Esteemed figures from the Greek and international cinema scene are once again honoring the 9th Beyond Borders Kastellorizo International Documentary Festival with their participation on the juries. Their presence, trust, and meaningful contributions reaffirm the quality, growth, and international character of the festival.
Beyond Borders' Strategic Partner is PPC (Public Power Corporation), the leading energy company in Southeast Europe, actively supporting arts and culture. As an integral part of the country's social and economic fabric, PPC fosters dialogue with culture and the arts, supporting everyone and everything leading us into the future—a better future for all, where culture takes center stage.
So, let's meet the members of the Juries for the 9th Beyond Borders, which begins on Sunday, August 25th!
Main Competition Jury
Mitzi Goldman (Jury President), CEO of Documentary Australia
Mitzi Goldman has been working in the film industry for over 35 years as a director, producer, and editor. Alongside her production career, she has taught at Murdoch University in Washington and served as co-head of the documentary department at AFTRS. Mitzi’s achievements include producing KaChing! Pokie Nation, Night Parrot Stories, Memoirs of a Plague, and End of the Rainbow. As a director, she has created Jez: A Letter for Life, A Common Purpose, Chinese Take Away, and Hatred. Additionally, as an executive producer, her credits include Knowing the Score, How to Thrive, Incarceration Nation, Backtrack Boys, Undermined: Leunig Fragments, Zach's Ceremony, Constance on the Edge, I Am a Girl, and Surgery Ship. Goldman holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies. She is the co-founder and CEO of Documentary Australia, an organization that develops a new model for funding and distributing documentaries with social impact. Documentary Australia is a non-profit organization connecting philanthropy and film production to inspire social change. She has served as the director of the Film and Television Institute in Western Australia and of the AIDC (where she was co-chair for 3 years). She was the Jury President at APSA in 2018 and has participated in film festival juries in Australia, Iran, and China.
Valerie Kontakos, Director / Producer
Valerie Kontakos splits her time between Athens and New York. After graduating from New York University, she worked as a sound editor for the Maysles brothers, Deborah Dickson, Anita Thacher, and others. In 1989, she directed her first feature-length documentary A Quality of Light. In 1994, she became the Associate Director of the Hellenic Foundation in New York, where she launched the New York Greek Film Festival. Her second feature-length film, Who's on First? (2006), was screened in the USA, Greece, Finland, and South Korea. In 2007, she founded the production company Exile Films in Athens and in 2009, the non-profit Exile Room, focusing on social outreach through documentary. Queen of the Deuce is her fourth feature-length film.
Alan Gilsenan, Director / Producer
Alan Gilsenan is an award-winning Irish writer, filmmaker, and theatre director. His diverse body of work spans documentaries, fiction, and experimental films. His most recent works include The Days of Trees, a reflection on trauma and memory, which recently won the 2024 Irish Film and Television Academy Award for Feature Documentary, premiering at the 2023 Cork International Film Festival. Another recent work, The Irish Question, premiered at the 2024 Dublin International Film Festival. His filmography includes the feature films Timbuktu, The Meeting, and Unless; the documentary The Yellow Bittern: The Life & Times of Liam Clancy; the experimental film A Vision: A Life of WB Yeats; The Ghost of Roger Casement; the TV documentary series Daniel O'Connell; and a film installation inspired by Joyce’s Ulysses for MOLI Dublin titled ULYSSES | FILM, as well as Ghosts of Baggotonia, a cinematic poem that blends personal memory with the literary ghosts of bohemian Dublin. He is a former chair of the Irish Film Institute and has served on the boards of Screen Ireland and RTÉ. He is currently the chair of Fighting Words, a national organization promoting creative writing for children and young people.
Bruce Clark, Writer / Journalist
Bruce Clark is an experienced author, broadcaster, and speaker, known for his expertise in religion, geopolitics, Southeast European history, and textiles. Serving as the religion editor for The Economist, Bruce has extensively contributed to publications and actively participates in global discussions on faith and the environment. He has a keen interest in the local history of Northern Ireland, particularly its linen heritage, and has authored acclaimed works such as Twice A Stranger: How Forced Migration Forged Modern Greece and Turkey and Athens: City of Wisdom. With a career spanning over three decades, Bruce has played a prominent role at The Economist and The Financial Times, covering topics ranging from the Balkan conflicts to transatlantic relations. He began his journalism career at Reuters, honing his language skills in French, Modern Greek, and Russian. A graduate of Saint John's College, Cambridge, Bruce’s academic background includes philosophy and social and political sciences. His multifaceted career highlights his commitment to storytelling and intellectual inquiry, shaping narratives that resonate across borders and disciplines.
Shuibo Wang, Director
Shuibo Wang is a Chinese-born visual artist, Oscar-nominated filmmaker, and Guggenheim Fellow. He studied bande dessinée (comic creation) at the prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts. He has worked with the National Film Board of Canada after collaborating with world-renowned French-Canadian animator and Oscar winner, Frederic Back. He is also a professor and founding director of the Film & Media Art Department at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. His films have received numerous awards, including an Oscar nomination. He has also held solo exhibitions in Montreal, Toronto, Beijing, and Shanghai.
