THE DRAMA FESTIVAL IN CANNES
The Drama International Short Film Festival is participating in the Short Film Corner at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
The Drama Film Festival is actively participating in the Short Film Corner (SFC) of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off today, Tuesday, May 12. The leading event for short films on the Croisette takes place this year from May 17–20.
DISFF, in collaboration with EKKOMED (Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Centre), is sending the three big winners of last year’s National Student Competition to Cannes: Aggelogiorgas (“Frida Liappa” Best Greek Student Film Award | Or How to Disappear), Vasilis Pantelidis (Best Direction Award | Leaving Was What She Did Best), and Kostas Fountas Aloupogiannis (Best Documentary Award | At the Market). Their films will be available in the SFC video library under the title Greek Young Talents and will be accessible to international film professionals visiting the festival. In addition, the three filmmakers will participate in the SFC’s networking and training activities, where they will promote the new short films they are currently developing.
The artistic director of the Drama Festival, Giorgos Angelopoulos, will also be joining them; he will participate in the SFC’s Breakfast Meetings in order to present the Festival and its activities. At the same time, he will be contributing to the promotion of Greek short films and their creators, who continue to have a strong international presence and receive significant recognition at major festivals.
The most recent example is Alexandra Matthaiou’s participation in this year’s Cannes Film Festival: the Cypriot director’s new short film, titled Free Eliza (Notes on an Anatomical Imperfection), a co-production between Cyprus, Greece, and France, will have its world premiere at the Directors’ Fortnight (May 13–23). It is one of nine short films selected for this year’s Directors’ Fortnight programme from around the world.
Meanwhile, Stavros Markoulakis, a familiar face at the Drama Film Festival, will participate in the Short Film Corner’s Focus WiP, as a work-in-progress, with his new project: Tropic of the Mourning Gecko. Focus WiP presents a selection of five short films currently in post-production to leading professionals in the audiovisual sector.
The three big winners of the DISFF48 National Student Competition, who are already packing their bags for Cannes, made the following statements:
Aggelogiorgas: “I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts and enthusiasm for my upcoming short film ‘ZINNIA.exe’ with people I’ll meet at the festival.”
Vasilis Pantelidis: “My participation in the Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival is a special honour and joy, as well as an important opportunity for international networking and promotion for a young filmmaker. I would like to warmly thank the Drama International Short Film Festival for its support and trust, as well as all my cast and crew for their invaluable contribution to the creation of the film.”
Kostas Fountas Aloupogiannis: “First, I’d like to express my enthusiasm for participating in the Cannes Film Festival’s Short Film Corner. Thanks to DISFF, we have the opportunity to be part of a vibrant cinematic community of creators and networking. Our presence there and the potential opportunities are valuable, but above all, this whole process will fuel us with the energy to move forward.”
