 | 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.
The evolving of the Festival proved that a pressing need had existed for a forum for the presentation and promotion of the short film genre as an independent form of artistic expression. The experience of the past has contributed to the improvement of the conditions under which the Festival is held.
In recent years, the Festival in Drama has established itself not only within the world of cinema, but also among the public, as a showcase for short films.
Both the Municipal Authority and the State have stood by and offered their assistance towards improving all aspects of the Festival. The excellent screening conditions and the new film theaters which are being prepared will complete the technical infrastructure. The Short Film Festival in Drama is a vital entity, that is forever evolving. The International Festival was first added to the National Festival a few years ago. It consists of an international competition section, as well as tributes to filmmakers from all over the world. The number of participants in the International Festival was most impressive from its very first year. Many young filmmakers feel that participating and winning an award at Drama will constitute an important stepping-stone in the recognition of their work, as well as in their future as artists. At the same time, the significant financial awards render participation in the Festival even more attractive.
Besides all these considerations, the warm hospitality of the people of Drama, who embraced the Festival from its very inception, the friendly ambience and the contact among artists from all over the world, all contribute to the creation of a unique atmosphere, where what is most important is not winning an award, but participating and making contact with one’s fellow artists. The Festival feels very strongly that artists should not be cut off from the world; they are living, breathing beings that are entitled to have fun. After all, isn’t that what cinema is all about?
In August 1996, recognizing the importance and prestige of the Festival in Drama, the Ministry of Culture included it in the National Cultural Network of Cities. This means that not only is the Festival a part of a cultural network that covers the whole of Greece, but that it will receive funding from both the Ministry of Culture and the Municipality of Drama.
The Festival is in contact with international festivals of its kind; it invites personalities from the international film world who can share their knowledge and experience with younger people, and organizes tributes to the film production of various countries, thus keeping its audience abreast of international artistic developments, and providing a forum for the necessary comparisons.
Thus, today, both the Greek and International Short Film Festival in Drama has evolved into a cultural institution of a national and international scope.
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