40 years: short stories, long history - September 18-23, 2017
The 40th edition of the Short Film Festival in Drama takes place this year on September 13-18. The festival, that showcases some of the most vivid short samples of the Greek and international filmmaking, celebrates its birthday. The festival, always open to the young filmmakers’ experimentation is present and thrives against all of the difficulties and odds.
The FIPRESCI Jury, will award the best International short film, enhancing the event’s international character.
Drama International Short Film Festival is Greece's leading short film festival, and the annual meeting place for filmmakers and industry professionals. Based in Drama (Northern Greece) the festival runs a six-day schedule in September and its main venues are Municipal Conservatory and Olympia Cinema.The festival is the leading Greek and South-Eastern European gateway to the world’s most prestigious short film awards, and nominated filmmakers qualify for the European Film Awards.
The Short Film Festival in Drama was first held in 1978, on the initiative of the Drama Film Club. The response of filmmakers, as well as the public, was enthusiastic from the very beginning. A few years later, the Festival was adopted by the Municipality of Drama and then, in the mid-eighties, by the Greek State. In 1995 the Festival became International.
In October (5-11/10) the festival’s main programs will also be screened in Athens (Trianon cinema).
In this year’s edition a total of 161 films from 54 countries will be screened.
GREEK COMPETITION
The Greek Competition of the 40th Greek Short Film Festival in Drama comprises films that, although varied in the thematic and aesthetic approaches, create a multi-faceted portrait of the most recent and noteworthy Greek short film production. This year’s production reflects the “new greek film wave” and in some cases the so called “greek weird cinema”. At the same time it depicts the social situation in Greece. Most of the films are independent productions, among which there are four documentaries and two animation shorts.
The Greek financial crisis and the contemporary social condition in the country are always present in the thematic that occupies the young filmmakers: unemployment, poverty, professional collapse, racism, homelessness. Interpersonal relationships –family, love, friendship- existential search, the upcoming end, solitariness, aging, Alzheimer, as well as transsexuals, child abuse, and post-apocalyptic settings are amongst the various themes that will be showcased. Newcomers, young filmmakers, as well as directors that have already had their feature length debut will be present to present their new steps in short featured films.
It’s worth mentioning that, this year, one third of the directors participating in the greek competition are women. Many well known greek actors play in their films.
The Jury of the 40th Greek Short Film Festival at Drama will comprise of: Jury Chairwoman : Katerina Maragoudaki, director of photography
Members: Ιfigenia Kotsoni, filmmaker, producer, Thelgia Petraki, filmmaker, Yiannis Sakaridis, filmmaker, producer, Spyros Taraviras, filmmaker, producer, scriptwriter, Grand Temoin: Yianna Athanasatou, film historian
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM
IN COMPETITION
Fifty four films from 48 countries will be screened in this year’s international program- most of them are very recent productions (2017).
The Greek films that have been selected to be included in the International Competition Program are: «Play» (V.Lymperopoulos), « Dam » (G. Teltzidis), and
«Tracks» (E.Fessa). From Cyprus: «The insignificant life of Eleni Pavli» (M.Hapeshis).
Ιt’ s worth mentioning that:
*the German short «Chuckwall», as well as the Australian «Goat boy», deal with Greek issues.
* last year the movie «The Guilt, probably» was awarded in Cannes (Cinefondation).
* the anti-Nazi Czech animation «Shadow over Prague», is based on a true story and its superhero refers to a real Czech hero of the Second World War.
*in the Spanish film «Miss Wamba» the leading actress is Ruth Diaz, well known from last year’ s feature film “The Fury of a Patient Man”.
*Stafano Paradiso, director of the Italian short «Papillon», has worked as a camera operator in Hollywood («Ben-Hur», «The American», etc).
The International Jury of the 23d International Short Film Festival in Drama will comprise of:
Jury President: Ninos Fenek Mikelidis, writer, journalist, film critic, film historian
Members: Katia Scarton Kim: filmmaker, actress (France), Christie Huysmans: writer, journalist, film critic (Βelgium), Goran Radovanovic: writer, filmmaker (Serbia), Filipe Pereira: festival director, curator (Portugal) Grand Temoin : Manuela Cernat, writer, film historian, journalist, scriptwriter (Romania)
PARALLEL EVENTS
- SHORT MATTERS! 2016. A special program that includes the nominated films for the European Film Academy Awards 2016 (EFA)
- Kids Program
- Radio Workshop for Kids “Let’s play radio!» with the radio producer Anna Paschalidou
- Art exhibitions in collaboration with independent artists and local organizations
- FAIR LITERATURE AFTERNOONS, organized and presented by writer- journalist Pavlos Methenitis. This year’s guest writers are: Zyrana Zateli, Giorgos Skabardonis, Vassilis Vassilikos, Tefkros Michaelides, Kallia Papadaki, Giouli Anastasopoulou, as well as the Cypriot poets: Μichalis Papadopoulos and Panagiotis Nikolaidis. Spyros Siakas and Maria Paradeisi will present their film studies.