FIPRESCI Jury
The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Jury has been honoring Beyond Borders with its official participation in recent years. As Klaus Eder, FIPRESCI's Secretary General, notes:
“Austrian writer Stefan Zweig observed that 'it is now impossible to have a rational conversation with anyone.' Friends, he continued, 'friends whom I always knew as resolute individualists had turned overnight into fanatical patriots.' This was published in 1942. The excerpt seems fitting for today, doesn’t it? It describes the current reluctance or even inability to talk, to communicate with friends, colleagues, neighbors, and even enemies. Discussions have often become (and not only in the Middle East) like battles: either you win or lose. We seem to have forgotten the art of listening, of arguing, of convincing and being convinced, the culture of dialogue. No tolerance, no respect for other opinions. Instead: stifling dogmatism. This is where cinema and critics come into play, particularly documentaries. Documentaries that show a relationship between cinema and history. Like Beyond Borders | Kastellorizo International Documentary Festival — thanks to the energetic, dynamic, and captivating Irini Sarioglou and the enthusiastic and unmatched Michel Noll, who contribute with their deep knowledge of cinema and history. Kastellorizo is a paradise for visitors, and there is also a magic in the air created by the presence of cinema and history on the small island.”
The 2024 FIPRESCI Jury consists of:
Marina Kostova, Journalist. Marina Kostova is an award-winning journalist and one of the leading film critics and journalists in North Macedonia. She is a founding member and deputy editor of the electronic newspaper www.sdk.mk. She was also a founding member and deputy editor of Vest Daily, the largest newspaper in the country at the time. She is the president of the Macedonian section of FIPRESCI. Marina has edited books such as "Manchevski Monograph" and "Rain - The World About Milcho Manchevski's Before the Rain," as well as the CD-ROM "Macedonia in the New York Times Archives," and has published the hybrid short story collection "Language is a Strange Beast." She has also been involved in film research and is a member of the team of writers of the first Media Literacy Dictionary in North Macedonia (online platform). Marina has served on FIPRESCI juries at numerous film festivals (Venice, Sarajevo, Istanbul, Thessaloniki, Venice Biennale, Oberhausen, Chemnitz, Mannheim, Cluj-Napoca, Luxembourg, etc.).
Peter Kremski, Film Critic. Peter Kremski is a German film critic and documentary filmmaker who writes for various print and online publications. He is also a director and author of numerous television documentaries focusing on cinema, including many portraits of internationally recognized filmmakers. Peter is a member of the German Film Critics Association and represents the Association as a FIPRESCI delegate. He has served on FIPRESCI juries at Cannes, Locarno, Venice, Karlovy Vary, and Leipzig, among others, and has been a jury member at media arts film festivals in Germany. He lives and works in the Cologne/Bonn area.
Giorgos Papadimitriou, Film Critic. Giorgos Papadimitriou graduated from the Faculty of Law at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and completed a Master's in Translation at the University of Strasbourg. He has been working as a film critic since 2010 for the daily newspaper Typos Thessalonikis. He is also the creator and editor of the film site cinedogs.gr and was the editor of the film section of the weekly cultural review Film Noir. He was the editor, coordinator, and main writer for the collective film book "John Cassavetes: Don't Believe the Truth," published by Kypseli Editions, and has contributed to numerous publications of the Panhellenic Union of Film Critics. He has translated the books "Like Zapata and Che? The Zapatistas and Bolivian Cocaleros" (Akivernites Politeies Editions, co-translated with Annyta Chatzikou) and "Nomadland" (Kypseli Editions). He also works as a translator and writer for the mataroa.gr platform of the Cultural Society of Northern Greece. Previously, he worked as a translation and legal etymology professor at the French Institute of Thessaloniki and the University of Strasbourg, and as a lecturer in film seminars on the online platform Rembrandt and the Cat.
μicro-Competition Jury
André Singer (Chair), Director / Anthropologist. André Singer holds a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Oxford and has pursued dual careers in anthropology and filmmaking. His career in documentary filmmaking spans five decades as a researcher, producer, director, executive producer, and curator. His experience ranges from being the editor of Granada Television’s Disappearing World series in the 1980s to heading the independent documentary unit at the BBC in the 1990s, where he created the world-renowned Fine Cut (now Storyville) series and collaborated with international filmmakers such as Jean Rouch, Werner Herzog, D.B. Pennebaker, Mike Grigsby, Bob Drew, and Fred Wiseman. As a director, André has specialized in anthropological films for many years, including "Witchcraft Among the Azande," "The Goddess and the Computer," "The Kazakhs of China," and "Stranger's Abroad." His award-winning film "Night Will Fall" received the Royal Television Society Award, Peabody Award, and Emmy for Best Historical Documentary. He also directed the acclaimed "Where the Wind Blew," about nuclear weapon tests in Kazakhstan and North America, and co-directed with Werner Herzog the internationally successful "Meeting Gorbachev." André’s latest film, "Meeting Zelenskyy," co-directed with Hollywood actor and director Liev Schreiber, is scheduled for release in 2024. André is an Honorary President of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, a Research Professor at SOAS University of London, and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California. In 2020, André was honored with the OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his services to documentary and anthropology.
