As February 28 approaches, Greece nears the third anniversary of the night that irrevocably shattered the country’s sense of safety and trust.

On February 28, 2023, 57 people — many of them young students — were killed in the Tempi rail crash, the deadliest transportation disaster in modern Greek history. Nearly three years later, the tragedy remains unresolved, with critical aspects of the case still under investigation and continued public scrutiny.

A new documentary now revisits Tempi through an unprecedented collaborative investigation that brings together journalism, art, and audiovisual documentation.

At the heart of the project is a collective inquiry conducted by 40 journalists, who structured their investigation around 57 critical questions — one for each victim of the disaster.

These questions examine, among other issues, the absence of signaling and remote control systems linked to Contract 717, the unexplained fireball that followed the collision, leaked audio recordings that were later alleged to have been manipulated, and the disappearance of CCTV footage from the night of the crash.

The investigation also explores the rapid burial of the crash site, the removal of physical and biological evidence to locations without proper authorization, the refusal of exhumation requests submitted by families, and the absence of forensic toxicological examinations.

According to the findings presented in the film, these actions raise serious concerns about procedural violations, mishandled evidence, and legal proceedings that diverged from internationally recognized protocols for investigating disasters of this scale. The documentary presents this material through documented sources, testimony, and public records, allowing viewers to follow how each question emerged and why it remains unresolved.

The documentary is the result of a fully voluntary collective effort involving more than 40 journalists, 15 artists, and 15 audiovisual technicians, all of whom contributed their work without compensation. The creators describe the project as a collaborative act of documentation, developed in response to the lack of clarity and accountability surrounding the disaster and its aftermath.

The film’s duration — 57 minutes and 57 seconds — was deliberately chosen as a symbolic tribute to the 57 people who lost their lives in Tempi.

In addition to investigative reporting, the documentary incorporates original artistic contributions created specifically for the project. It features nine leading Greek singers performing a song written for Tempi by Foivos Delivorias, prose by acclaimed composer Stamatis Kraounakis, and narration by actors Pavlos Orkopoulos and Makis Papadimitriou. These artistic elements are integrated into the film as parallel forms of testimony, reflecting the intersection of journalism, music, and spoken word in the public response to Tempi.

The project has also drawn international attention, having received an official invitation for presentation at the European Parliament, situating the Tempi case within a broader European discussion on infrastructure safety, transparency, and accountability.

As the third anniversary of the disaster approaches, the documentary stands as a consolidated public record of the questions that have been raised, the evidence that has been examined, and the issues that remain unresolved.

Watch the full documentary here.

*Also available with English subtitles via YouTube settings