Animation Programme 2025
48th Drama International Short Film Festival
Ηead Programmer: Spyros Siakas
Dr. Spyros Siakas. Associate Professor, 3d Animation, head of the Department of Painting and Animation and Director of the Postgraduate Program of Animation in the Department of Graphic Design and Visual Communication of University of West Attica. Director of the undergraduate Studies Programme of the Hellenic Open University, entitled: Film Studies: Screenplay, Filmmaking, and Research (USP). Founding Member of ASIFA HELLAS. Head programmer of animation in Drama International Short Film Festival, Greece. He has involved, as trainer and supervisor, in number of educational seminars for formal and non-formal education focusing on introducing the animation technique in the learning process. He has directed short animated films which has been participated and awarded in many animation festivals, including the ASIFA award for his film “The Mirror Stage” in 2005. Currently, he is working on “The Shadows of the Kalikatzarous”, his new feature animation film.
Animation, as a film medium, is dynamically evolving, constantly expanding its spatial and technical horizons. This year’s festival edition saw a new record in animation film submissions, with entries coming from an increasing number of countries, echoing a broader trend of rising participation across all festival sections.
The selection of these films was not only based on core criteria such as quality characteristics of animation and cinematic storytelling, but also on three key parameters. Firstly, the diversity of techniques and expressive tools. Secondly, the representation of as many countries and national animation schools as possible, offering a representative sample of today’s global animation scene. And lastly, the journey of each film, in an endeavour to be the first to discover, showcase, and present works in their world or international premiere at Drama International Short Film Festival.
With this in mind, four Greek productions were also selected – works that can confidently stand within a competitive, high-calibre international landscape. The overarching goal remains the same: to foster animation literacy and to actively engage both Drama’s local audience and the wider Festival community in the appreciation of animation cinema.
Spyros Th. Siakas
Head Programmer, Animation Competition Section
- The Synthetic Age, Dimitris Armenakis
- Poplars, Alexandros Vounatsos
- Holy shit,Taxiarchis Deligiannis – Vassilis Tsiouvaras
- 13m2, Antonis Dimitropoulos
- At Night, Pooya Afzali
- The Sounds of Things Ablaze, Hayat Najm
- The Death of the Fish, Eva Lusbaronian
- My Gut Friend, José Manuel Lo Bianco – Mariano Andrés Bergara
- HOLY HEAVÊNESS, Negah Khezre Fardyardad – Farnoosh Abedi
- Heal, Manu Larios
- Dark Globe, Donato Sansone
- Help Me Tom, Jiahang Yang
- Tears, Paulina Ziolkowska
- The Girl Who Cried Pearls, Chris Lavis – Maciek Szczerbowski
- Dog Alone, Marta Reis Andrade
- Mealitancy, Marie Royer – Zinia Scorier
- On Weary Wings Go By, Anu-Laura Tuttelberg
- Because Today is Saturday, Alice Eça Guimarães
The posters of the films in the International Animation Program
