Gregoris Rentis graduated from Imperial College London with an MEng in Electrical Engineering and then moved to Los Angeles to earn his MFA in Film Directing from California Institute of the Arts. After his graduation short film Sundown premiered in Rotterdam Film Festival, he went on to direct numerous award-winning commercials and music videos. His first documentary feature Dogwatch, exploring the lives of mercenaries protecting vessels from pirate attacks along the Somali coastline, won the Silver Alexander at the >>Film Forward competition section of the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival and the Best Cinematography Award at DOKER Moscow Documentary Film Festival. Moreover, it was screened in competition in Visions Du Réel, True/False, and Raindance film festivals to high critical acclaim. His next film, titled Sydney Smile Future Perfect, was developed as part of EAVE Producer’s Workshop and was presented at the Crossroads Co-Production Forum of the 64th Thessaloniki International Film Festival.

Gregoris Rentis, following his award-winning presence at last year’s >>Film Forward competition section, is returning to the familiar ground of the 26th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, but in a different post, as he was assigned to direct the spots of the 26th TiDF. Three stories, the Birds, the Fireworks and Squash, each with its own style and ambiance (the initial metallic hues give way to warmer tones before passing on the torch to a decolorized scenery), but with many common denominators, such as the adventure, the challenge and the beauty of symbiosis-coexistence. Our flawed relation with nature, which we continue to treat like a threat (the Birds spot instantly brings to mind the titular Alfred Hitchcock film), even though we are the ones who butcher it incessantly. The immense power of togetherness, capable of transforming even the most mundane and trivial moment. The futility of competition that turns everything into a self-parody and poisons human relations.

Gregoris Rentis unravels the common thread that interweaves the three Festival spots: “Allow the camera to roll, and life​ is bound to surprise​ you. Three narratives unfold, each rooted in the unpredictability of something ​that surrounds us yet​ overlooked until it abruptly enters the frame. Disrupting the familiar, these surprises ​and their initial shock give​ way to a new reality and, perhaps,​ mark the ​beginning of a meaningful dialogue.​ Coexistence ​is​ the central thread connecting these stories​ – whether in companionship, our ​relationship with the environment, or ​within ​the context of competition. Ultimately, navigating coexistence emerges as a significant challenge​ of our times. We discover new ways to engage with, acknowledge, and ultimately coexist with ​what we previously chose to disregard. In the end, what lies beyond the frame is seldom ​our choice. Everything is ​laid before us, be it war, human rights, or social inequality​.”