15th Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival (BBB)
–Human Traces–
BBB Cine-Forum II
Round table: Environment and cinema: The role of cinema in enhancing environmental awareness and in reducing the human footprint
At the 15th Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival – Human Traces- Spetses, the BBB Cine Forum II will take place delving into the multiple factors of climate crisis and the role of culture and education in environmental consciousness. The round table: Environment and cinema: The role of cinema in enhancing environmental awareness and in reducing the human footprint will take place on Saturday 12 October at 12.00 at the Titania cinema and is open to the public.
The theme of the discussion derives from the title of the festival Human Traces, and explores the role of culture and cinema in urban sustainability, abandoning an institutional framework on the subject, with the aim not only of highlighting the built and natural landscape in the formation of human identity , but also the creation of a fertile ground for the exchange of opinions and solutions between representatives of cultural institutions and professionals in the field of culture.
In this discussion we approach culture as a tool for informing, raising awareness and mobilizing the public on environmental issues by strengthening climate action (Cultural-based Climate action) responding to the efforts of the European Union and UNESCO.”Culture operates as an accelerator of the social dimension of resilience by strengthening the social capital of a city” according to a 2018 study on Athens by 100 resilient cities and the British council. The guest speakers, each from their field of pursuit, will discuss the challenges they face and the ways they are developing to strengthen environmental awareness.
The proposed speakers will be Ms Kleoni Flessa (Greece) cultural consultant of Peloponnisos International Documentary Film Festival, Alexia Tsouni (Greece) activist and documentarian, Alba Cakalli (Kosovo), festival producer of Dokufest and Konstantina Liakopoulou (Greece) Representative of the Creative Europe Office in Greece,Ministry of Culture. The coordinator of the round table will be Konstantina Karydis, Senior Advisor at Resilient Cities Catalyst and Founding Member of Balkans Beyond Borders.
Bios Speakers
Alexia Tsouni (Greece) is a graduate in Civil Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens, and an Associate Researcher at the National Observatory of Athens. She is a director, member of WIFT GR (Women in Film and Television – Greece) and the Greek Documentary Association. She has directed the documentaries “Innocent” (Greece 2024), “Self-Defense” (Greece 2024), “Shalom – Salaam – Peace” (Palestine – Israel – Netherlands, 2024), “Make Art Not War” (Ukraine – Russia – Lithuania – Lithuania – Finland – USA, 2023), “Hantush – a fairytale” (Palestine – Spain, 2022), “Back to Life” (Greece – Bangladesh, 2021), “CoronaViolence” (Greece, 2020), “Maurice Montet: Conscientious Objector and Total Pacifist” (France, 2020), and “Peace vs Piece” (Palestine, 2019). Alexia Tsouni is also a human rights and peace activist, and a volunteer for Greek and international non-governmental organisations. She has served as Vice President of the Greek section of Amnesty International, and President of the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection. She is co-founder and Board member of the women’s rights association The Purple, as well as co-founder and President of FemArtAct social cooperative of feminist, artistic and activist action.
Alba Çakalli (Kosovo) from Prizren has been part of DokuFest for 10 years now. Initially, she was engaged as a volunteer coordinator, then a program assistant, and later as a project manager in the DokuLab department, a department which aims to contribute to the non-formal education of young people in Kosovo through the screening of documentary films and the promotion of debates with the aim of developing critical thinking. Since 2020, Alba continues to contribute to DokuFest in the position of Festival Producer. Engaged in such activities, through her values and skills, Alba constantly tries to dedicate herself to empowering the youth towards the challenges of social development.
Konstantina Liakopoulou, Bsc Business Administration , MSc in Public Policy & Management. Ministry of Culture, Directorate of International Relations and European Union, Creative Europe Desk Greece; promotion of the Culture sub-programme, awareness and understanding of the programme, provision free advice and support for applicants from Greece ; organize workshops, seminars and industry events, as well as networking events. For over a decade has been involved and participated in various cultural events all over Europe.
Kleoni Flessa is a multi-disciplinary artist and director with an impressive background in cinema, theater, and screenwriting. She studied directing, architecture, and photography across various countries, including the United States, Italy, and Greece. Her extensive career spans feature films, short films, documentaries, children’s series, telefilms, and theater performances. Her works have been recognized with Greek and international awards and are included in the collections of Fine Arts Universities, highlighting their artistic and educational value. In addition to her creative work, Flessa has played a significant role in several prestigious film festivals. She serves as the artistic advisor for the Peloponnese International Documentary Festival and the Rimini International Film Festival in Italy, and she holds the position of Artistic Director at the Kardamili International Documentary Art Festival. She has also shared her expertise in directing as a teacher at the Cinema Department of the School of Fine Arts in Thessaloniki, further contributing to the growth of the next generation of filmmakers.
Coordinator
Konstantina Karydi is currently Managing Director, Athens Office, Resilient Cities Catalyst and co-founder of the national initiative Climate Change Hub, Greece, working internationally. She is regularly serving as Advisor and Expert for Urban Affairs for the European Commission and she is serving as a member of the UNDRR Making Cities Resilient 2030 Advisory Committee for Europe and Central Asia. In the past, she has held positions as Advisor for Resilience and Social Security to the Greek Minister of State, Special Advisor on Diplomacy and Special Initiatives for the Mayor of Athens and Deputy Director and Head of Climate Transformation programs, EME for 100 Resilient Cities – Powered by the Rockefeller Foundation. She is an active citizen and regularly supports the development of local and regional initiatives for resilience building, change management in local administrations and culture and has been invited to teach as a guest lecturer in Harvard, LSE, the Universities of Athens and Thessaloniki, Jerusalem and others. She is co-founder of the cultural innovation NGO Balkans Beyond Borders and member of the alumni Board of the European Fund for the Balkans. She is holder of the Global Executive Masters on Innovative Governance of Large Urban Systems from EPFL and MSc on European Public Policy from University College London (UCL).
#SaveTheDate
Saturday, 12/10 at 12.00-14.00
Venue: Titania Cinema
Free Entrance
In cooperation with Action Bomaye and co-funded by the EU