- 3rd Balkan Panorama
The tribute “A chance for all of us’ Young People & Work, Women & Work” is implemented through the Operational Program "Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning" and is co-financed by the European Union (European Social Fund) and Greek national funds. Its co-funded projects deal mostly with the improvement of education and employment in Greece. Its main targets relate to the development and promotion of human resources skills, activities against unemployment, strengthen social cohesion and social inclusion of vulnerable social groups, improvement of the quality of education & lifelong learning, awareness on environmental education, linking education with the labor market.
The tribute “A chance for all of us’ Young People & Work, Women & Work” is implemented as part of the anniversary events for the 60 years of the European Social Fund
DRAMA PITCHING LAB
Drama Pitching Lab will take place in Drama from 19th to 22nd September and the Pitching Forum that will follow on Friday 22/9.
The action takes place in the context of the Educational Platform DRAMA MINI TALENT LAB. Specialized trainers- film makers will instruct young directors and producers aiming at a comprehensive presentation of their project for a short film of up to 15’, with a view to finding co-production or funding.
Trainers of the Drama Pitching Lab are: Barbara Dukas, director, Georgina Kakoudakis, dramatist, John Stephens, script editor, screenwriter, found member of the Athens Script Club
ANTONIS PAPADOPOULOS, DIRECTOR OF THE FESTIVAL, ON ITS ANNIVERSARY:
“Then and now
A flashback on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Short Film Festival in Drama
- The short film completes the required length; it is an addition before the screening of the feature film.
- The short film does not have its own distinct festival, where it can be the focus of interest.
- The short film is a privileged field only for the young filmmakers, the 'short filmmakers'.
- The short film is not a self-contained film category with its own rules and peculiarities. It is the poor relation in the world of Cinema.
- The screening of the short film starts and ends in the limited circle of participants and their relatives.
- A small border town cannot have the infrastructure for and the interest of the local community in supporting a film festival.
- The Greek short film is almost impossible to enter European Festivals, let alone to achieve distinction.
We overturned these findings in 1989. It was then that the pressure group of Young Filmmakers asked the Ministry of Culture to establish a National Short Film Festival in the city of Drama. Their requests would have remained mere slogans and all of this would still be a sad reality if the Short Film Festival in Drama had not made this progress.
The Short Film Festival in Drama has changed the cinematic landscape: the conditions of production, management and promotion of the Greek short film.
The creative acceptance by Melina Merkouri, the then Minister of Culture, and the Film Advisor, mr. Manos Zacharias, was the essential springboard for the normalization, development and recognition of this institution. The contribution of Socratis Dimitriadis, who was the Mayor in Drama at that period, was very important.
The necessary follow-up came as a result of the institution maturing: The Internationalization that took place in 1995 created the appropriate international conditions for the take-off of the Festival. The long years of presidency of the Mayor Mr. Margaritis Tzimas contributed decisively to the institutional and subsequent technological upgrading of the mechanism.
In 2001 the Festival joins the club of the major European Festivals. It is recognized by the European Film Academy as a partner festival. In the following years, the awarded European Short Film of the Festival in Drama is voted twice as the best short film in Europe! The subsequent Mayors Mr. Thomas Margaritis and Mr. Kyriakos Harakidis steadily supported and reinforced the institution, in tandem with public sentiment.
A recent milestone in the evolution of the festival has been its recognition by the International Film Critics Association (FIPRESCI).
Through repeated organizational rearrangements and in the midst of the biggest economic crisis of the last decades, the festival remains robust and with its maturity it helps the crumbling Greek film production.
Currently, the contribution of the City Council is decisive. The personal interest of the Mayor Mr. Chr. Mamsakos and the creative, tireless cooperation of the Chairman mr. Anestis Terzis have ensured the smooth operation of the Festival and its transition to the new technological era.
However, the cornerstone of the Festival's existence is the production of Greek films, which stands at an incredibly high level in terms of both quantity and quality. The Greek filmmakers have always been at the center of interest of this Festival.
We take pride in the trust and prestige that the Short Film Festival in Drama enjoys.
Our dedication to and love for the Art of Cinema and Man remains our primary concern.
Welcome, friends!”
