Three different stories. Three filmmakers following very different paths. One shared starting point.
This year, three documentary films arriving at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival trace their origins back to the second cycle of the iMEdD Incubator, where they first began as early-stage journalistic projects. What started as investigative ideas developed in a collaborative newsroom environment gradually evolved into full-length documentary films—some of them even changing shape and title along the way.
The Incubator, launched by iMEdD to support journalists and storytellers, offers mentoring, networking opportunities, and the tools needed to transform ambitious ideas into in-depth reporting and storytelling projects. Over the course of the program, participants refine their concepts, experiment with new formats, and often expand their projects beyond their original scope.
For three projects of the second cycle, that journey ultimately led to the big screen.
From “Shipwrecked” to “Where Shadows Rest”
When the project first entered the Incubator, it was titled Shipwrecked—a multimedia investigation into the environmental and social consequences of abandoned shipwrecks in Elefsina’s heavily industrialized bay. The project examined a place where pollution, economic interests, and environmental neglect intersect, leaving behind a landscape marked by rusting vessels and contaminated waters.
Over time, the story evolved into a deeply personal and cinematic documentary.
In Where Shadows Rest, directed by Marianna Economou, the focus shifts toward Kostas, a 75-year-old diver who makes his living salvaging toxic shipwrecks from a polluted seabed. Around him, a community hopes for environmental regeneration—but the sea holds more than wreckage. As Kostas attempts to raise one particular doomed vessel, echoes of an ancient Greek myth of the Underworld emerge. When a long-buried secret from his past surfaces, the mission collapses, turning the film into an existential journey through memory, guilt, and the possibility of healing.
The film screens in the Open Horizons section of the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival.
EXILE(S), Stories of an Island
Another project from the Incubator’s second cycle was originally developed under the title Exiles, exploring themes of displacement, identity, and belonging.
Directed by Giorgos Iliopoulos, the film now arrives at the festival as EXILE(S), Stories of an Island, expanding its scope into a layered portrait of Imbros.
A century after the Treaty of Lausanne reshaped the region through population exchanges, the island still bears the marks of those upheavals. Ruined villages, abandoned homes, and fragmented memories coexist with living traditions and rituals, forming what feels like a cultural palimpsest. The film observes the island’s inhabitants as they attempt to redefine their present while navigating histories that continue to shape their lives.
Through quiet observation and attention to everyday life, EXILE(S) explores the complexities of coexistence in a place where borders, identities, and memories are constantly renegotiated.
The film celebrates its world premiere at the festival, participating in the International Competition – Newcomers section.
From “The Secrets of the Owl” to “The Way Elsewhere”
For photographer and filmmaker Eirini Vourloumis, the Incubator marked her first attempt at developing a feature-length documentary project. Initially titled The Secrets of the Owl, the project explored Athens through the lives of people who move through the city at night.
Over time, the project evolved into the feature documentary The Way Elsewhere.
The film offers an intimate portrait of Athens through the lives of three veteran taxi drivers who navigate the city’s streets as quiet observers—and dreamers.
Konstantinos is approaching retirement after more than fifty years behind the wheel, beginning each shift with a ritual beneath the Acropolis. Sunny, a Nigerian actor and father, balances faith, fatigue, and his enduring passion for performance. Giorgos, a born entertainer, sings romantic laïkó songs in small nightlife venues.
Blending observational storytelling with musical moments, the film reflects on routine, longing, and resilience in a city shaped by crisis but sustained by persistence.
Like EXILE(S), The Way Elsewhere also celebrates its world premiere at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, where it participates in the International Competition section.
