International Student Competition

43rd Drama International Short Film Festival (DISFF)

The International Student Competition is a brand new initiative and one of the most promising programs of the Drama International Film Festival. Film Schools from around the world and Greece will participate. It’s an ambitious step/project aiming to underline the outwardness of the DISFF and goes hand in hand with the outwardness characterizing Greek cinema over the last ten years.

The International Student Competition, as well as the upcoming establishment of the Film School in Drama, will form an educational background for Cinema. This will offer participants the opportunity to be exposed to one of the major ways in which the Film Industry functions today.

Besides, the new festival aims to be a forum for young promising filmmakers – the future of cinema, to show their work and hopefully it will give rise to new film trends. Last but not least, this new department will offer the DISFF a further enhance its status as asset in its fair claim for a place as one of the leading Short Film Festivals in Europe.

International Student Competition will take place along with the National, and the International Competitions of the 43rd Drama Short Film Festival from 20th to 26th September 2020.

Thanasis Neofotistos

Head Programmer of International Student Competition of the 43rd DISFF

Thanasis Neofotistos is a Film Director, Writer & Architect from Greece. Berlinale Talents alumnus. His short film, PATISION AVENUE (13’-2018), premiered at 75th Venice Film Festival, won 3 awards at 41st Clermont-Ferrand 2019 (Canal+, Jury, EFA) and is a 2019 Festival-Hit with more than 100 film festival selections. ROUTE-3, his latest film, world-premiered at 44th TIFF Toronto 2019 and then again in 42nd Clermont-Ferrand 2020. GREEK SCHOOL PRAYER (20’-2014) was his successful thesis (“Golden Dionysus” Best Greek short film of 37 th DISFF 2014 & over 50 IFF), and SPARKLING CANDLES (9’-2019) is his LGBTQI+ super cute queer short film that premiered at the legendary 43rd Frameline IFF. He is now in the financing stage of his debut feature film, which he envisions as his personal coming-of-age Greek tragedy; THE BOY WITH THE LIGHT- BLUE EYES and he is in development stage of his next feature film project, WILD BOARS.

Head Programmer’s Note:

“My participation in Drama International Film Festival as the Head Programmer of the newly-founded International Student Competition is a very personal challenge! Back, in 2014, with my thesis film GREEK SCHOOL PRAYER I won the “Golden Dionysus” award for best film in Drama Film Festival. This offered me a great beginning and gave me the strength to continue doing what I love most in this world; filmmaking. Therefore, I know very well how important it is for a student filmmaker to be given the chance to present his work in an important film festival. For me this is the best first step for someone to understand the way the film industry works nowadays. On the other hand, I envision for the program to be international, because, from my personal experience that I have gained through my next short films (PATISION AVENUE, ROUTE-3, etc), I understand the importance that the knowhow of film networking has. Especially in an extremely competitive but also very hospitable worldwide environment looking for new, meaningful artistic voices. These thoughts will be my guide, towards a modern, artistically competitive and educationally useful International Student Competition program. A program that will help the students to come in touch with the life after their film school, but at the same time will highlight their raw artistic view with the freshness that this can bring.”

Rules & Terms

1. Intro

For the promotion of short films and the development of a spirit of friendship and co-operation among filmmakers from all over the world, the Drama International Short film festival: International Student Competition (DISFF) will held from the 20th to the 26th of September 2020, in the city of Drama, in the district of Macedonia, Northern Greece.

2. Eligibility

a) Eligible are training and graduation Fiction, Documentary and Animation Short Films completed in 2019 or 2020.
b) Each institution may submit a maximum of 70 minutes of footage. Individual submissions can also be accepted this year.
c) Each film must not exceed 20 minutes of runtime. DISFF reserves the right to accept longer films in exceptional cases.
d) Only one film per director is accepted.
e) Only Greek Premieres are accepted.
f) Production must have been completed after January 1, 2019.
g) The final screening file must be available in DCP, Apple ProRes 422, h264 or MPEG4.
h) The film must have English subtitles.

