This year’s edition leaves us with a bittersweet feeling. Kicking off the festival run on the day of the general workers’ strike, in the midst of artists squatting theaters and occupying university space, served as a reality check.
In Athens and other cities around Greece, actors protest and strike against a government decision that infringes on their professional and academic rights. On the one hand, this decision attacks artistic expression, of which no conservative ruler is fond. On the other, it is part of a broader strategy to pave the way for a crooked, socially dividing, and unjust version of private university education in the country.
PDSFF23 commenced with the announcement of free admission screenings, open to the public, as a minimum symbolic support to the strike. With full-house screenings every night of the four-day event and filmmakers attending after long delays and canceled flights, we -once again- realise the importance of storytelling and coming together in times when we are expected to retreat.
We wholeheartedly thank all the creators for sharing their stories, the festival workers, the subtitlers, the volunteers, curators, guest speakers, and everyone showing up and flooding TRIANON with their support and enthusiasm amidst the agonising developments in the Greek political sphere.
Until next year,
On behalf of the festival team
