The winner in this year’s Chania Film Festival
By Theo Kalomirakis
Two years ago, we launched the gr2me award to recognize and support new directors in short documentaries. To kick off this award, we teamed up with three festivals: the Kymata Film Festival, the Psarokokalo Film Festival, and the Chania Film Festival. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to present awards at the Psarokokalo and Kymata Festivals earlier this year because we were focused on promoting gr2me in North America, Australia, Canada, and Europe. However, we are pleased to see that our marketing efforts have led to a significant increase in website visits. We have now resumed our sponsorship program, and we look forward to announcing more collaborations with festivals next year.
At the recent Chania Film Festival, Orestis Rouskas won the gr2me award for his short documentary “Emery, Marble, and Wine,” which highlights the threat of overtourism. I was pleasantly surprised when Mathios Fratzeskakis, the festival director, chose this year’s winner by himself. He clearly understands the goals of gr2me, which match the festival’s mission and the work of the Cretan Cultural Center: to preserve the rich Cretan culture through student-directed videos under Mathios’ leadership and guidance.
I watched the documentary as soon as I got back to Athens. In recent years, the rise of overtourism has posed a threat beyond just our comfort during vacations. Set on the island of Naxos, the documentary highlights Greek traditions that are slowly disappearing. Orestis Rouskas addresses the challenges Greece faces today but he also celebrates the country’s rich cultural heritage. It’s a brilliant documentary, and we hope to host it soon at gr2me. In the meantime, you can watch its trailer here.
Our goal for 2026 is to focus more on creating documentaries about Greek life and culture. They will be made under the banner of gr2me Productions. Directors we have previously worked with, as well as new talent, have already submitted ideas for over 100 topics that resonate with them. We believe these topics will also resonate with those who want to learn about Greece beyond the glossy façade of tourism.