TACK: 2 Special Screenings Of The Award-Winning Documentary
- by XpatAthens
- Friday, 28 March 2025
The multi-award-winning documentary by Vania Turner, produced by ONASSIS CULTURE, about the first landmark trial of the Greek #MeToo movement, is coming for two special screenings at the Greek Film Archive.
With the support of Onassis Culture, TACK continues its cinematic distribution by CineDoc and is presented again for two screenings on April 5 and 6.
- ATHENS – Greek Film Archive
Presale at the cinema box office and online:
- Saturday April 5, 17.00
In the presence of director Vania Turner and the film's contributors.
- Sunday April 6, 17.00
Followed by a discussion with director Vania Turner, Theoni Koufonikolakou (Children’s Advocate), and Xeni Dimitriou (Honorary Prosecutor of the Supreme Court).
Synopsis
When Olympic champion Sofia Bekatorou publicly reveals her rape by a powerful figure in the Hellenic Sailing Federation, she ignites the #MeToo movement in Greece, empowering hundreds of women to break their own silence. One of them is Amalia, a young sailing champion who decides to accuse her former coach of systematic abuse that she endured between the ages of 11 and 13.
TACK follows the lives of these two women for two years, documenting their struggles and experiences during the landmark trial—the first of the Greek #MeToo movement. Animated sketches bring to life the grueling courtroom proceedings, where Amalia endures exhaustive testimony, victim blaming, and constant attempts to undermine her credibility. At the same time, Sofia is forced to confront her trauma and her relationship with her father while advocating for institutional reforms.
Both women realize that their fight to change Greek society is only just beginning. Like sailors navigating against strong winds, they must "tack" to keep moving forward.
The film premiered at the 26th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, where it won five awards:
- WIFT (Women in Film & Television) Award
- FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) Award
- Best Film Award from the Youth Jury of Thessaloniki Universities
- ERT Award (Greek Public Broadcaster)
- Special Mention in the International Newcomers Competition
Since then, the documentary has been screened and recognized at numerous festivals in Greece and abroad, including:
- One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival (Regional Jury Award, Abakus Foundation Audience Award for Exceptional Discussion)
- 17th Film Festival for Women's Rights (South Korea) (FIWOM.Choice Award – Grand Prix)
- 53rd Molodist International Film Festival (Ukraine) (Special Mention in the International Documentary Competition)
- Ierapetra International Documentary Festival (Best Music Award for Nikos Veliotis, Second Best Greek Feature Documentary Award)
- Official selections at San Francisco Greek Film Festival, Berlin Greek Film Festival, and Millennium Docs Against Gravity, among others.
Beyond theatrical screenings, the film has been shown in special events at counseling centers, universities, and schoolsin collaboration with equality committees, municipalities, and educators.
Director’s Note
TACK is a deeply personal documentation of the lives and struggles of two women seeking justice.
Sofia and Amalia’s paths cross when Amalia decides to send a message to Sofia just days after her public testimony about being raped by a powerful sailing official. From that moment, a legal battle begins against Amalia's former coach.
The film follows these two women over two years of complex and painful judicial proceedings. Their stories unfold in parallel: I started filming Sofia as she became a national symbol, unaware of what would follow, while the wave of accusations had just begun. Shortly after, I met Amalia and started spending time with her and her family, filming their journey.
A deep sense of familiarity developed between us, and my camera became a repository of their thoughts and emotions. This opened a window into the psychological trauma they endured and how it affected both the survivors and those close to them—because no one remains untouched when sexual violence occurs.
Beyond their personal lives, I wanted to explore the broken justice system that fragments victims rather than protecting them. Through this painful documentation, I hope to highlight the lack of specialized training for judges and lawyers in gender-based violence and child abuse, the absence of a comprehensive support system for victims and the way sexist perceptions, toxic culture, and stigma isolate and silence victims—even when they are children.
About the Director
Vania Turner is a documentary filmmaker and cinematographer. In recent years, her work has focused on themes of trauma, loss, violence, and survival. Before pursuing observational documentary filmmaking, she worked as a video journalist covering humanitarian crises in the Middle East, Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa.
She studied English Literature and Political Theory. Her short documentary Girlhood, which she co-directed, received multiple awards and was screened at major children's and youth festivals, including:
- 38th Chicago International Children's Film Festival
- 24th Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People
TACK is her first feature-length documentary.
About CineDoc
About CineDoc
CineDoc selectively screens and distributes award-winning Greek and foreign documentaries as part of the Cinedoc Festival. The screenings are organized in cooperation with the French Institute of Greece, Danaos Cinema, the Thessaloniki Film Festival, CineDoc Volos, the Municipality of Volos, "Simeio" Cultural Space in Rethymno, the Cyclades Preservation Fund (CPF), and Thalassa Foundation. The screenings aim to encourage dialogue and inspire collective actions around themes such as the environment, gender equality, inclusivity, education, history, etc.
Additionally, it collaborates regularly with cultural institutions, universities, agencies, and organizations (e.g., the Gennadius Library, Harokopio University, SAE Athens, European University Cyprus, Megaron Music Hall, Piraeus Bank Cultural Foundation, etc.) and participates in conferences, festivals, and cultural events, organizing special screenings (e.g., Irida Visions, The Future of Retail, Ocean Film Festival, Piraeus Port Film Festival, Athens Pride - Athens, Europride - Thessaloniki, Come as You Are Festival - Larissa, Limassol Documentary Festival – Cyprus, etc.).
CineDoc constantly expands its network through the organization of documentary screenings under the CineDoc Island initiative, both in the islands (Cyclades, Sporades, Ionian, and Dodecanese) and the rest of Greece, in collaboration with local organizations and cinema clubs. The screenings are held under the patronage and financial support of the Ministry of Culture.
CLICK HERE to view the CineDoc 2024-2025 Program in Greek!
ONASSIS CINEMA
A documentary series about what truly matters.
Onassis Culture supports established filmmakers and emerging talent, funds fellowships, and promotes Greek cinema worldwide. Through documentary production, Onassis Culture sparks discussions about the world we live in and the world we aspire to create.
The documentaries of the Onassis Foundation bring us the fragile reality of adolescence ("Girlhood", Vania Turner, 2021), the power of speech and democracy ("Democracy is Coming", Christos Sarris, 2024), the complexity of artistic creation ("The Heart of the Bull", Eva Stefani, TBC), the importance of breaking the silence ("TACK", Vania Turner, 2024), the timelessness of poet C.P. Cavafy ("Eternal Desires", TBC), the human desire to fly ("Birds or How to Be One", 2020), and the human chain that cleans the cities of the world ("Clean Cities", 2021).
Everyday heroes from all over the world speak openly and take a stand on the issues of the "here and now." Through the power of images and the truth of documentary storytelling, we travel, feel, question, and ultimately come closer to our own reality—to the world we choose to live in.
Read more about TACK here.
LIFE & CULTURE
