To a certain extent today is the last day of the festival. The Doc Market finishes, and the Awards Ceremony and Closing Night Party are in the evening, so I want to try and fit in as many films as possible.

So many films and so little time. Following the advice I was given yesterday, I spent this morning writing the blog before heading off to the Doc Market, armed with a list of films I wanted to see. Although the proper thing to do would be to select films about subjects that I know nothing about, I have to admit that most of my list was made up of subjects I was already interested in, and following on from the latest issue of the magazine, tended to be of a subversive nature.

This documentary festival moves at a lot gentler pace than many of the festivals I go to, at least from my perspective. One of the main reasons for this is the fact that screenings rarely start before three in the afternoon, giving me plenty of time to write this blog and other pieces in the quiet solitude of my hotel room, propped up in the incredibly comfortable bed (www.coco-mat.com if you’re interested). Originally it was my intention to spend the morning watching movies in the Doc Market but due to the popular demand of the Market delegates this was not possible. I was advised to go back around lunchtime, which I duly did, after scouring the fat catalogue. Apart from the all the films screening in the festival there were hundreds more to choose from.

Spring has finally arrived in London, but it was time to escape to the warmer Greek climes of Thessaloniki to see what is happening in the world of documentaries.

The festival kicked off last Friday, and despite the well-reported state of the Greek economy, the organisers have managed to put together another big programme to showcase the latest non-fiction films not only from Greece, but also from around the world. As always, the programme is divided several segments (Views of the World, Stories to Tell, Recordings of Memory, Portraits – Human Journeys, Planet in Peril, Habitat, Human Rights, Music, Hybrid Docs, African Stories, Greek Panorama) that show the diversity of the documentary format, and proves that fact is often stranger than fiction (unless you are going to a sci-fi film festival). There is also several tribute strands dedicated to Joris Ivens, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Polish Docs, Andrzej Fidyk, North Korea and Aegean Stories. Where to start?

It’s the last day of the festival and the weather is fantastic again. Clear blue skies and not a breath of wind on the bay – not really conducive to hiding sitting in a dark room. Two interviews to do this morning, starting with screenwriter Tony Grisoni at 10. It amused me that we are both from London but I had to go to Greece to get an interview with him. As it turned out, this was undoubtedly better. We were both relaxed, thanks to the sunshine and the wonderful Greek hospitality, and the lack of hovering publicists watching their clocks that usually accompanies junket-related interviews.

Not one, but two masterclasses today, followed by movies till after midnight. First up was the legendary German filmmaker Werner Herzog, who has been the subject of the festival’s major restrospective. Not only is Herzog a prolific, and skilled, filmmaker he is also an eloquent speaker with strong, informed opinions. He has proved a big hit at the festival, with nearly all the screenings of his films selling out. Even though I arrived reasonably early, anticipating a queue (although not a queue as we know in Britain), it was much longer than any of the talks I’d been to. Normally I would just the throng, but this time I had to invoke the power of the press pass to make sure I got in before they opened the floodgates. Just as organised queuing is a foreign concept, it appears so is the “health and safety” fanaticism of the UK and there were people all over the aisles, on the stairs and any other available floor space. Even though I got a good front row seat, for shooting photos and recording the talk, when the guest of honour arrived I got up to get a different photo angle and immediately lost my seat, but I got the photos and the recording.

Another day, another masterclass. This time, Oscar-winning British producer Jeremy Thomas, who has worked with some of contemporary cinemas greatest and most original directors including Bertolucci, Cronenberg, Roeg, Wenders and Gilliam. The talk/conversation was interesting and assuring that there are still independent producers with the vision to make original movies that are beautifully crafted and with substance: someone who is not enticed by Hollywood and willing to stick to his vision.