Israeli comedian Noam Shuster-Eliassi and director Amber Fares took home the Golden Alexander at the 27th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival for “Coexistence, My Ass!,” a film that follows Shuster-Eliassi’s sharp, satirical approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The win secures the film’s eligibility for Academy Award consideration in the Best Documentary Feature category.
The Thessaloniki jury praised the documentary’s construction, calling it a “fearless challenge to every taboo in the region,” noting how Shuster-Eliassi’s humor allows audiences to confront deep-seated biases. The comedian, whose one-woman show serves as the foundation for the film, uses her multilingual fluency in Arabic and Hebrew to highlight the contradictions of the conflict and the limits of coexistence in Israel. During her acceptance speech, she reflected on her family’s activist background, acknowledging her father, who was imprisoned for refusing military service in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Shuster-Eliassi also referenced the recent arrest of Palestinian comedian Nidal Badarny, detained by Israeli authorities for social media videos they deemed disruptive to public order. She remarked on the disparity in treatment between Palestinian and Jewish comedians, emphasizing how her own privilege as an Israeli Jew allowed her more leeway to express controversial views. She also injected humor into her speech, citing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s transition from comedian to politician as inspiration for taking comedy seriously as a political tool.
“Coexistence, My Ass!” also won the “Human Rights in Motion” Award, presented by the Council of Europe, underscoring its focus on freedom of expression. The film had previously won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Freedom of Expression at the Sundance Film Festival.
The Silver Alexander in Thessaloniki’s International Competition went to “Free Leonard Peltier,” a documentary directed by Jesse Short Bull and David France that revisits the case of the Native American activist who spent nearly 50 years in prison before his sentence was commuted to home confinement earlier this year. The film, which incorporates extensive archival footage, was recognized for exposing legal injustices and the broader struggle for Indigenous rights in the United States. It also received the FIPRESCI critics’ prize and the Amnesty International Award.
Weronika Mliczewska’s “Child of Dust” received a Special Mention from the jury. The documentary follows a Vietnamese man’s search for his American soldier father and examines the lingering effects of war across generations. The jury described the film as “a beautifully shot cinèma vèritè portrait” that captures universal themes of identity and longing.
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In the Newcomers Competition, Maia Lekow and Christopher King’s “How to Build a Library” won the Golden Alexander for its portrayal of two Kenyan women’s fight to reclaim a neglected public library in Nairobi. The jury commended its exploration of colonial legacies and its celebration of grassroots activism. The Silver Alexander in the category went to Byron Kritzas’ “They Talk About Worship Here,” which centers on the Corfu-based band Kore. Ydro. and the power of music as a unifying force.
The Film Forward Competition, which highlights experimental documentaries, awarded its Golden Alexander to “Endless Cookie” by Seth Scriver and Peter Scriver, an animated documentary that follows two half-brothers from different cultural backgrounds. The jury described it as “a sharp and funny meditation on family, community, and shared culture.” The Silver Alexander went to “Meanwhile” by Catherine Gund, which examines race, identity, and resistance through a poetic documentary lens.
Other major awards included the Immersive: All Around Cinema Award, given to Stefano Conca Bonizzoni’s “Sweet End of the World!,” and the Mermaid Award for best LGBTQ+ documentary, which went to “GEN_” by Gianluca Matarrese. The Alpha Bank Accessibility Award was presented to “Viktor” by Olivier Sarbil, which follows a deaf young man navigating life in wartime Ukraine.
Greek films were also recognized at the festival. Stavros Psillakis’ “Sculpted Souls” won both the Youth Jury Award and the FIPRESCI Award for its examination of mental health and societal marginalization. The Greek Association of Film Critics awarded “Return to Homeland” by Chryssa Tzelepi and Akis Kersanidis for its exploration of historical trauma and reconciliation.
The Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, known for its emphasis on politically and socially engaged storytelling, saw strong international participation this year. With a growing number of films tackling human rights issues, historical legacies, and personal struggles, the festival remains a platform for filmmakers addressing complex narratives through the documentary form.
