22/08/2023 - The Kastellorizo International Documentary Festival celebrates its eighth edition this week, once again underlining the importance of human rights, freedom and the historical figures who promote them

(© Beyond Borders)

Beyond Borders kicked off its eighth edition last Sunday, 20 August (see the news), and will continue unspooling until the 27th, on the beautiful Greek island of Kastellorizo. Its creative director and president, Irini Sarioglou, tells us about its philosophy, sections and main attractions.

Cineuropa: What will a first-time visitor to your festival, like me, discover there?
Irini Sarioglou: The Beyond Borders Kastellorizo International Documentary Festival, I would dare to say, has a particularity that is really rare not only for the Greek community, but also for the global one: on one hand, it is a truly up-and-coming film festival for professionals in the global film industry, with a multitude of awards, plus global, international and Greek premieres, as well as a promising multitude of events aimed at producers, distributors, directors, screenwriters and so on. On the other hand, it is held at the easternmost and most remote end not only of Greece, but also of Europe – Kastellorizo – which is heaven on earth in every way. Therefore, every visitor to the festival has the opportunity to immerse themselves in a holistic experience of cultural revitalisation, whilst enjoying his or her stay in a place that looks like a film still.

Why celebrate it almost at the end of the summer?
Beyond Borders is held every year in the last week of August. The reason for this is that towards the end of August, tourism on the island has decreased a little compared to the previous period, allowing the organisers to accommodate the approximately 200 guests who arrive every year from the ends of the Earth, who also combine their holidays with the Beyond Borders experience.

What is the philosophy or editorial line underpinning the gathering?
The main organisational body of Beyond Borders is the Hellenic History Foundation, an academic body systematically engaged in recording and saving modern Greek history. Consequently, in the early years, a special emphasis was placed on the genre of explanatory documentaries, with an accent on those dealing with major historical events and personalities. In recent years, however, the range of titles participating in the competitive sections of the festival has expanded dramatically, covering the entire spectrum of documentary film production. However, we always emphasise docs dealing with historical events and personalities, sociopolitical issues, contemporary or not, those that highlight human rights and those that deal with any cross-cutting concern that reflects the interests of contemporary cinematography.

Looking at the selection of titles for this edition, can you detect any particularly sensitive, pertinent or recurring trend, idea or theme?
We could say that, schematically, two different themes can be discerned in the Main Competition Section and in the μicro Competition Section: on one hand, in the former, many films that are competing focus on the universal pain of violent uprooting, refugees and war (after all, the theme of the eighth edition focuses on the 100 years that have elapsed since the Treaty of Lausanne and the violent exchange between Greek and Turkish citizens), while in the μicro Competition Section (aimed at young and emerging creators), we notice that a very strong emphasis is placed on contemporary themes prevalent in postmodern societies, such as gender, sexuality and, in general, issues that call identities as we know them into question.

Is there any geographical area or country that has recently surprised you with its documentaries?
Beyond Borders focuses on highlighting films and filmmakers from countries within the global film industry that are usually under-represented, such as South-East Europe and the Middle East, and we are particularly pleased to continually (and this year, of course) see exciting documentaries competing from countries such as Tunisia, Thailand, Croatia and Slovenia.

Is there any historical figure whose image has been altered by one of the documentaries participating in your festival this year?
The film To Each Their Voice: Theodoros Angelopoulos and Nikos Panayotopoulos by Antonis Konninou and Yiannis Soldatou deals with and looks back at the dialogues and reflections of two leading thinkers of global cinema theory and thought, reconstructing their personal views through the testimonies of people close to them and their close collaborators, as well as through recordings and the personal documents of Angelopoulos and Panayotopoulos. It is truly an audiovisual document for lovers not only of Greek film, but also of world cinema, starring two leading historical figures.