A Tribute To Short Documentaries & Special VR Screening At Danaos Cinema

The CineDoc Documentary Festival is once again presenting, as part of its seasonal tributes and special screenings for 2025-2026, an anthology of short documentaries on Thursday, February 12, with the presence of the filmmakers, and Sunday, February 15, at DANAOS Cinema.

The focus of the tribute is on public space and its appropriation through filmmaking, as well as the power of cinema to tell universal stories about human relationships, collective memory, and the trauma of nations.

The documentaries being presented are:

• The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing by Thodoris Panagopoulos

• Non-essential Movement by Nikoleta Leousi

• Pave Paradise by Alkaios Spyrou

• Albgreko by Ilir Tsuko

• Yayou Rap by Eva Stefani

Additionally, by purchasing a ticket, CineDoc audiences will have the opportunity to watch the award-winning Greek co-produced VR experience The Exploding Girl at DANAOS. The VR screening is presented in collaboration with the Creative Media school, SAE Athens.

This tribute is realized with the support of the Hellenic Film Center, Audiovisual Media and Creation (E.K.K.O.ME.D.) – Creative Greece.

SCREENING PROGRAM

ATHENS – DANAOS Cinema (Kifisias 109, Ampelokipi)

Tickets available at the cinema box office and online here. 

Thursday, February 12, 2026 / 19:45, DANAOS 1
Q&A with the filmmakers after the screening. Moderated by Giorgos Angelopoulos, Artistic Director of the Drama International Short Film Festival.
A reception in the cinema foyer, hosted by the Open Farm team, will follow.

Sunday, February 15, 2026 / 16:00, DANAOS 2
A brief introduction by the filmmakers will precede the screening.

FILMS IN THE TRIBUTE

THE FLOWERS STAND SILENTLY, WITNESSING – Thodoris Panagopoulos (2024, 17’)

Watch the trailer here



With roots in Greece, Lebanon, and Palestine, director Thodoris Panagopoulos draws inspiration from a precious and rare film archive: two silent 16mm films from the 1930s-40s depicting the beauty of Palestinian wildflowers.

A documentary about the people of Palestinian land, preserving collective memory, and the value of historical material as a form of resistance against cultural erasure.

• Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Documentary – Sundance Film Festival 2025

• Best Short Documentary – IDFA 2024

NON-ESSENTIAL MOVEMENT – Nikoleta Leousi (2024, 19’)

Watch the trailer here



1895 was an interesting year. The first motorized bus was built and put into circulation. In March of the same year, the Lumière brothers filmed workers leaving their factory.

In March 2020, the window of vision narrowed. City life almost stopped. Aimless travel was banned and cinemas closed. Today, what does the city miss most? Cinemas, or aimless movement?

• Award of the Hellenic Film Critics Association (PEKK)

• Award of the Federation of Greek Film Clubs (National Competition Program) – 47th Drama International Short Film Festival

PAVE PARADISE – Alkaios Spyrou (2024, 15’)

Watch the trailer here



The municipal council announces the redevelopment of Omonia, one of the most central and neglected areas of Athens. As tensions rise, the director follows three long-term residents threatened by the shadow of redevelopment.

• Documentary Award (National Competition Program) – 47th Drama International Short Film Festival

ELBGREKO – Ilir Tsuko (2024, 28’)

Watch the trailer here



A production of ONASSIS CULTURE.

The children and grandchildren of Albanian immigrants of the 1990s are born and raised in Greece. Ilir Tsuko’s documentary tells their stories, which are neither solely Albanian nor solely Greek—they are both.

In a world of identity conflicts, the director’s camera highlights multiple identities not as burdens of history but as compasses for a better future.

Scientific Supervisor: Dimitris Christopoulos

• World Premiere – Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival 2025

• Best Greek Short Documentary (Jury & Federation of Greek Film Clubs) – Chania Film Festival 2025

• Honorable Mention – Beyond Borders International Documentary Festival Kastellorizo 2025

YAYOU RAP – Eva Stefani (2023)



Every Sunday, granddaughter Antela visits her grandmother, Antela. One spring afternoon, the little girl decides to teach her grandmother to rap. Despite initial difficulties, Grandma Antela ultimately creates her own rap.

PARALLEL EVENT – DANAOS CINEMA

VR SCREENING: THE EXPLODING GIRL

Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel | 2025 | France, Greece | 18’
Produced by: ATLAS V, BYRD

By purchasing a ticket, CineDoc audiences can also watch the award-winning Greek co-produced VR The Exploding Girl. Screening in collaboration with Creative Media School, SAE Athens.

Synopsis: For the past three months, Candice explodes every day—sometimes multiple times a day—with a record of seven explosions. She has now reached 192 explosions. A raw and clear portrait of an entire generation’s rage, Candice’s story uses 3D animation to create a bold new work in the world of virtual reality.

• Official Selection – Immersive Competition / Cannes Film Festival 2025

• Official Selection – Immersive Competition / Venice Film Festival 2025

Screening Schedule:

• Thursday, February 12: 21:00–23:00

• Sunday, February 15: 17:00–18:30

About CineDoc

Download the CineDoc Documentary Festival 2025-26 catalog here.
Watch the CineDoc Festival 2025-26 trailer here.

CineDoc screens and distributes award-winning Greek and international documentaries. Screenings take place as part of the CineDoc Documentary Festival, in collaboration with DANAOS Cinema, Anesis Summer Cinema, the French Institute, the Greek Film Archive, CineDoc Volos (under the auspices of the Municipality of Volos), with the support of the Region of Thessaly – Magnesia & Northern Sporades, the Municipality of Larissa, Thessaloniki Film Festival (halls “Pavlos Zannas” and “Stavros Tornes”), and the Cultural Space “Simeio” in Rethymno.

The festival runs annually from September to April in the main CineDoc network, presenting new films about once a month. The sponsor of the CineDoc Documentary Festival 2025-2026 is the Hellenic Film Center, Audiovisual Media and Creation (E.K.K.O.ME.D.) – Creative Greece.

CineDoc continuously expands its distribution network through screenings across the Greek islands (Cyclades, Sporades, Ionian, and Dodecanese under CineDoc Island) and the rest of Greece. The festival co-organizes and supports regional documentary screenings with cultural and environmental organizations, film clubs, advisory centers, foundations, cinemas, municipalities, etc. Parallel and regional screenings take place throughout the year.

Follow CineDoc on Facebook and Instagram. For more information: https://www.cinedoc.gr | cinedocanemon@gmail.com