19^th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival

3-12 March, 2017

MINORITIES TRIBUTE

The first openly transgender firefighter in New York, Roma survivors of the Holocaust, the odyssey of the Kurdish refugees, the persecution of the Sami tribe, a lesbian refugee in search of a better life; people from all over the world who endure, claim and fight for equal opportunities and a better future, take centre stage in the "Minorities" tribute of the 19^th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.

Since its establishment, the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival has given voice to those who are struggling to be heard, promoted social awareness and defended human rights. The “Minorities” tribute presents 5 documentaries of recent production that shed light on various aspects of a topic that has always been to the forefront of public discussion.

The films:

• “Brave” is the least one could say about Brooke Guinnan, the first openly transgender firefighter in New York; not only does she fight fire, but mainly other people’s prejudices, in Julie Sokolow’s Woman on Fire.

• They live with the scars of the past in their bodies and souls. The tragedy suffered by the Roma during the World War II is explored in Robert Kirchhoff’s A Hole in the Head.

• A Kurdish refugee camp, a young volunteer nurse and a woman who stubbornly refuses food or any contact with the world outside her tent. Images that are hard to describe in words are captured in The Return by Zahavi Sanjavi.

• A warm friendship that knows no borders and a crusade across Europe to save the Sami tribe: this is the subject of Katja Gauriloff’s Kaisa's Enchanted Forest. The director chronicles the story of the great grandmother and looks at her nation’s painful history.

• A lesbian Syrian refugee claims a better future. She will arrive at the island of Lesvos and eventually at the German parliament to tell the story: Το Another Life by Laurent Laughlin.

The tribute "Minorities" has free admission, and is implemented through the Operational Program “Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning” and co-funded by the European Union (European Social Fund) and national funds.