AGORA Docs in Progress Program

What they are looking for?

• Original feature-length documentary projects and documentary series from Southeastern Europe, Eastern Mediterranean countries and North Africa that combine artistic ambition and high visual quality.
• Projects that are either produced or co-produced by a country within these regions or contain elements in the story that link them to these regions.
• Do you have a documentary that is not from the eligible countries but you think Agora Docs in Progress is a good launching platform for you? You are welcome to apply. The selection committee will evaluate all submitted projects.

Funding Information

• Jury Awards:
  • Two Thirty-Five (2|35) Award Post-production, image and sound.
• Neaniko Plano Subtitling Award
• Independent Awards:
  • Onassis Film Award €5.000 to a Greek project participating in the AGORA (Thessaloniki Pitching Forum or AGORA Docs in Progress).

Eligible Countries

• Countries eligible to participate in the AGORA Docs in Progress (as major production country or as a co-production country) are: Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Bosnia – Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine.

Eligibility Criteria

• Agora Docs in Progress selects 8-10 documentary feature films from the wider regions of Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean and offers filmmakers a platform to present their films to key players of the audiovisual sector.

Application Requirements

• The application materials and subtitles should be in English.
• They accept only documentary feature projects (over 60 minutes) or documentary series.
• One production company or producer can submit up to two projects.
• In the application folder, project holders should state whether the project has participated in other workshops and markets (including date), as well as any pending applications. Otherwise, please state if this is the first time presenting the project.
• The selection committee is composed of the Agora team, the Festival’s International Program team and the Greek Film Festival’s Program team. The final selection is made upon the decision of an international selection committee and the Head of Agora in accordance with the Festival administration.

Selection Criteria

• The selection is based mainly on the quality of the visual material sent to Agora (minimum 25 minutes) as well as the artistic elements and themes of the film. Other factors include the director’s and the company’s track record.
• In the final selection they strive to maintain a balance between represented countries, regions, genders and addressed themes.
• Once a project has been selected, the director(s) and producer(s) are called to participate in the preparatory online workshop in late January. The workshop is mandatory and includes pitching training, feedback on the clip excerpts for both the online use and the live presentation as well as print presentation feedback (synopsis, director’s notes etc).
• Project holders also agree at least one representative will attend the entire duration of the Agora Docs in Progress (Arrival: March 8/Rehearsal: March 9/Presentation: March 11/Awards: March 12/Departure: March 13/Online Meetings: March 14).
• The Agora Docs in Progress offers accommodation for 5 nights (in case both director and producer attend, they can cover one double room) and can reimburse part of the travel expenses per project team (receipts are required).
• After receiving feedback, project holders will be asked to create a 12-15 minutes clip which includes film excerpts (not a trailer, not a promo reel) with English subtitles. The selected projects will have the opportunity to prepare for their project presentation to the industry professionals and receive consultation for their next steps.
• Finished documentary projects presented at the Agora Docs in Progress must display its logo in their credits. Preferably, the following sentence should be mentioned in the credit list: “[film title] has been presented at the Agora Docs in Progress of the [festival edition] Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival [year]”. The logo will be sent to the filmmakers upon selection of the project.

For more information, visit Thessaloniki International Film Festival.