Best Greek documentary movies

A coast guard captain on a small Greek island is suddenly charged with saving thousands of refugees from drowning at sea.

Debtocracy seeks the causes of the Greek debt crisis and proposes solutions sidelined by the government and the dominant media. It follows countries like Ecuador that created debt Audit Commissions and tracks this process in Greece.

A.E.K., the well-known Greek basketball team founded in 1924 by refugees from Constantinople, after 44 years, beats SLAVIA of Prague and wins the European Cup.

The creators of Debtocracy, analyze the shifting of state assets to private hands. They travel round the world gathering data on privatization and search for clues on the day after Greece's massive privatization program.

Avant-Drag! paints portraits of ten drag artists of varying gender expressions and sexualities who take to the streets of Athens to query, problematise and (yes, please!) undermine social strictures. Employing wildly imagined personas – like riot housewives and Albanian turbo-folk girls – who perform acts as revolutionary as praising abortion and as charming as drawing childish pictures, these artists call for social justice by taking aim at conservatism, patriarchy, patriotism, racism and sexism.

After some hiking, two male members of a company remember their past erotic adventures as an ex-couple. The company decides to bring them back their lost eroticism and boldness. While the company realizes its plans it creates a context of sensuality and a symbloic fissure at a space which is agressively charged with heteronormal and nationalistic values, so that the saught eroticism can have a place to flourish.

In the course of several months, a camera is recording the relationships built between dogs and inmates, during an innovative program introduced by the non-profit organization Save A Greek Stray, and executed (in a pilot phase) at the Women’s Prison of Eleona-Thebes. In an effort to escape from their past, and follow a new way of life, dogs (Toska, Montecristo, Charlize, Richard), and inmates (Antonia and Katerina), are determined to confront their fears and seize a second chance in life.

Karim Asir, the Afghan Charlie Chaplin, in the midst of bombs and disasters, gives performances using laughter as his only weapon. When the Taliban takeover, Karim is threatened with death. After a series of adversities, he manages to arrive in Greece. We follow his life adventure, and through his story, we explore the issue of laughter – in Afghanistan and beyond.

In the final 'battle' of her career, a determined archaeologist - who has dedicated all her life to protecting the cultural and natural environment of the land - has 2 months to salvage as much as possible from an archaeological dig which is planned to be flooded during the construction process of a new dam by the Greek National Power Company.

Between fiction and documentary, this film shows a portrait of the persona of a transsexual that goes far beyond simplistic voyeurism. The film offers a respectful image of masculine sexuality, with a character ahead of its time, through the telling of Betty about his childhood, daily life, pleasure, self-esteem and social marginalization.

Documenting the testimony of one of the last surviving Rhodeslis (Rhodian Jews), Sami Modiano, a survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau, this film assumes the tasks of defending historical memory, humanity and dignity.

A historical and scientific investigation telling the extraordinary story of how the ancient Greeks built a computer 2,000 years ago. Set against the glorious backdrop of classical Greece, this Grierson-nominated film follows the international research team who finally solved the puzzle of the ‘Antikythera Mechanism’. Scientific breakthroughs illustrated with stunning graphics and reenactments, reveal a trail of mysterious numbers that solved the conundrum of the gears – a real life Da Vinci code set in ancient Greece.

Spiros, a motorcycle acrobat of the Circle of Death, lives a nomadic life together with his family, his caravan, and a few acrobats who often abandon him. His dad was a legend of the Circle of Death and so were his uncle and his grandfather – a family tradition for over 50 years! Will Spiros manage to make ends meet, and, furthermore, is this vanishing profession going to get a second wind? Are his sons willing to take the wheel? A human portrait of an old-school lover of speed in a rapidly changing world.

Fotis Georgiadis attempts to combine rap music with opera influences. The making of everybody loves Greek rap wants to see.

With the Olympics returning to Greece, the opening ceremony of Athens 2004 sought to show the entire development of the Olympics over the centuries, until arriving at the modern Olympics.

