Monday 2 December - Wednesday 4 December 2024 
Greek Film Archive

Athenian premiere for Dimitris Athiridis’ film exergue - on documenta 14 ! An unprecedented behind-the-scenes exploration of the institutional art world in a shifting landscape.

Τhe 13th Athens Avant-Garde Film Festival presents in its Athenian premiere Dimitris Athiridis’ film exergue - on documenta 14, a production of Faliro House Productions.

Exergue - on documenta 14 follows Artistic Director Adam Szymczyk and his curatorial team over two years as they develop documenta 14, a historic edition of the world’s most prominent art exhibition, held for the first time in two cities: its hometown of Kassel, Germany and Athens, Greece, the epicenter of the financial crisis at that time. 

The artistic proposal of expansion to two locations under the title “Learning from Athens” was Szymczyk’s bold attempt to explore the institution’s boundaries, challenging the Eurocentric model of art production. It was faced with more than just logistical obstacles that could not help avert a financial deficit. The media scandal that erupted before the closing day overshadowed the artistic merits of the mega exhibition and further discussions about the content.

Documenta 14 sparked critical controversy due to its radical approach, and critical reflection on history, frequently perceived as didactic or instrumentalizing issues such as the refugee crisis, neo-liberalization, and the rise of far-right politics globally. At the same time, it was embattled as it raised uncomfortable questions about the art institution’s dependencies on local politics and the funding mechanisms of the art world.

Through the passion of its protagonists, the beauty and power of art and the unprecedented access, this cinematic opus, told in fourteen chapters, invites audiences into a behind-the-scenes observation of the dramatic course of documenta 14 and captures a reflection of the institutional art world and the function of Contemporary Art in a shifting global landscape.

 

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PROGRAM

The film screening (848’) will be divided into 3 slots between the 2nd and the 4th of December, right before the opening of the 13th  Athens Avant-Garde Film Festival, and will be presented as a pre-Festival event, with Greek and English subtitles, as follows:

Monday 2 December, 17:00-21:30

Tuesday 3 December, 17:00-23:00 

Wednesday 4 December, 17:00-21:45. A roundtable discussion will follow (21:45-23:00) featuring: Eva Stefani (director), Panos Charalambous (visual artist, Professor Emeritus of the Athens School of Fine Arts) and Marina Fokidi (curator, theoretician).

The event will be moderated by Despina Zefkili (art critic, editor in chief of Athinorama magazine).

  

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Dimitris Athiridis (Director)

Dimitris Athiridis (1962) is a documentary filmmaker and photographer from Thessaloniki, Greece. After his uncompleted studies in engineering, he worked as a photographer and DP in advertising.

As a filmmaker he creates profound character studies, approaching them as existential adventures.

His past work includes “T 4 Trouble and the Self Admiration Society” (2009), an exploration into the enigmatic life of rock antihero Terry Papadinas. His second film “One Step Ahead” (2012), which premiered at the 25th IDFA, followed by TIDF and DokuFest, chronicles the journey of Yiannis Boutaris, an iconoclastic winemaker, as he runs for mayor of Thessaloniki, challenging the political establishment.      

His latest 14-hour film, “exergue - on documenta 14” (2024), premiered at the 74th Berlinale.

Exergue - on documenta 14 follows curator Adam Szymczyk as he leads the world’s most prominent art exhibition. It is an unprecedented behind-the-scenes exploration of the institutional art world in a shifting landscape.

The 14-hour film, divided into 14 chapters, premiered at the 74th Berlinale.

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Filmography (Dimitris Athiridis)

“T 4 Trouble and the Self Admiration Society” (2009)
“One Step Ahead” (2012)
“exergue - on documenta 14” (2024)

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“Exergue - on documenta” 14 Credits

Written and Directed by Dimitris Athiridis

Produced by Dimitris Athiridis

Co-Producers: Yorgos Tsourgiannis, Ioanna Kontogeorgou

Executive Producers: Christos V. Konstantakopoulos, Andreas Zoupanos Kritikos, Caroline von Kühn

Editors: Dimitris Athiridis, Vanessa Zeri, Giorgos Kravaritis

Original Music: Ted Regklis, Additional Music: Paolo Thorsen Nagel

Cinematography: Dimitris Athiridis

Music Supervisors: Lauren Marie Mikus, Bruce Gilbert

Sound Edit & Design: Dimitris Athiridis, Vanessa Zeri

Sound Mixing: Kostas Varympopiotis

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FESTIVALS

After its world premiere at the 74th Berlinale, the film participated, among other festivals, in the 26th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, in the 46th Cinéma du Réel, in the 49th Toronto International Film Festival and in the 62nd New York Film Festival.

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ABOUT THE FILM

Berlinale 2024: 848 πολύτιμα λεπτά στο «exergue - on documenta 14» του Δημήτρη Αθυρίδη Flix, Manolis Kranakis

Δημήτρη Αθυρίδη, πώς γύρισες μια από τις μεγαλύτερες ταινίες στην ιστορία για τη μεγαλύτερη έκθεση στον κόσμο; Athinorama, Interview with Despina Zefkili Ζευκιλή

The 23 Best (and Most Anticipated) Documentaries of 2024 VOGUE, Lisa Wong Macabasco

A Thrilling 14-Hour Film About Documenta 14 Is a Radical Act of Transparency, ARTnews, Alex Greenberger

"Anything Else Would Have Been a Simplification’: Dimitris Athiridis’s 14 Hour Film About documenta 14" FRIEZE, Interview with Chloe Stead

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We would like to thank Goethe-Institut Athen for its support to the communication of the screening of exergue - on documenta 14.

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TICKETS

Online presale: https://tickets.tainiothiki.gr/

Ticket: 6€. School of Fine Arts students: 4€. 

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AAGFF returns between the 5th and the 18th of December, aspiring to highlight the most fresh and innovative cinematic voices in world cinema.

It will take place in the Greek Film Archive’s halls, while selected programs will also be presented online at online.tainiothiki.gr

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