About Us

Drama Short Film Festival 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.

The Festival was established in 1978 and, since 1996, it is a Municipal Enterprise, whose purpose is: to promote and disseminate the art of cinema, and especially of the short film, in Greece and abroad, to develop a spirit of friendship and cooperation between filmmakers from all over the world, to organize screenings of Greek and foreign short films; film tributes; seminars, conferences, lectures and fora; art exhibitions; musical concerts; and theatrical performances, throughout the year, in the city of Drama, in Greece and abroad and to collaborate with similar institutions, both in Greece and abroad, towards the fostering and development of short film.

Drama International Short Film Festival (DISFF)

Drama Premises
9 Agias Varvaras st. Drama 66100, Greece
Tel: (+30) 25210 47575

Athens Premises
71 Emm. Benaki st. Athens 10681, Greece
Tel: (+30) 210 3300309

e-mail: info@dramafilmfestival.gr

Screening venues

Municipal Conservatory

Olympia Cinema

Open Air Cinema Alexandros

A message from the Mayor of Drama Mr. Christodoulos Mamsakos

Welcome to the hospitable town of Drama, to a celebration of culture, to the universe of the seventh art, to a great film feast, the 46^th edition of Drama International Short Film Festival.

The DISFF has been enshrined in the conscience of film professionals and audiences alike as the place where short films are brought to the fore, the place that shows in advance everything that stands to either be or complement a major element of our culture.

Drama International Short Film Festival ranks today amongst the best in the world, recently accredited as Oscar-qualifying by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. As of now, the two winning shorts in the National and International Competition sections will be eligible for Oscar nominations. It is a great achievement, born from the institution’s constant upgrade.

Of course, nothing was left to chance. Everything was made through coordinated, well-thought-out steps that have urged the DISFF to a huge leap forward.

An additional three turning points should be pointed out: the operation of the Hellenic Open University’s Film School in Drama; the transformation of “Andrikakis” Military Camp into an international audiovisual centre with new venues for the DISFF; and the refurbishment of the Municipal Conservatory and of the Olympia Cinema.

The 46^thedition of Drama International Short Film Festival is stepping into the next day with a new face and a new mood.

Welcome to the historical and heroic town of Drama, a place of lavish waters and Culture, the capital city of short film creators. Welcome to a celebration of cinema, the Drama International Short Film Festival.

Christodoulos Mamsakos
Mayor of Drama

Greetings from the President of the Cultural Organization of Drama Short Film Festival Mr. Georgios Dermetzis

Dear short film enthusiasts,

The 46^th edition of Drama International Short Film Festival comes as a beautiful epilogue to what has been for me a great honour, my tenure as festival president. Hopefully, after the municipal elections scheduled for early October, we will renew our date for next year.

Four years ago, in October 2019, when I was assigned this “Sleeping Giant”, so to speak, a fascinating yet demanding journey began, brimming with challenges and important pending topics that needed to be tackled in order to elevate DISFF to its rightful place in Greece and beyond.

Our journey was marred by two global crises. Still, against the darkness of the times, we chose to put love, determination, patience and perseverance into drawing up a new era for DISFF, breaking new ground and building bridges. A few weeks ago, our efforts were rewarded with the highest honour conferred by the American Academy of Motion Pictures: two tickets to the Academy Awards for the winners of the National and International Competition sections.

Empowered by the trust and support of the Mayor of Drama, in the early months of 2020 I invited Yannis Sakaridis to join me in this endeavour. He accepted my proposition and took on the challenge to be at the helm of the Festival. Sakaridis is no random choice. He is an experienced filmmaker who has worked abroad for years, holds Drama and DISFF close to his heart, has competed in it and has taken part in its workings. He knows festivals. He was our first choice. Today, I can honestly say he has honoured his position in the best way possible, making us both proud, the Mayor of Drama and myself. Day after day, through persistent and at times arduous involvement, we erased past errors and omissions to herald a new era, starting from our visual identity and going on from there to assemble a wonderful team of qualified, experienced and inspired people who love films, and put effort in compelling work by filmmakers based in Greece and abroad.

