‘BBB Bests and more’ go to Kalamata – Open air screening
On 27th of June Balkans Beyond Borders had the honour to collaborate with Peloponnisos International Documentary Festival and the Creative Documentary Center of Kalamata, transforming the pedestrian street in front of DocCafe into a public cinema experience at the heart of Kalamata.
Balkans Beyond Borders featured the awarded short-films from the competition programme of the 15th edition of BBB short film festival “Human Traces”, highlighting the fragile relationship between humans and the environment.
Vasiliki Maltasoglou, co-founder and director of Balkans Beyond Borders, as well as Gina Petropoulou, Festival Director of Peloponnisos International Documentary Festival opened the discussion at the event underlining the importance of creating inclusive cultural events in public spaces. They emphasized how crucial it is for such initiatives to be sustainable and not just “pop-up” events in order to foster public dialogue efficiently and creative encounters.
Screening Programme:
“Rooted in Code” (Slovenia, 13”) – BBB Best Film
A futuristic tale exploring human-robot coexistence in an urban permaculture garden, prompting questions about the future of ecological and technological symbiosis.
“Tradition” (Turkey, 15”) – BBB Audience Award
A touching narrative about resistance, memory, and human connection in the face of societal change.
“WATER OF LIFE” (Turkey, 15”) – BBB First Film Award
A haunting depiction of displacement and survival that invites empathy and urgency.
“Tiny Fountain” (Greece, 9”) – Special Mention
A poetic journey into the memory and dialects of Western Macedonia.
“Hayati” (Turkey, 12”) – Special Mention
A farmer’s struggle to preserve his land and heritage amid encroaching development.
On the occasion of organizing a screening in Kalamata we also screened the film: “Silo Machine” (Greece): A local Kalamata story resurrecting the 1934 workers’ strike, rooted in
the historical landscape of the city’s Silo district.
After the screening, Vasiliki Maltasoglou led a discussion with the audience inviting them to share ideas based on their perception of the films. The audience expressed how impressed they were by the deepened environmental awareness the films evoked. The interactive experience justified the effort of all collaborators to create a public cinematic event, reaffirming the role of public space as a site of creative gathering, memory and community building.