Entry Procedure

Entry Procedure

a) The film should be submitted via FilmFreeway:

b) Necessary Material of the submission:
• The entry form duly filled.
• A preview screener uploaded through Film Freeway’s online submission.
• One photograph of the film. (Format: jpeg or tiff 300*300dpi)
• A complete dialogue list of the film in English, in digital copy.
• Synopsis of Film, Credit List, etc.
b) Deadline of submission is the 19th June 2020.
c) The submission of the film implies unconditional acceptance of the festival regulations Film Festival.
d) The DISFF reserves the right to invite short films out of the above procedure in special cases.
e) As the Greek Premiere is required, no public screening in cinema, festival, TV Channel in Greece is allowed before the end of the festival.
f) The film screener that will be submitted to the DISFF along with the entry form will remain with the archives of the Festival and will be available in its Market.

Pre-selection Procedure

The pre-selection of the films is made by a group of experts on cinema and the arts who are suggested to the Administrative Board by the Artistic Director, who also supervises their work.

Selection

The Final selection, programming and any change in them is proposed by the Artistic Director of DISFF.

Material Delivery

Requested Material in case of Selection

a) The deadline for the shipment of the selected screening copies is the 28th of August 2020.
b) A screening copy, subtitled in English, in one of the following accepted formats:
DCP, Apple ProRes 422, h264 or MPEG4.
c) A technical data sheet with all the necessary projection info.
d) Any film that will not meet this deadline will be excluded from the competition. Only high quality standard prints will be accepted.
e) The Festival will return all screening copies within thirty days after the end of the Festival, to the address specified by the director or producer at least 10 days before the expiry of the shipment deadline.
f) The Festival covers the return shipment, not including extra costs and tariffs to the shipping country.
g) The screening copies of the selected films should be sent digitally to the email: student@dramafilmfestival.gr
or via mail to:
• Athens Premises: Drama International Short Film Festival,
Em. Benaki 71, 10681, Athens, Greece, +30 210 3300309.
or
• Drama Premises: Drama International Short Film Festival,
Agias Varvaras 9, 66100 Drama, Greece, +30 25210 47575.

Awards

Prizes are awarded to promote young talent. International festival jury consists of at least 3 members will decide on the prizes to be awarded.

– GRAND PRIX STUDENT: “Almost Famous”
– SPECAIL JURY AWARD: “Rising Star”

The Jury may also award other honorary distinctions for specific artistic achievements.
Each prize is awarded to a single film and cannot be awarded ex aequo.

Other Terms

a) The Artistic Director of DISFF reserves the right to compile the Festival’s program and implement changes wherever necessary.
b) The submitter is responsible for clearing rights and permissions concerning each submission. The festival holds no liability.
c) The film screener remains with the Festival’s Film Market.
d) The Festival reserves the right to digitize the submitted films for the needs of the Film Market and its Archive.
e) Film excerpts that might be broadcast on television or the internet should not exceed duration of 3 minutes or 10% of the total running time of the film.
f) The Festival reserves the right to publish film information, including the contact info of the director and the producer.
g) Transportation costs for preview material and prints submitted to the competition program shall be covered by the applicant. The Festival will undertake the costs of returning and securing the films as long as they are in the possession of the Festival.
h) In case of loss or damage under the Festival’s liability, the Festival undertakes the cost of making a new copy of that film.
i) Any dispute concerning the present regulations will be judged and settled by the President of the Festival.
j) Any legal disputes can only be settled by the local Legal Courts of Drama.
k) The languages of the festival are English and Greek.

Contact

DRAMA INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

*ATHENS PREMISES: 71 EMM. BENAKI ST., ATHENS 106 81, GREECE,
TEL: +30 210 3300309, FAX: +30 210 3302818.

*DRAMA PREMISES: 9 AGIAS VARVARAS ST., DRAMA 66100, GREECE,
TEL+30 25210 47575, FAX:+ 30 2521033526.

E-mail: student@dramafilmfestival.gr

Do you want to register for the International Student Competition of the 43rd Drama International Short Film Festival?

ENTRY FORM

International Student Competition

Thanasis Neofotistos

Head Programmer of International Student Competition of the 43rd DISFF

Head Programmer’s Note:

Do you want to register for the International Student Competition of the 43rd Drama International Short Film Festival?

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