Thessaloniki Documentary Festival: He won “my stolen planet” by Farahnaz Sharifi

The Thessaloniki festival was held for the 26th time. The winning film automatically enters the default list for the Oscar Best Documentary… The “Golden Alexander” award, accompanied by a prize money of 12,000 euros, was won by Farahnaz Sharifi, who participated in the 26th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. Her documentary entitled “My Stolen Planet” even, after this distinction, automatically enters the pre-selection list for the Academy of Best Documentaries. This announcement concluded the award of the 26th event awards held at noon at the built-in Warehouse C of the port, while at 7 o’clock in the afternoon the Festival will throw a curtain with the closing film “Yiannis Spanos: Behind Marquesa’, which will be shown in the Olympian Hall. The award-winning film “My stolen planet”, is a story of tender internal departure and together attempt of an (autobiographical) anthem in freedom, a documentary – “work-hand”, embroidered in fragile film the memories of Farah. A woman who captures the beauty of her everyday life in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, collects fragments of super8 from unknown people, while learning what it means to love from a distance and dream between the four walls. The connection she develops with Leila, a professor who left the country at that troubled time, but also the battle of her mother with Alzheimer’s disease, will illuminate forever the dark spots of her memory. According to the critical committee of the Festival, this particular documentary produced by Germany/Iran is for a well-made and moving treatise in the first person, which confirms that every political reality has a sub-reality behind it, and that resistance can take many forms, especially in the private sphere. Silver Alexander, accompanied by a $5,000 prize money, was awarded the documentary “Wood” by Lydia Douda. Finally, a special reference to the category of the International Contest where a total of twelve films over 70 minutes participated, was awarded to the documentary “Small bodies” by Elina Psykos. The awards of the remaining competition departments of the 26th FNTH In the category where new directors try with their first or second documentary to capture reality with their own unique tools, the international competition Newcomers, the award “Golden Alexander – Dimitris Epides”, accompanied by a 10,000 euros prize money, was awarded to the documentary “Potiri, half-full life” by Rohier Cappers. Correspondingly, “Argyros Alexander”, accompanied by a 4,000-euro prize money, was awarded the documentary “Dragons vs. demons” by Camila Magnet, while at the end special mention was given to Vania Turner’s “Tack”. From the Film Forward competition section, featuring the work of young, bold directors who challenge the contracts of film genres, expanding the limits of film language, “Golden Alexander” accompanied by the 6,000 euro prize money received by Lola Arias’ film “Rees”. Silver Alexander, accompanied by a money prize of 3,000 euros, was awarded the documentary “Lines of Desire” by Jules Roscam, while special mention was given to Phil Jeropoulos’ documentary “Avant-drag!”. The Immersive Competition Section: All Around Cinema embraces creations that exploit the most modern new technologies and present different aspects of an extended reality. The department’s jury awarded Gold Alexander, accompanied by 2,000 euros, to the film “Emperor” by Marion Burzet and Ilan J. Cohen, as well as special mention in the documentary “Fresh memories: The look” of Volontomir Kolbasa and Audrey Moravets. Awards, distinctions and … scholarships for the best Podcasts In the Podcast Contest, which explores the eclectic relations of the podcasts with cinema, the Podcast Award, accompanied by a prize money of 2,000 euros, was awarded to “There has never been “Faiths”, by Mayans Filipopoulos and Euphrysios Kyriazis, while special Memory received the “Listen the River” of Natasha Blatsiu. This year the collaboration of the FNTH with the Louis Lumière High School and the French Institute of Greece, which offer the award-sponsorship for upcoming Creator of Acoustic Documentary Documentary. This was received by Konstantina Stavropoulou for the podcast “Sounds and whispers, human roots”, presented in the Nextus Module of the Podcast Department of the 64th FKTH. Special mention was given to Harris Pagonidou for the pointcast “Amorgos: Looking for my place”. The Podcast Award in development in collaboration with the non-profit news organization iMEdD, awarded an idea that will win an award for the implementation of an original podcast, supported by iMEdD, received Nadia Mehdi’s “The End”. The rest of the 26th FNTH awards The Mermaid Award of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival is awarded to the best LGBTQI+ film of the official program and is accompanied by a prize money of 3,000 euros. It was awarded to the documentary “Rees” of Lola Arias, while the “Lesvia” of Jelly Hatzidimitriou received special mention. For the first time at the Documentary Festival Alpha Bank awards the Accessibility Award to a personality or a film that highlights issues of accessibility to the arts. It is accompanied by a prize of 3,000 euros and was received half by Loxandra, the heroine of the documentary “Loxis” and the two directors of the film, Dimitris Zachos and Thanasis Kafetzis. ERT awards its first prize, accompanied by the 3,000-euro prize money, to the Greek production that won the award of the International Federation of Film Critics FIPRESCI, which is Vania Turner’s “Tack”. The ERT – Thessaloniki Pitching Forum, accompanied by 2,000 euros prize money, was awarded the documentary “Survivors” directed by Nina-Marie Paschalidou, Maria Luka. The Hellenic Film Center (EKK) awards an award to a documentary director/director of the Greek program, who holds the premieres at the 26th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. The award accompanied by a sum of 3,000 euros was awarded half the documentary “Panellenion” by Spiros Mantzavinos and Costas Antaracha and “Lesvia” by Jeli Hatzidimitriou. In addition, the EKK also awards this year a money prize worth 3,000 euros, in a documentary film that participated in the Docs in Progress section and which they won “The Secrets of Owl”, directed by Irene Vourloumi. The Amnesty International award is awarded to a work that promotes and promotes human rights and denounces their encroachment and was awarded to the documentary “What we left behind” by Machek Hamela. Special Memory of Amnesty International received the documentary “Small Bodies” by Elina Psykos. The International Association of Film Critics FIPRESCI awarded an award to the film “My stolen planet” of Farahnaz Sharifi, as the Best Documentary of the International Great Lengths Contest, while as the best Greek film included in the festival’s official program he judged Vanja Turner’s “Tack”. The Panhellenic Association of Film Critics (PEKK) distinguished as the best Greek film of the Official Program the “Panhellenion” by Spiros Mantzavinos and Kostas Antaracha. The WIFT GR Award is awarded by the Greek branch of WIFT (Women in Film & Television-Women in Cinema and Television) to a woman film creator. This year the award was given to Vania Turner’s documentary “Tack”. The best environmental interest film is awarded by the environmental organization WWF Greece, who singled out the documentary “Night” by ‘Anirban Duta and Anupama Srinivasan The Youth Award Committee, which consists of students from the AUTH Film Department, awarded a Best Film Award to Vania Turner’s documentary “Tack” and the Commission’s Special Award to the documentary “Panellenion” by Spiros Manjavinou and Costas Antarajas. Finally, five Audience Awards won three Greek and two foreign films, which are as follows: “Soundrak for a Practice” by Johann Grimbresh (international film over 50–1). “The last Kabul song” by Kevin McDonald and Ruhi Hamid (international film under 50–1). “Unclaimed” by Marianna Economou (Greek film over 50’). ‘Good-bye: Suddenly the memory began to remember”, by ‘Antas Pitsou (Greek film under 50’). “The missing piece” by Angel Chatsis (Greek film shown online in the Platform section).