Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival

One day after the world premiere, I travelled to the next film premiere in the sunshine of Thessaloniki, Greece. A grumpy driver was waiting for me at the airport and had fun teasing me about my position as a privileged and state-funded filmmaker. So we talked about the Greek state crisis, inflation and austerity policies. Then he dropped me off at a 5-star hotel offered to me by the festival. I could understand his frustration. 

The festival site in Thessaloniki is located on a pier that juts out into the sea. I can hardly imagine a more beautiful place for documentary films. I breathed in the Mediterranean air as if I were on vacation and received a very warm welcome from the festival. It felt as if everyone already knew me. IMMORTALS – Ah! 

The theatre in Thessaloniki was also packed. There seems to be a lot of attention for the youth in Iraq and their struggles. I wasn’t as nervous as I was before the world premiere. Although I represented the film alone, we were perceived as a collective of European and Iraqi filmmakers, which made me incredibly happy. 

The Greek audience mainly asked political questions. Questions about the “October Revolution”, filming under censorship, gender and class relations. I would have loved to have Milo or Khalili as experts for the Iraqi context. Next time. Inshallah.