SCREENING OF THE AWARDED FILMS of the 1st Vegan Film Festival VegArtAct 2025
Friday October 23rd 2026, 18:30-21:00
Café-bar VegArtAct, 10 Kaklamanou str, Neos Kosmos
18:30-18:35 BEST GREEK FILM AWARD & BEST AUDIENCE FILM AWARD: “BLOODY THURSDAY” directed by Evangelos Vlachakis (Greece)
Once upon a time, in the previous millennium, there was a very cruel custom on planet Earth, in a country called Hellas. Once a year, always on a Thursday, the bipedal beings of the human species massively slaughtered, roasted over a fire, and voraciously ate other beings of the animal species, mainly quadrupeds, but also bipeds. But back in the distant 2025, on that Thursday, February 20, something happened that had never happened before.
18:35-18:41 BEST STUDENT FILM AWARD: “PHEASANT” directed by Beatriz Martins Silvestre (Portugal)
“Pheasant” is a metaphor that relates the female figure to the life predestined for a pheasant, a bird coveted by hunters for its exotic appearance. The narrative reveals an allegory of the abuse suffered by many women around the world. An injustice that continues to be perpetrated throughout the centuries, represented by a species of bird that also endures a life of exploitation and mistreatment.
18:41-18:55 BEST SHORT FILM AWARD & BEST AUDIENCE FILM AWARD: “PLANTED – DONALD WATSON AND THE ROOTS OF VEGANISM” directed by Francesco Bori (Canada – UK)
Donald Watson died 20 years ago. This touching short animation, for the first time in history, exposes the fascinating origins story of the Englishman who started the vegan movement and planted seeds of ethics in us all.
18:55-19:30 BEST FEATURETTE FILM AWARD: “I’M TRYING” directed by Raymond Cruzzola (Canada)
I’m Trying is a powerful portrait of Regan Russell — an animal rights activist killed in 2020 during a peaceful protest outside a slaughterhouse — and the ongoing fight for justice she inspired. Told through intimate interviews with her parents and closest friends, the film reveals who Regan was beyond the headlines: a model, a mentor, a lifelong defender of animals, and a deeply compassionate force in the lives of those around her. As her best friend Katherine puts it, “Everyone needs a Regan in their life.” While the driver who struck and killed Regan was fined just $2,000, her father reflects: “Instead of justice for Regan, I think we’re going to see justice by Regan.” The film follows activists carrying on her work through the Plant-Based Treaty campaign — a global effort not only to end animal exploitation, but to reduce the devastating impact animal agriculture has on the planet. By pushing for institutional menu changes in hospitals, schools, workplaces, and public services, they show how every meal can be an act of resistance and restoration. At its core, I’m Trying is about grief, love, and the enduring power of one person’s will to make the world more just — and how we can all keep trying.
19:30-19:40 SHORT BREAK
19:40-21:00 BEST FEATURE FILM AWARD: “FOR THE LIVES OF OTHERS” directed by Yama Rauff (Afghanistan – Denmark – Iceland)
In a country that prides itself on democracy, a group of peaceful activists, known for chalking messages and holding signs, faces a terrifying escalation: repression so severe that their right to speak freely becomes their last, desperate stand.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2877460245972850
This is a pre-festival event of the 2nd Vegan Film Festival VegArtAct 2026, which will take place on Saturday October 31st and Sunday November 1st 2026, World Vegan Day, at the Greek Film Archive, Athens, GR: https://www.facebook.com/events/2040298066634603