We have signed strategic collaborations with entities such as EKOME – the National Centre of Audiovisual Media and Communication, the Greek Film Centre, the Onassis Stegi, RAYCAP, CYCLOPS, and big Greek companies in a bid to expand our potential and solidify our dynamic presence. Aiming at extroversion, we have forged ties with international festivals in Greece and abroad, exchanging programmes and introducing new actions. Our relations with the Clermont-Ferrand, Torino and Cannes Film Festivals, but also with Greek International Festivals in Berlin and Los Angeles are closer than ever, with short films and short film creatives reaping the benefits.

Our achievements do not stop here. This year has been especially prolific for Drama, as it saw the launch of the Hellenic Open University’s undergraduate study programme on Film Studies: Screenplay, Filmmaking and Research, along with directing workshops set in our town. It was a dream come true, conceived and fought for by DISFF, now looking to develop new programmes and cooperative actions with HOU and maximise the gain of young filmmakers.

Of course, nothing would have been possible if the Municipality of Drama had not poured its faith and support into DISFF. The decisive contribution of the Ministry of Culture, particularly since 2020, backing us in every possible way, must also be acknowledged.

The year 2020 was the first time we received stable funding. A few months before that, the second contract for a three-year grant had been signed, affording us reassurance and the power to carry on.

In conjunction with the coordinating Ministry of Culture and Sports, the former “Andrikakis” Military Camp has been incorporated in the action “Establishment and Operation of Creative Hub for Audiovisual Arts in Drama”. By now a point of reference, DISFF will run in tandem with the Culture and Development Master Plan for the town of Drama, implemented in the context of the Recovery and Resilience Fund with funding up to seven million euro by the Prefecture of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace intended to boost the economy and development model of the wider region.

What is more, the Ministry of Culture has approved our request to receive a grant of approximately €1.5 m. in order to refurbish the Municipal Conservatory and the Olympia Cinema, both DISSF venues.

Last, with support from the Ministry, a series of cinematherapy educational programmes have materialised over the past three years to the delight of students in Drama Prefecture.

We are grateful for the generous support of the Ministry of Culture which, it must be pointed out, is bestowed upon the town of Drama for the first time.

Also for the first time in recent years, the Prefecture of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace stands unwaveringly by our side, funding and actively engaging with our endeavours.

DISFF celebrates 46 years of international presence.

The Artistic Director and the DISFF team have graced this 46^th edition with earnestness, expertise, love and passion for the festival’s workings. Innovative programme selections and new partnerships with important entities and professionals of the seventh art, in Greece and abroad, draw up the picture of this edition and forge closer ties with the film industry and young creators, both Greek and foreign film students, who remain at the core of our attention. The result is the festival’s upgraded image and contribution.

I would like to extend warm thanks to the Ministry of Culture, to the Prefecture of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, the Municipality of Drama, and all contributors to our country’s filmmaking endeavours for their excellent cooperation.

Big thanks are due to the heads and personnel of the DISFF Cultural Organisation for their ongoing seamless cooperation. With love for this institution and pursuing a vision for the future, we stand before you for yet another year, ready to deliver our best.

Best of luck!

Georgios Dermetzis
President of the Cultural Organization – Drama’s Short Film Festival

Artistic Director

Yannis Sakaridis

A message from the Artistic Director Yannis Sakaridis

Festivals remain unwaveringly relevant in the film industry, providing a platform to showcase emerging talents, exchange ideas and encourage creative variety.

Also, they never seem to stop!

Last year, just one week after DISFF45 wrapped up, we screened the National Competition selections and welcomed Pawel Pawlikowsky to a Cinematherapy session at the Greek Film Archive.

The long route of the awarded films of the National Competition section had begun from Thessaloniki International Film Festival, travelling through several cities in Greece and abroad along the way.

This year we have had the honour of welcoming director and actress Elena Mavridou to our team as head of the new KIDDO programme with films from and for kids, and also Yianna Sarri, who has put together the Short Film Hub in a bid to liaise between talented filmmakers, screenwriters and producers and the international and local film industry.

For the second year in a row, Denise Nikolakou’s Cinematheraphy has toured the schools of Drama and “travelled” to Berlin and Los Angeles, two acclaimed Greek festivals with which we have launched partnership.