A documentary about Eleusina. The past and the present, in complete antithesis, coexist in a place spoiled by modern industry but which long ago hosted the Eleusinian Mysteries, the secret ceremonies that initiated the ancient Greeks into the miracles of life, death and the afterlife.

The stand up comedy performance of Vyron Theodoropoulos and Michalis Mathioudakis "STA PLAGIA" as filmed at the Chalandrio Rematia theater.

A documentary that chronicles the 90 years of history of the Greek sports club PAOK, not only in athletic but also in social and historical terms.

For four and a half years, between 2015 – 2019, acclaimed filmmaker Yorgos Avgeropoulos observed Greek society on multiple levels. As well as having exclusive access to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, he followed others, including a refugee couple from Syria and a mother whose child was murdered by Golden Dawn. The result is a unique and multiple story-lined film: a tale which evolves and unfolds with the characters over time as they face difficult decisions, even to partially achieve their goals.

Almost a year after the global pandemic hit Greece, iMEdD and SmallPlanet, present Yorgos Avgeropoulos’ new documentary entitled “Parontes” (Present). The film, unfolds against the backdrop of the public healthcare system and follows the prominent figures at the forefront of the COVID-19 response, as well as the unsung heroes of the pandemic. Political decisions and backroom maneuvers come under the microscope and are juxtaposed with the struggles of those who bear the brunt of the new crisis on a daily basis. Through the Greek experience, Avgeropoulos manages to capture a universal reality and poses critical questions about the post-Covid era the world is entering.

Elias, a small farming village in central Greece, is dying out. But two cousins team up with the village grannies to cultivate the tomato seeds they have kept for hundreds of years. With a little help from Wagner’s music –which they use to help their tomatoes grow– the team succeeds to export little jars with organic tomato recipes across the world. The film follows the protagonists of this unlikely quest, as they struggle to survive and make their dream come true. Humorous and bittersweet, this is a story about the importance of reinventing oneself in times of crisis and the power of human relationships.

Paola Revenioti and the filmmaking team Paola Team Documentaries present their first documentary feature. Kaliardáwas the secret language of the homosexual community in Greece, from the 40s until the first years following the fall of the dictatorship in the mid-70s. Paola became acquainted with the use of kaliardá towards its end, in the 80s. We started out with an aim to record the history of kaliardá, but along the way we realized we were recording the history of the homosexual community in Greece during the twentieth century. Themes started emerging, such as love, sexuality, hangouts, problems faced by people at the time and how conditions gradually changed. In the documentary, we speak with academics and people from the street who have first-hand experience of our topic.

"This Is Not a Coup" describes ECB's financial interventions in states like Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Cyprus and Greece. Featuring well known academics, politicians and journalists, it analyses the relation of EU institutions with big corporations and banks. In order to guarantee full independence from private companies and interests, the project is financed through crowd-funding - namely donations from citizens, trade unions and independent organizations and foundations across the globe.

Two parallel stories are gradually unfolding the everyday life of two very different persons - that of 86-year-old Sara and 7-year-old Mihka - both residing in Guovdageaidnu - Kautokeino, in the middle of the Norwegian arctic tundra, through the drastic change of the arctic seasons and the passage from the long winter’s darkness to the never-ending light of the summer season.

A journey in time through the eyes of two generations of filmmakers, at the same remote island in Greece from the 70s up until now. Yiorgos Kolozis went to Donoussa for the first time in 1972 – back then, there was no electricity nor tourists. Staying at Kedros beach all by himself, he acquired the name Yiorgos of Kedros. Yiorgos’s death in 2009 led Yiannis, his son, to continue his work, creating a story in which time is treated as a reconsideration of the present moment.

As going through an economic vortex, Greece is experiencing condition in post-war history. Homeless people, unemployment, poverty, violent conflicts and the rise of the extreme-right are found all over the county. Is there any possible way to break through the crisis? This film follows development of the crisis and its impact on people’s lives, as well as rise of fascism, while seeking answers from interested parties.

