IRIS BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR AWARDS

Man, dreams and the sea. The combination of rare archival footage and modern underwater shots in Lefteris Charitos’s impressively humane documentary parallel the experience of free-diving with an inner-self journey through the world of Jacques Mayol, the Dolphin Man. — Dolphin Man draws us into the world of Jacques Mayol, capturing his compelling journey and immersing viewers into the sensory and transformative experience of free-diving. From the Mediterranean to Japan and from India to the Bahamas, we meet Mayol's closest friends and family to reveal the portrait of a man who reached the limits of the human body and mind, not just to break records but hoping to discover the deeper affinity between human beings and the sea. — Best Documentary | Hellenic Film Academy Awards | 2018

The 2004 Olympic Games ended on time, but what they left behind is still languishing slowly. Sofia Exarchou’s directorial debut portays a suitable and weird portrait of a lost generation who learned to regard the term "crisis" as something normal. — Ten years after the 2004 Olympic Games, a group of boys live among the abandoned sports facilities of the Olympic Village in Athens. The boys stroll among the ruins, setting up games and organizing dog matings to make money. Dimitris and Anna try to escape from the Village and direct themselves towards the tourist hotels of the southern suburbs. As their adventures continue and the two children enter the tourists’ lives, Dimitris’ desire for acceptance will be tested in a violent way. — Best Debutant Actor (Dimitra Vlagopoulou) | Athens International Film Festival | 2017 Best Debutant Director | Athens International Film Festival | 2017 New Directors Award | San Sebastián International Film Festival | 2016 Best Actress (Dimitra Vlagopoulou) | Thessaloniki Film Festival | 2016 Official Selection | Warsaw International Film Festival | 2016 Best First Time Director | Hellenic Film Academy Awards | 2017 Best Sound | Hellenic Film Academy Awards | 2017