The DISFF team has watched and reviewed more than 3000 films. Now, we are inviting you to join us in discovering new voices, journeying to subversive worlds and getting to the crux of the seventh art.

It is my joy and privilege to welcome you to the 46^th Drama International Short Film Festival!

Yannis Sakaridis studied Photography and Art History at London College of Printing and film direction at the University of Westminster. He has been a member of London Film Makers Co-Op for many years, where he started to direct short films as BUSKERS (1995), SQUADDING IN HACKNEY (1995), DOGKILLERS (1996), MAUSOLEUM (1998), and also some experimental films, such as PARIS (1993), DECAY (1996). He kept on working as a professional film editor for feature films in Greece and Great Britain, such as SCREAMIN’ JAY HAWKINS: I PUT A SPELL ON ME by Nikos Triantafyllidis (2001), THE KING by Nikos Grammatikos (2002), A WOMAN IN WINTER by Richard Jobson (2006), for film trailers for Warner Bros, such as MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD & EVIL by Clint Eastwood (1997), THE GENERAL by John Burman (1998), EYES WIDE SHUT by Stanley Kubrick (1999), and also for many British TV documentaries, such as VELVET GOLDMINE for Channel 4, CLASH OF THE TITANS: RANGERS/CELTICS for BBC2, CARNIVAL FACES for National Geographic.

After 18 years in London, he wrote and directed the short film TRUTH (2006), which was the first film he shot in Athens, where he lives since 2007. His first feature film as a director, WILD DUCK (2013), starring Themis Bazaka and Alexandros Logothetis, was premiered at Toronto Film Festival and traveled to festivals around the world.

His second feature as a screenwriter/producer/director, AMERIKA SQUARE (2016) starring Yannis Stankoglou, Makis Papadimitriou, Themis Bazaka and Vassilis Kukalani was produced by Greek National Television and the Greek Film Center. It was awarded in many international festivals and it was the official selection of Greece for the Academy Awards (2018). The film was distributed in the USA, China, Spain, Eastern Europe (HBO), England, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus.

Hollywood Reporter wrote for this film: “Amerika Square is overall one of the best European films to date on the subject of immigration in all its painful implications”. He has participated two times in Drama Film Festival with fiction shorts: MAUSOLEUM (1998), TRUTH (2006, Special Award for Fiction, Best Music Award) He has been a member of its national juries twice. He has also been a member of an Advisory Committee for Short Films at the Greek Film Center.

Filmography (as a director):

Amerika Square (2016) Scriptwriter-Director-Producer.
Audience Award at the 7 th Peking Film Festival. Erasmus Youth Jury Award, Trieste Film Festival. Best Film Award at Los Angeles Greek Film Festival. Best Editing Award by the Greek Film Academy, Best Film Award Open Frontiers Contest. FIPRESCI Award at the 57 th Thessaloniki IFF, Special Mention for Vassilis Kukalani at the 57 th Thessaloniki IFF, Youth Award at the 57 th Thessaloniki IFF, Audience Award at the 3 rd Burgas FF, New Directors Competition, 52nd Chicago Film Festival. Flash Forward Competition, 21st Busan International Film Festival.

Wild Duck (2013) Scriptwriter-Director-Producer.
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF 2013), Raindance Film Festival, Busan Film Festival (Flash Forwrd), Chicago Film Festival, New Directors Competition, Mostra – Sao Paulo, In Competition, Thessaloniki IFF, In Competition, International Film Festival of India, Goa.

Truth (2006, short film) Scriptwriter-Director.
47Th Thessaloniki IFF Θεσσαλονίκης (Special Mention in Quality Awards), Raindance Film Festival (Tiscali Best Shorts Selection), 29th Short Film Festival in Drama (Special Award, Best Music Award).

Mausoleum (1998, short film) Raindance Film Festival, Drama International Film Festival, Orange Best Shorts.
Dogkillers (1996, short film),
Decay (1996, short film),
Buskers (1995, short film),
A poem for 4 countries (1995, short film),
Squadding in Hackney (1995, short documentary),
La Valeta (1994, short film),
Paris (1993, short film).

Festival Board

George Demertzis

Chairman - City Counselor

Konstantinos Kalaitzidis

Vice Chairman - City Counsillor