A 'road-movie' documentary about Pindus Mountains and their people.

The documentary follows the rapper-phenomenon on his big summer tour, from Athens to Xanthi, and from the moments of glory of the recent past to the even more distant. At a time when Nikolas Kitsos was not yet Bloody Hawk. Following a path away from the media spotlight, avoiding interviews and other public appearances other than his concerts, Bloody reveals himself to the public for the first time.

Sophia, Lhord, Alexandros and Nikos have a hard time finding their place in a school that ignores their needs. They have to cope with the pressure of the Panhellenic exams when their lives are put on hold because of a student occupation that imposes a school lockdown…

In the year 2008, the mayor of the island of Tilos in the Aegean Sea agreed to perform the first gay and lesbian civil marriages ever held in Greece. The film follows the story of these two civil marriages through visual material that was shot ad hoc, but also through footage from the Gay Pride of the same year, Press conferences and other demonstrations regarding the same topic.

When the Greek factory of VIO.ME. closes down, a group of workers decides to take radical action. They occupy the factory and attempt to operate it themselves, based on the principles of direct democracy. Their venture inspires activists all around the world, while the ex-owner is astonished to see the family business turn into a symbol for the up-and-coming radical left. For the workers, striving to make ends meet, selfmanagement turns out to be an unprecedented adventure, full of conflicts. They soon realise that in order to succeed, the first thing they have to change is themselves...

Welcome to the murky world of digital ad fraud, organized crime’s biggest source of income after drug trafficking. A former industry executive pulls the curtain to expose how it’s done, who the victims are, and what role Google and Facebook play in the game.

Every July 31st, Mrs. Irene and the other remaining "fifteeners" return to the obsolete Monastery of the Accession, on the island of Therasia, the little know twin sister of cosmopolitan Santorini. For fifteen days they stay at the empty cells of the Monastery, preparing it for the celebration of the Accession and praying for eternal rest of their beloved ones. In between they recall past glories of the tradition of "Fifteen" while gazing at the touristic traffic across Santorini's volcanic bay. ACROSS HER BODY questions issues of faith, identity and gender by correlating three distinct bodies: the "unspoiled" body of the Virgin Mary, the deserted body of the once upon a time fertile Therasia and the aging female bodies of the fifteeners. It's an homage to an archetype of Greek motherhood that was common place in the post war society and is becoming obsolete in modern Greece.

Pavlos, travels to a quiet village in Northern Greece to visit his grandmother. He films her with a camera, while she prepares for him his favorite meals. Both grappling with loneliness in their own ways, they share stories and open up like they never had before. In the warmth of his grandmother’s embrace, Pavlos gets to feel a long-awaited sense of acceptance.

Lena Platonos, a major figure in the Greek music scene who has proven to be ahead of her time in terms of her groundbreaking work in electronica, is now receiving a surge of international attention, thanks to album re-issues and remixes. Both established and up-and-coming artist cite her as a key influence for her experimentations in sound, her eerie lyrics and her unique, uncompromising approach to creating music and art. With the help of collaborators, friends and international musicians of the electronic music scene such as Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip and the Red Axes, the film goes back to the time her revolutionary records were made.

By recording snapshots from the daily life of the people of Tsai Mahala, we take a journey into time and explore a way of life that fades away.

At dawn, a group of friends meet on the rooftop of a school in Athens. It's their ritual. Overlooking the city, this symbolic place will be theirs until the next morning.

The everyday life of the Orthodox Christian community of Kananga, in Democratic Republic of Congo, a war-ridden country with thousands of victims and one of the most dangerous places in the world.

An arm wrestler who lives in the countryside, upset with the mentality of the small community, decides to return to Athens. In this journey of adulthood, he will face in a "bras de fer fight" the most difficult opponent, his pure self.

An incredibly insightful animation provides a personal telling of a very important story from an often unheard perspective of the refugee crisis.

