Onassis Culture at the 28th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival

“The Public Private House: 9 Stanzas for Athens” by Tassos Langis

An Onassis Culture production

How does the future of Athens appear through the eyes of those who inhabit its architectural layers—its residents, young people, migrants, or even birds? The documentary “The Public Private House: 9 Stanzas for Athens,” directed by Tassos Langis and produced by Onassis Culture, is loosely based on two publications about the Athenian apartment buildings: “37 Stories of Athenian Apartment Buildings” (edited by Thomas Maloutas, Nikolina Myofa, Dimitris Balabanidis, and Ifigeneia Dimitrakou, and published by the Onassis Foundation) and “The Public Private House: Modern Athens and Its Polykatoikia” by Richard Woditsch, from which the film also borrows its title.

“The Public Private House” is a film-essay in nine stanzas on Athens, habitation, and the search for perspective—both literally and figuratively. The film follows four young women who share a penthouse apartment on Acharnon Street, in an Athenian neighborhood marked by intense ethnic and social stratification. The director’s gaze focuses on a participatory, “from within” documentation that avoids any sense of hierarchy or status. The academics on screen do not hold titles or roles; instead, they switch positions in equal terms with the four women, their friends, and the birds that inhabit Athens. All have equal status and equal narrative space. The film chooses to look at the city not from above, but through what it calls “domestic happiness”: the lives that struggle to hold on or that leave for a ‘better’ life, striving to belong. At the core lies the apartment block, i.e., ‘polykatoikia,’ not simply as a building, but as an archive of lives, uses, dreams, transformations, and separations.

The premiere will take place on Monday, March 9, at 7:00 p.m., at the “John Cassavetes” Hall, Warehouse 1, Port of Thessaloniki, in the presence of the cast and crew. A Q&A session will follow.

"Why the Mountains Are Black" by Cosmote TV

The new documentary series co-produced by Onassis Culture

How many songs do the mountains hold within them? How does music mark what happens between life and death? Cosmote TV, in co-production with Onassis Culture, presents the new documentary series “Why the Mountains Are Black,” starring Christopher King, which takes us on a journey of exploration, revealing how sound, movement, and tradition resonate across generations. The series consists of six episodes and six different themes that revolve around a common core: an ethnographic insight into the ritual and mysticism of Greece’s musical customs.

The first public screening of the new documentary series will take place within the framework of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, with a special screening of the fifth episode. In this episode, themed and titled “Rituals,” Christopher King continues his journey with a tour of Epirus, searching for the roots of traditional folk music and its cultural continuity in the 21st century. All episodes of the series, co-produced by Onassis Culture, will soon be available exclusively on COSMOTE HISTORY.

On Saturday, March 7, 2026, an episode of the series was screened as part of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival at the “Tonia Marketaki” Hall at 7:00 p.m.

“4 p.m. to 5 p.m.” by Yorgos Teltzidis

The new Onassis Culture documentary about Giannis Petridis participates in the Festival’s Agora (Out of Competition).

A documentary portrait of Giannis Petridis, the legendary Greek collector, national radio producer, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame voting member, presented through his vast record collection. A film about pop culture, time, memory, and the sense of belonging.

In the film, Petridis’ collection is donated to the Onassis Foundation, thus moving from the private into the public sphere. Letters and testimonies from his fans reveal Petridis’ impact on music and pop culture in Greece, while the film transforms a contemporary legend into a human story.

The documentary, written and directed by Giorgos Teltzidis, with research by Panagiotis Menegos, and produced by Onassis Culture, is currently in development and participates out of competition in Docs in Progress, part of the most dynamic documentary market in Southeast Europe.

At the heart of the film is Giannis Petridis, who, through persistence, passion for music, cinema, and pop culture, and having served as director of record labels such as Virgin Records Greece, has assembled one of the most impressive and comprehensive private collections ever created in Greece, while often shaping domestic music trends himself. His collection includes more than 170,000 items, mainly 33 and 45 rpm vinyl records and CDs, along with films, video clips, and original audiovisual material on VHS, cassettes, DVDs, LaserDisc, memorabilia related to the music and film industries, as well as to his own personal career, and rare music-related objects from the 1960s to the present day. In 2025, the Onassis Foundation acquired Petridis’ unique collection, with the aim of making it accessible to the public for listening, research, and enjoyment.

“Bugboy” by Lucas Paleocrassas

Onassis Film Award 2025

“Bugboy” follows George, a shy teenager with misaligned eyes, who struggles to connect with others after his parents’ traumatic divorce. Finding refuge in the world of insects, he bonds with a cricket named Isabella. Through a portrait of transformation and self-discovery, “Bugboy” reminds us that even the smallest creatures can help us find our place in the world. The documentary, written and directed by Lucas Paleocrassas and produced by Anemon Productions, participates in the festival’s International Competition.

The premiere will take place on Thursday, March 12, at 8:00 p.m., at Olympion.

From the Drama International Short Film Festival to the Athens International Film Festival and from the Thessaloniki International Film Festival to the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, the Onassis Foundation supports independent Greek cinema by awarding prizes to Greek filmmakers for the development or completion of their films. Yorgos Goussis (“African Grey”), Andrea Gathopoulos (“The Eggregores’ Theory”), Alki Papastathopoulos (“Honeymoon”), Despina Kourti (“Numb”), and Lucas Paleocrassas (“Bugboy”) won the awards for the 2024–25 period.