot of their story.

Duration: 95’

The premiere was screened on Tuesday, March 3, at 21:00, at John Cassavetes Theater (Warehouse 1, Port) in the presence of the cast. A Q&A session will follow.

A second screening took place on Wednesday, March 13, at 14:00, at Stavros Tornes Theater (Warehouse 1, Port).

Eva Stefani’s documentary on Dimitris Papaioannou’s dance performance “Transverse Orientation,” which premiered at Onassis Stegi in December 2021, was presented as a work-in-progress in a special screening.

The multi-awarded filmmaker Eva Stefani follows the preparations behind the work and its tour across theatrical stages in Europe, observing Dimitris Papaioannou and his collaborators with her bold gaze in their effort to give shape and breathe life into the work. For two years, the camera documents scenes from rehearsals at Onassis Stegi during the pandemic era and performances in Paris, London, Vilnius, and other international destinations, culminating in the last show in San Francisco. The central question that permeates the documentary is “Why do we do what we do?” elevating art as a means of resisting the futility of things and a way to re-apply meaning to life.

In “Transverse Orientation,” the international co-production by Onassis Stegi that began its worldwide trail in 2021, Dimitris Papaioannou orients us toward the source of light. Transverse orientation is the method by which insects maintain a fixed angle on a distant light source for orientation, which is why they fly toward all that shines.

Drawing inspiration from the myth of the Minotaur and its symbolic core, Papaioannou surpasses linearity, existing power and hierarchy relations, and solidified certainties around the notions of origin and identity, proposing a fluid and dynamic approach that reinvents language, communication, and the boundaries that separate us from the Other and the Different. “Transverse Orientation” traveled to three continents, twenty countries, and thirty-one cities, amassing more than 80,000 viewers and glorious reviews.

"Bull’s Heart," an Onassis Culture production, is screened in the framework of the 26th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival's tribute to Dimitris Papaioannou, shedding light on the manifold aspects of the eminent creator.

The screening took place on Tuesday, March 12, at 18:00, at John Cassavetes Theater (Warehouse 1, Port).

Direction, Script & Cinematography: Eva Stefani

Producer: Vasilis Panagiotakopoulos

Executive Producers: Afroditi Panagiotakou, Dimitris Theodoropoulos

An Onassis Culture production.

The Onassis Foundation has a long-standing partnership with the country's leading film festivals, highlighting the voices of rising creators in their early stages. Every year, it offers the Onassis Film Award to Greek filmmakers who participate in the Agora department of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival for the development and completion of their feature films. The Onassis Foundation is present in every celebration of Greek cinema in the country, releasing the potential and talent of young filmmakers.

The Onassis Film Award 2024 was awarded to a documentary film, a descent into the depths of modern Greece, the contradictions of the human experience, the environmental crisis and the moral dilemmas of our reality. A profound, comprehensive, multidimensional narrative that surprised us and left us with a lot to think about. The Onassis Film Award went to Marianna Economou's "Dark Waters" along with a prize of 5,000 euros towards the completion of the film.

The project that received the Onassis Film Award 2022 is screened in Newcomers, the festival's official competition section, with the support of Onassis Culture.

Director, photographer, and writer Tzeli Hatzidimitriou presents the identity of Lesbian (Lesvia) in a two-fold manner. With her first feature film, she presents a precious record of the story of Eressos from the 1970s to the present day, salvaging an important part of LGBTQ+ history at the same time. Through rare archival material, diaries, photos, video, and interviews with figures that define the anthropogeography and the spirit of a region throughout the years, there unfolds the fascinating tale of a place as well as an entire community that demanded inclusion and equal treatment, at a time when these were not self-evident at all; a story so old yet so new, as relevant as ever, at a time when we see the same struggle for equal rights taking place once again in Greece.

The screenings took place on Friday, March 8, at 21:00 and Saturday, March 9, at 15:00, at John Cassavetes Theater (Warehouse 1, Port).

Onassis Culture supports established creators and emerging talents; it embraces the process of creativity and artistic development by offering fellowships and collaborates with eminent institutions to strengthen Greek cinema within and outside its borders. It has established film awards to foster the development of new scripts, while in the last two years, it has held an open call for short films.Through the production of documentaries, Onassis Culture facilitates dialogue between the world we live in and the worlds in which we’d like to live. Onassis Documentaries capture the power of speech and democracy (“Democracy Is Coming,” TBC), the complexity of artistic creation (“Bull’s Heart,” TBC), the human desire to fly (“Birds [οr How to Be One],” 2020), the human chain that cleans the cities of the world (“Clean Cities,” 2021), and the importance of breaking your silence (“TACK,” 2024).Everyday heroes from every corner of the world—from Athens to Chile and from New York to Istanbul—speak openly, taking a stand on issues relevant to the here and now. Through the power of the image and the authenticity of the documentary form, we are transported, we feel and doubt, and we are finally brought close to our own realities, to the worlds in which we choose to live.

“Bull’s Heart” by Eva Stefani (TBC)

"Democracy is Coming" by Christos Sarris (TBC)

“TACK” by Vania Turner (2024)

“Walls” by Christos Sarris (2023)

“Afterpop” by Dimitris Zivopoulos (2022)

“Mommies” by Maria Sidiropoulou and Elvira Krithari (2022)

“Builders, Housewives, and the Construction of Modern Athens” by Tassos Langis and Yiannis Gaitanidis (2021)

“Clean Cities” by Marina Danezi, Kostas Mandilas, Constantinos Hadzinikolaou, and Christos Sarris (2021)

“Girlhood” by Vania Turner and Maria Sidiropoulou (2021)

“Birds (or How to Be One)” by Babis Makridis (2020)