Since the 1970s, lesbians from around the world have been drawn to the island of Lesvos, the birthplace of the ancient Greek poet Sappho. When they find paradise in a local village and carve out their own queer lesbian community, tensions simmer with the local residents. With both groups claiming ownership of lesbian identity, filmmaker Tzeli Hadjidimitriou—a native and lesbian herself—is caught in the middle and chronicles 40+ years of love, community, conflict, and what it means to feel accepted.

From Vogue magazine fashion photographer to filmmaker, painter and sculptor, Bailey is the working-class Londoner who befriended the stars, married his muses (Jean Shrimpton, Catherine Deneuve, Marie Helvin) and captures the spirit and elegance of his times with his refreshingly simple approach and razor-sharp eye. He is also the man whose life and work inspired one of the cult movies of the sixties, Michelangelo Antonioni's Blow-Up, and who has constantly travelled the globe either with the most beautiful models or chronicling the contemporary reality of Papua New Guinea, Brazil, Vietnam, Afghanistan and other countries with ground-breaking reportages. Above all, Bailey is a romantic with a delightful sense of humour approaching his 73rd year and showing no sign of slowing up. Director Jérôme de Missolz has created an engaging portrait of this very private man who bared the soul of the swinging sixties and seventies with his photographs and films.

An ancient Greek philosopher, Epicurus, wrote in the first century AD, a letter to Thodorakis the neo-Greek. When Thodorakis learn about it, he travels to Italy and specifically in the area that the letter where found along with 2000 other ancient Greek texts, in order to receive it from the Italian archaeologists.

A trip to Pogoniskos, a Greek village in the northern borders of Epirus. Stories about war, but also about fairies. Without a purpose and without an end. Our grandfather was the narrator, while our grandmother took care of us. Their return to their roots made our own journey unique.

A low-intensity war is being fought on the streets of Europe and the aim is on fascism. This critically acclaimed documentary takes us behind the masks of the militants called antifascists. In 2013 a group of armed nazis attacks a peaceful demonstration in Stockholm where several people are injured. In Greece the neo-nazi party Golden Dawn becomes the third largest in the election and in Malmö the activist Showan Shattak and his friends are attacked by a group of nazis with knives and he ends up in a coma. In this portrait of the antifascists in Greece and Sweden we get to meet key figures that explain their view on their radical politics but also to question the level their own violence and militancy.

The film depicts the life at the Larissa Railway station in Athens in the spring of 1995. The camera focuses on the station’s ‘tenants’, Antonia, Florakis and George..

The Colorado Coal war is described as the bloodiest page of the US labor movement. In this violent confrontation between Rockefeller and the UMWA Trade Union, a vital part was played by 500 Greek miners who became the backbone of the guerrilla army formed by the union to avenge the Ludlow Massacre – the murder of 20 women and children and of the Greek leader Louis Tikas on April 20th, 1914. The documentary tells the unknown story of this conflict, illuminating the special role of the Greeks, with testimonies of descendants of strikers, interviews with historians and with rare archival material (video interviews of survivors, photos, newspaper articles, rare texts and songs).

Sweet stories, bitter stories, with a beginning, without an end. We rarely do we hear them. The big story? Breast cancer.

The documentary Nana is the portrait of a seventy-year-old trans woman who lives in Thessaloniki. The combination of narrative, observation and archival footage creates an image of her chequered past, as well as the hard everyday life a trans person faces in Greek reality.

The stand up comedy performance of Vyron Theodoropoulos and Michalis Mathioudakis "I DON'T WISH TO" as filmed in the family butcher's tavern "To Vietnam".

A documentary presenting people and events connected with the most important political developments from the student uprising at the Athens Polytechnic in 1973 until the first year of democratic rule after the dictatorship collapsed in 1974.

The 2015 referendum sealed the country's modern political history. Ten years later, the protagonists of the era recount all the revealing details that led to the decision to hold the referendum and its implementation, as well as what happened after the deafening result of July 5.

