The catalog of the 24th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival is dedicated to the completion of fifty years since the first broadcast of the legendary BBC series Ways of Seeing, conceived and presented by the iconic thinker, writer, and artist John Berger. Both the texts and the very design of the publication pay tribute to Berger's fundamental goal "to liberate images from the shackles of a timid gaze and create a new condition for observing, critiquing, and understanding images and life," as Oreste Andreasakis writes.
In her text, Syra Tsiara examines "What makes John Berger's Ways of Seeing so captivating and unique even today?", while the other texts attempt a new condition of critical reading of cinematic representations, with an emphasis on archival imagery. Commemorating the hundred years since the Asia Minor Catastrophe, Dimitris P. Sotiropoulos returns to early 20th century Smyrna, while Giannis Smolilis "rewatches" Vasilis Maros' documentary Aegean Tragedy.
Using translation practice as a tool, Gely Mademli approaches the term found footage, while Glykeria Basdeki revisits the films showcased in the preservation and restoration program of Greek cinematic heritage Country, I see you as gestures of love. Aris Dimokidis reflects on the history of acoustic documentaries, Epaminondas Christofilopoulos explains how images of the past contribute to forecasting the future (foresight), Dimitris Kerkinos analyzes the unique aesthetics of Latvian creator Laila Pakalnina, while finally, Despoina Pavlaki guides us through the "Condensed Reality of Virpi Suutari.
