10th PELOPONNISOS INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL-Opening

THE OPENING

Actor Alekos Koliopoulos will present the opening ceremony at the Theodoros Aggelopoulos Amphitheatre in Kalamata on Friday, October 22nd, at 9 p.m.

On the occasion of this year's festival theme, "Cities of the World," the film Berlin: Symphony of a Great City by Walter Ruttmann, a timeless documentary from 1927 describing life in Berlin in the interwar period, a city in the midst of an industrial boom, will be screened at the ceremony. The screening will be accompanied by live music specially arranged for the film by the distinguished composer, pianist and musicologist Minas Alexiadis.

THE SCREENINGS

During the 12 days, 52 international feature-length documentaries (of which 30 are pan-Hellenic premieres), 28 Greek feature-length and 33 short-length documentaries will be screened.

THE TRIBUTE TO LIA BELTRAMI

This year's official guest of the festival is Italian director Lia Beltrami, during which four of her films will be presented (Alganesh, Tears and Dreams, Guardians of the Rainforest, and Burst of Song).

At the same time, the director will give a three-hour masterclass on "Filmmakers and Human Rights" at the Department of Theatre Studies of the University of Peloponnese in Nafplio.

THE SEMINARS AND PARALLEL EVENTS

The educational activities of the 10th Peloponnese International Documentary Festival include, among others:

Seminar "Artificial Intelligence and Cinema". Professor Ioannis Deligiannis and his research team (Analog and Digital Technologies of Interactive Multimedia, Department of Audio and Visual Arts, Ionian University) edited the four-day educational programme.

"Crafting True Narratives: Mastering the Documentary" is a multi-dimensional and intensive 6-day workshop that aims to guide participants through creating a documentary. Taught by Mark Bond (Senior Lecturer at Bournemouth University, UK, Rebecca Bond (director and producer of documentaries and current affairs programmes for channels such as the BBC, Channel 4, and CNN) and Erik Knudsen (award-winning director, producer, and also Emeritus Professor at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in the United Kingdom), Iakovos Panagopoulos (Assistant Professor at the Department of Audio and Visual Arts of the Ionian University), Chronis Theocharis (Editor) and Apostolos Loufopoulos (Associate Professor at the Ionian University, with major in sound composition)

Oral History Workshop by Despina Eugenidou, archaeologist. Oral History is a tool for recording intangible cultural heritage, keeping the memory of places and times alive. The workshop will take place in the Undergraduate study programme of the History, Archeology and Cultural Heritage Management Department of the University of Peloponnese in Kalamata.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES FOR CHILDREN

- "Game Design and Creation": Three-day workshop offering an exciting introduction to the world of gaming and technology under the supervision of Professor Ioannis Deligiannis (Analog and Digital Technologies of Interactive Multimedia, Department of Audio and Visual Arts, Ionian University).

- "Photographing the... Past Again!" How can we create an experiential relationship with an "indifferent" photograph that is not personal or family? A "Local History" exercise that ends up being experiential. From director Vasilis Loules.

- Animation seminar with plasticine figures (primarily for primary school children and people with moderate mental retardation) by Dimitris Armenakis.

- An Urban Walk. Inspired by this year's festival's dedication to the city, this four-hour workshop aims to pay homage to the places we live: the city, the town, and the village.

- Documentary Making Seminar. This is a four-hour workshop for students in the last grades of Primary, Middle and High School. Through this workshop, children will explore the world through cinematic storytelling.

A NEW COLLABORATION

The Peloponnese International Documentary Festival has launched a programme of international collaborations with European festivals. The program aims to promote national cinematography and provide incentives for co-productions between directors of the two countries.

For 2023-2024, the DFNP has agreed to a partnership with the Faito doc Festival in Naples, Italy. The two festivals invited Greek and Italian creators who created a modular documentary entitled "Cities-Roots" that will be screened in Kalamata in the presence of the contributors.

EXHIBITIONS/ BOOK PRESENTATIONS

DFNP invited Greek cartoonists to create comics on the theme of this year's dedication organisation: "Cities of the World." The exhibition is entitled "Sketchy Towns." Thirteen artists are participating. Giannis Antonopoulos edited them.

Outdoor Photo Exhibition on the theme "My city". A collaboration with the Kalamata photography team. The Sparta Photography Club and photographers from Tripoli are participating.

Photo exhibition: "The Square where we live." This cinematic photography exhibition questions the identity and evolution of a public space in constant transformation.

DFNP and Capricorn Publications, in collaboration with the Messenian Writers' Union, present the writings of two outstanding writers: Fotini Nicolaidou and Stathis Valoukos.

THE COMPETITIVE SECTIONS - THE PRIZES

Here are the award categories for the 10th Peloponnese International Documentary Festival & the 2nd Kalamata International Short Documentary Festival.

2 Audience Awards for the best Greek and the best international participation.

Equality Award: Awarded to a film that promotes the values ​​of equality and social justice. The international jury consists of Nina Backer-Røed (Sociologist), Niovi Anazikou (Journalist, Filmmaker, Vice President of WIFT), and Menos Deliotzakis (Director).

Best Greek Documentary: The jury consists of Ingo Starz (film curator and art critic), Anne Kjersti Bjørn (award-winning director), and Letta Petroulaki-Sofikitou (founder of the Kalamata Experimental Scene)

3 Special prizes awarded by the students of the cooperating Universities, more specifically:

Social Sensitivity Award (Ionian University).

"Cities of the World" Award (University of Peloponnese, School of Fine Arts, Nafplion)

Environment Award (University of Athens, Department of Digital Arts and Cinema, Psachna Evia)

AWARDS of the Kalamata International Short Documentary Festival:

Audience Awards, Greek and international film

Best Greek Documentary

Best International Documentary

Best Picture

Debutant director

The Short Films Jury consists of its president, Giorgos Fredzos (filmmaker), Vasiliki Maltasoglou (director of the "Balkans Beyond Borders" Short Film Festival), Fotini Economopoulou (film producer), Lina Manolopoulou (head of the Distribution Support Department and Festival of EKKOMED) and Chronis Theocharis (director-editor).

Stay tuned, the 10th Peloponnese International Documentary Festival is coming!