This documentary follows the survivors of the 2023 train accident in Tempi, Greece - along with the 57victims’ families - as they fight for justice.

George was a naughty and spoiled child, due to a congenital disability. He was born with one leg longer than the other. He spent the last two years of elementary school bedridden in the hospital, due to an experimental treatment. Returning back to his village, he began to go to church often, so he chose to become a monk. During his ordination, he goes from secular George to Father John and leaves the capital and the opportunities for professional development to return to a remote but beautiful place. At the same time, we follow the rituals of Holy Week in the community and the priest's views on the Sacrifice and the Resurrection

Turkish soap operas have taken the world by storm, conquering the hearts of millions of viewers in the Middle East, North Africa, the Balkans and Asia. With unprecedented access to the industry’s most glamorous actors and creative talent, Kismet unravels the secrets of this phenomenal success that transcends religion and culture. From the lavish production sets of the most popular Turkish soap operas, the film travels to streets and homes in Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul, Athens, Sofia and Mostar, to discover how these taboo-breaking soaps are helping women across the region to claim their rights and transform their lives.

In this illuminating and artistic documentary from Alia Yunis, we follow the history and relationship between olive trees and the Mediterranean people that have overseen their cultivation and well-being for thousands of years. A love letter to a staple ingredient in global cuisine and the people that keep the industry going, The Golden Harvest includes a revelatory exploration into the evolving environments, societies and demographics of the European and Middle Eastern regions where the tree resides. Bringing to the the surface the rarely discussed cultural and environmental costs involved with the production of the tree's prize oil, the film expertly balances its documentarian aspects with its unbridled love for the tree and its history. Featuring a diverse range of interviews from those who know and love the olive tree, Yunis' doc is a lovingly crafted tribute that is not to be missed.

An approach to the phenomenon of Thanasis Vengos, the man and the artist, through film excerpts, testimonies of his collaborators and relatives and analyses of his symbolic role in the post-war modern Greek reality. Thanasis Vengos, for more than fifty years, was one of the most important actors in Greece. His films and lines are written in history, raising more than three generations of Greeks.

One in every ten Greek citizens goes to court at least once a year. Therefore, filming the courts not only provides a portrait of local justice but also portrays Greek society. This is the documentary's wager. This is the first time a camera enters the Athens Court of First Instance and records civil and penal trials.

The documentary presents rare photographic archives and hitherto unknown film documents documenting the unique case of Grigoris Lambrakis. Valuable first-time material that has been specially edited to be saved and shared with the public decades later. In the documentary - among other things - Grigoris Lambrakis himself appears in the Marathon Peace March, while footage of the popular pilgrimage to his body and the grand funeral-demonstration are presented, as well as testimonies of people who knew or worked with Grigoris Lambrakis.

Greek Sarakatsani community members, a former group of nomadic animal breeders, share personal experiences and discuss the concept of identity today. A tribute to collective memory through an experiential journey that sets out from the past, progresses into the present, and contemplates the future.

Athanasia, Theodoros, George and Chrysoula live and move around Zefyri, Menidi and the wider region. They no longer live in chattels and camps, but in a modern urban environment, each according to what they can afford. Their children and grandchildren are trying to educate themselves. Through small stories about their lives, each of them slowly unfolds his own special personality. They become people with dreams, hopes and disappointments, but also with an ancestry that has importance.

The last few years, thanks to the Internet, Greek stand-up comedians have managed to stand on their own feet. And here comes this documentary and the vision of Kostas Maliatsis Salas. Appreciating unconventional humor and without fearing censorship, Kostas has made a name for himself as a talented comedian via a career-building online activity rather misconceived in our country: making videos on YouTube.

In December 1945, 150 Greek students embarked upon a journey to Paris on a ship named “Mataroa.” Their escape from war-torn Greece was transformed into creative expression, impacting the intellectual and artistic developments of postwar Europe. The journey of “Mataroa.” A story that remains a source of inspiration to this day.