Penelope McDonald, Director / Producer. Penelope McDonald is an award-winning producer (Buckskin, SFF 2013; My Mother India, SFF 2002; My Bed Your Bed SFF 1992; Night Cries Cannes 1990) and director (Too Many Captain Cooks SFF 1989). Born in Newcastle, she moved to Sydney and then to Seoul, South Korea, where she grew up. She was editor of Honi Soit at the University of Sydney and began her career in writing. She later graduated from the Australian Film Television and Radio School and directed and produced several award-winning films. In 2004, she founded Screen Territory, the state’s film agency for the Northern Territory of Australia. Penelope is a distinguished creator with an academic background in education and storytelling, and has always had a strong interest in the human stories that make up each of our lives. Today, she holds two complementary roles as a storyteller for the screen and as a coach, encouraging people to express their inner magic. She also teaches, guides, supports, and provides advisory services on a regular basis to film and other industry professionals. Her latest film, "Audrey Napanagka" (2023), won the Best Social Documentary Award at the 8th Beyond Borders | Kastellorizo International Documentary Festival.
Marco Gastine, Director / Producer. Marco Gastine was born in Paris and has been living and working in Greece since 1979. He studied Architecture in Paris and Filmmaking in Athens. In 2003, he founded Minimal Films, a production company focused on his own and talented Greek documentary filmmakers’ productions. He has also undertaken international co-productions with ARTE, France Télévisions, CNC, and others. Since 2010, he has taught documentary filmmaking in Greek and international workshops (MFI, StoryDoc, French Institute). He also teaches at the L. Stavrakos Film School. Marco is a founding member and former President of the Greek Documentary Association “Hellas Doc.” His more recent works include "The Deaf Dog" (in development, 2023), "To the Sea" (2019), "24h EUROPE," a documentary (Greek episode, 30') of a 24-hour documentary for ARTE (2018), "NIKOS BELOYANNIS," an episode of the ARTE documentary series "Invisible Heroes" (2016), "Democracy, The Road to the Cross" (2012), and many others.
Elif Akçali
Academic / Producer
Elif Akçali holds a PhD in Media Arts from Royal Holloway, University of London, and is a full-time faculty member in the Department of Radio, Television, and Cinema at Kadir Has University. Since 2004, she has taught practical film editing, film theory, documentary production, and other theoretical and practical courses in screen studies. Her research interests include cinematic style and aesthetics, documentary and essay film, gender and audiovisual production, and videographic film studies. Her video essays have been published in [in]Transition, and she has written for various journals, including Critical Arts, Journal of Film and Video, and CineAction. Recently, she authored a book on "Mustang" (Ergüven, 2015). She was the project director for "Women on Screen and Behind the Camera: A Contemporary Outlook (2017-2021) to Representation and Labor of Women in Film and TV Industries in Turkey," funded by TÜBİTAK. Additionally, she is conducting research on VR filmmaking as part of another TÜBİTAK-funded project titled "Positioning the Spectator in Cinematic Virtual Reality" and is studying EU film policies as part of the "Reviving, Boosting, Optimizing and Transforming European Film Competitiveness - REBOOT" project under the EU's HORIZON fund. Elif is also the producer of the upcoming feature film "Saadet," written and directed by Ayça Çiftçi.
Agapi Kefalogianni
Director of Programming for Nova’s Film Channels
Αγάπη Κεφαλογιάννη has studied Sociology and holds a Master’s degree in Media Studies from the University of Leicester, UK. With extensive experience in the telecommunications industry, she has worked as an entertainment producer at MEGA Channel and joined Nova, Greece’s first subscription television platform, immediately after its launch. At Nova, she has been responsible for program design, content acquisition, and selection for the film channels. Currently, she heads the Novacinema channels, overseeing the selection and acquisition of both foreign and Greek content for the platform's premium film channels and SVOD service. She collaborates closely with Hollywood studios, as well as European and independent film companies, to secure a diverse range of film content, including movies, series, children’s programs, and entertainment formats. Additionally, she and her team are responsible for evaluating Greek scripts and commissioning annual co-productions for Nova. She is the Director of Programming for Nova Cinema channels at Nova Greece, part of the United Group.
You will find photos of the Festival here and stills from the films..
You will find the trailer of the 9th edition here.
For more information you can visit the website www.beyondborders.gr or contact the Festival at info@beyondborders.gr .
Stay tuned for all the actions and news of Beyond Borders by following the Festival on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
Organization: Hellenic History Foundation (IDISME) in collaboration with the French Ecrans des Mondes.
Co-organization: Region of South Aegean with the support of the Hellenic Parliament, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of National Defense, the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, the National Center of Audiovisual Media and Communication (EKOME), Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, the Greek Film Centre, the Embassy of Australia in Athens, the Embassy of Germany in Athens, the Embassy of Austria in Athens, and the Embassy of Spain in Athens.
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