Immature, irritable, vindictive. This other, not very well-known side of him Bob Dylan records Don Alan Pennebaker in documentary “Do not look back”. A project that closely follows the popular American songwriter’s tour of England in 1965. The scenes we see are typical: Dylan bursts into a young reporter during an interview, telling him that he does not need him, since he managed to become famous without a newspaper. In another shot, he and his manager are yelling at the hotel manager using obscenities while the camera captures every detail. And all this not long before he moved from folk music to electronic sound. The director here is essentially an observer of the daily life of a star, revealing her truth: everything that lies behind the glitter. This does not interfere with the editing much, the narration is more “relaxed”.

Such films are presented by the 25th Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival in a large and multifaceted tribute called “The Art of Reality: Beyond Observation” from 2 to 12 March. Some of the film titles are Chronicle of a Summer (1961) by Jean Rousse and Edgar Morin, The Titicut Madness (1967) by Frederic Wiseman, Don’t Look Back (1968) by Don Alan Pennebaker, Muhammad Ali: The Greatest (1974) by William Klein , “Honey Country” (2019) by Tamara Kotevskaya and Lubomir Stefanov. World cinema stories from a different angle that redefines how we see the world and life.

At the same time, well-known world and Greek creators will talk about this genre of cinema at master classes. A genre in which the director gives the viewer space and time to draw their own conclusions. The festival highlights documentary observation: its history and evolution over the years, images of the world that may not be known to the public. A special bilingual edition with texts by prominent theorists and creators also helps along this path.