International Kids’ Film Competition – KIDDO 2023
46th Drama International Short Film Festival
Kiddo marks the new aspirational opening of the Drama Festival to films in which children and young people are in the foreground. The acclaimed Drama actress Elena Mavridou will be the head of the programme, and explains the reasoning behind this new initiative of the Festival:
“No human being is more contemporary at this time than young children who can handle digital media with such comfort and knowledge. If this knowledge shifts towards the Arts, a breeding ground of new innovative ideas can be formed. Children’s emotional intelligence and critical thinking lay the groundwork for the future societies. The Drama Short Film Festival, through its many years of educating the pupils of Drama, offers educational programmes, screenings and cinema workshops for children. We are happy to announce the new Kiddo competition programme for films by professional filmmakers, as well as by children and teenagers. The competition addresses creators of films for children & teenagers with contemporary themes. Young creators are also given the opportunity to screen their films. Films made by children for children, aiming to activate their imagination and to cultivate their own aesthetic perception. The competitive nature of the programme aims to prepare young cinephiles, as well as future creators, for the art of cinema.”
ELENA MAVRIDOU
Born in Drama; graduate of the National Theatre of Northern Greece; former student at the Theatre Department of the School of Fine Arts of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; founding member of the “Horos” Theatre Company. She has collaborated with the National Theatre of Greece, the National Theatre of Northern Greece, the Onassis Cultural Center of Athens, the Athens and Epidaurus Festival, and other institutions. She has participated in numerous theatre productions, such as: “The Frogs”, “Antigone”, “Golfo 2.3 beta”, “Golfo director’s cut”, “Apokopos”, “Melted Butter”, “Recycle”, “Erofili Synopsis”, “The End”, “Greek Freak”, “Don Quixote”, “Woyzeck”, etc. She has collaborated with numerous directors, such as: Simos Kakalas, Michail Marmarinos, Katerina Evangelatos, Dominik Moll, Mustafa Avkiran, Sotiris Hatzakis, Victor Ardittis, etc. As part of theatre productions, she has participated in various festivals, such as: Sibiu Festival (Romania), Tampere International Theatre Festival (Finland), Dialog Festival – Wrocław (Poland), International Street Artist Festival – Szczecin (Poland), Heidelberger Stückemarkt – Heidelberg (Germany), Blagoevgrad Festival (Bulgaria), Athens and Epidaurus Festival (Greece), etc. She has participated in both short and feature films, such as: – “Single String of Pearls” (2006), by Vasilis Kehagias – produced by N-Orasis Audiovisual and the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation; – “Ultimate Substance” (2012), directed by Anja Kirschner and David Panos – presented as part of the “The Magic of the State” group show at the Lisson Gallery in London; – “Medea Melea” (2014), by Christos Karampelas – presented at the ‘Short Film Corner’ section of the Cannes Film Festival in 2014; – “Shores” (2015), by Panos Karkanevatos; – “Black Box” (2017), by Anthi Tsirouki – presented at the ‘Short Film Corner’ section of the Cannes Film Festival in 2018; – “Tracks” (2017), by Elina Fessa; – “Eden” (2019), by Dominik Moll – produced by Lupa Film, Atlantique Productions, and Port au Prince Arte; – “iDENTiTY” (2019), by Panos Pappas and Despina Charalampous. She has received the 2008 ‘Melina Mercouri Theatre Award’, and the 2008 “Karolos Koun” performance award of the Union of Greek Critics for Drama and Music. She was nominated for the “Karolos Koun” direction award of the Union of Greek Critics for Drama and Music for her play “O Lampros”. She has received the ‘Best Actress’ award at the 23rd Athens International Film Festival, for her performance in the short film “Tracks” (2017), by Elina Fessa. She stars in the television series “Sose me”, broadcasted by the Greek TV station ANT1+ . In 2018 she was a jury member at the Drama International Short Film Festival. She has worked on the adaptation and creation of theatrical plays for the following productions: – “Melted Butter”, by Sakis Serefas (a dramatic adaptation of the pre-existing play, as well as of the research material by the writer on the real story, the novel, and the script); – “Recycle” – a production by the National Theatre of Greece; – “The End” – a production by the Onassis Cultural Center of Athens (creation of plays through the process of playwriting and the techniques of devised theatre); – “Wuthering Heights” – a production by the Horos Theatre Company (an adaptation of the literary work for the stage – sponsored by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports); – “Erofili Synopsis” – an adaptation of the work by Georgios Chortatsis, performed at the Athens and Epidaurus Festival. She has directed plays such as “Waiting for Godot” (2018), by Samuel Beckett, “The Wing” (2020), “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wild Leaves” (2020), “Lampros” (2021), by Dionysios Solomos, “Alcestis” (2022), by Euripides, and “Romeo and Juliet Straight Outta Verona” (2022). She teaches acting and improvisation at the ‘Iakovos Kambanellis’ Drama School of Agia Varvara, as well as at Lakis Lazopoulos’s private drama school “Texnon 100”. She is currently preparing to direct the production of Euripides’s “The Bacchae”, which will be sponsored by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports.
Elena Mavridou
Head programmer in the International KIDDO Competition Programme of the 46th Drama International Short Film Festival. mavridou@dramafilmfestival.gr