March 2025

At the 27th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, 6-16/3/2025, three Greek films make their world premiere in International Competition, each offering a unique glimpse into human resilience and creativity.

In Sculpted Souls, Stavros Psillakis unveils the story of Swiss dentist Julien Grivel, who dedicated twenty-six years to treating leprosy patients in Greece. His selfless journey shaped the fate of many as well as his own as he was deeply marked by the people he met, the place and the Greek language.

Meanwhile, Dimitris Koutsiabasakos’ The Goals of August captures incidents and moments from the daily life of a small Pindos village during summer, when an impromptu soccer tournament unites locals, transforming their sleepy town into a vibrant field of dreams. Goals are scored, rivalries form, and friendships deepen, proving that sometimes, the simplest of games can breathe life into a community.Finally, Bull’s Heart by Eva Stefani takes us behind the scenes of Dimitris Papaioannou’s Transverse Orientation. Against the backdrop of a pandemic-stricken Athens, the acclaimed artist and his team prepare for an international tour. Their struggle to create amidst uncertainty mirrors the resilience of the human spirit and highlights art as a means of resistance to the futility of things, but also as a way of giving meaning to our own lives.