Israeli documentaries take center stage in Thessaloniki

Several Israeli documentaries were screened during the 25th edition of the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, which took place on the Greek island in March. In addition, one of the Israeli productions screened also won an award.

Established in 1998, the festival features some eleven categories and attracts tens of thousands of viewers. In 2023, 237 short and feature documentaries were screened at in-person events, while 147 documentaries were screened digitally. In addition, the event offered masterclasses, book presentations and lectures.

The Embassy of Israel in Greece has been cooperating with the festival for many years.

In the 25th edition, five Israeli documentaries took part in the event.

The French-Israeli documentary “Far From Maine,” directed by Roy Cohen received the Aylon Productions Digital Services Award.

“A story about hope and deception set in the Middle East focusing on the peace process during the last decades,” the jury wrote. “The filmmaker makes a personal journey back to the days when the young generation strived to build bridges between two opposite sides.”

Another Israeli creation focused on the tragic history of the Jewish community of Thessaloniki.

“Heroes of Salonika” by Tom Barkai - who attended the screening - documented the extermination of the island’s Jews, collecting personal testimonies of six survivors.

The film producer Yigal Pomeranz decided to begin the project after being exposed to the heroic stories of Jews who saved Jews watching videos on YouTube and on social media.

Another documentary, “Closed Circuit” focused on the terror attack that took place at the iconic Sarona Market in Tel Aviv in 2016, featuring footage from the security cameras and testimonies of those who were there. Its director and screenwriter Tal Inbar also attended the festival.

Also the documentaries “Innocence” by Guy Davidi, “The Specialist” by Eyal Sivan and "The Longest Goodbye" by Ido Mizrahy's were screened during the initiative.

"The Longest Goodbye" is a documentary about social isolation that affects millions of people, even Mars-bound astronauts. A savvy NASA psychologist is tasked with protecting these daring explorers.