Cinematherapy 2024
47th Drama International Short Film Festival
REGULATION OF DRAMA INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 2024
Cinematherapy Lab
47th Drama International Short Film Festival
Cinematherapy Lab
Cinematherapy is defined as the use of films to motivate and recognise emotions or to draw conclusions in the context of the psychotherapeutic process. Cinematherapy is in fact associated with the ancient art of storytelling as an educational tool. It can be used to encourage the audience to understand almost any subject matter, as cinema covers an extremely wide range of subjects.
This year’s programme is centred upon the theme of Human Relations, their fluidity and rearrangement in the 21st century, as well as the various forms that assemble their structure. More specifically, the discussions of this year’s Cinematherapy edition will revolve around the very structure of human relations during these past years, both on a personal and family level. To what extent have our relations been affected by the economic crisis, the pandemic, sociopolitical developments? In what ways are their form and our values being shaped in our days?
Denise Nikolakou – Integrative Psychotherapist
As of the 43rd edition of DISFF in 2020, when it was first introduced to audiences, Cinematherapy is gaining more and more ground. This year spanning its 5th year of active presence, it is one of the most important programmes in the context of the festival’s actions.
Cinematherapy is the use of films to motivate and recognise emotions or draw conclusions in the context of the psychotherapeutic process. Cinematherapy is, in fact, associated with the ancient art of storytelling as an educational tool. It can be used to encourage the audience to understand almost any subject matter, as cinema covers an extremely wide range of topics.
In contemporary society, the notion of cinema as a healing power is being more and more relevant. We are becoming increasingly aware of the capacity of cinematic art to operate as a potent tool of healing and self-awareness, offering a unique potential for reflection and renewal. This year’s Cinematheraphy programme celebrates the healing power of cinema. Through the magic of the big screen, we explore processes of mental self-awareness, emotional release and recovery. From daily life to the deepest human experiences, Cinema opens windows to our hearts and souls, making room for emotional healing and internal regeneration. In this programme, we welcome any submission that ventures out to explore the affinity between films and mental well-being. We are looking forward to sharing this revelatory experience with you, as we empower our course in order to understand and demonstrate the medicinal properties of cinema.
Denise Nikolakou
Head Programmer
Integrative Psychotherapist
Ψtalk/ A Place in the Sun (1995) by Constantine Giannaris
Cinematherapy is delighted to launch its new action, Ψtalk, a series of panel discussions that combine the art of cinema with psychotherapy. We are particularly happy to host acclaimed director Constantine Giannaris in a unique talk about his film A Place in the Sun, during which we will have the opportunity to break down and probe into the film’s deeper meanings and psychological layers.
A few words about the film
A Place in the Sun adumbrates the life of immigrants in Greece, the challenges they need to tackle and their angst for a better future. Through the sensitive directorial gaze of Constantine Giannaris, the film invites us to see the world through the eyes of its characters and to understand their psychological burdens and hopes.
Panel aims:
Denise Nikolakou, head programmer of Cinematherapy will coordinate and present the event.
Summary:
A group of young people (Nikos Zeginoglou, Flomaria Papadaki) discuss traumas, life experiences, past and present troubles inside the confines of a therapy session. Each account takes them back to the setting of their pain, their worries, their broken dreams. As the stories delve deeper and deeper into the darker recesses of their souls, a modicum of light begins to appear. A feeling of hope, that they might not be in this alone.
The screening will be followed by discussion with the film’s creatives.
Summary:
A man (Alexandros Logothetis), a decision, a half-cooked meal and the conviction that
some things are so insignificant but also oddly bitter and funny.
The screening will be followed by discussion with the film’s creatives.
The programme prompts spectators to engage with such themes as memory, a reckoning with time, personal development, and self-consciousness. Each film adopts a different visual style and specific approach that invites audiences to ponder and discuss the problematics and solutions proposed on screen. In this manner, Cinematherapy DISFF 2024 celebrates the idea that cinema is not only about entertainment but can also become a powerful tool for the development and healing of the human soul. Welcome to Cinematherapy DISFF 2024, a journey that combines the art of cinema with self-exploration and the empowerment of our mental well-being.
A series of newly established events and collaborations in the frame of the DISFF’s Cinematherapy section were organised throughout the year by Drama International Short Film Festival both in Greece and internationally. These confirm the significant appeal and impact of the innovative Cinematherapy programme, which has known great success over the past three years.
*Collaboration between DISFF and Rethymno Association of Parents of People with Autism
The Rethymno Association of Parents of People with Autism, in the frame of the Think Blue events held in April —established as the World Autism Month— has hosted awareness events open to the community. The Festival had previously collaborated with the Antiheroes theatre group of People with Disabilities, during the 2021 Cinematherapy session, which was based on the film How to train an anti-hero. The said collaboration gave rise to the idea of directing a new documentary from scratch (screenplay-directing-shooting-editing).
Under the tutorship of the DISFF’s Artistic Director Yannis Sakaridis, of psychotherapist and founder of the Cinematherapy section Denise Nikolakou, and of film director Yiannis Bletas, a workshop was held during which the participants wrote the screenplay and shot a short film in the course of the two days that followed. A total of fifteen participants from the Antiheroes theatre group took part in the workshop, working from all posts of the crew (cinematography, assistant director, script, sound, acting). The result was the production of a short film.
*Cinematherapy at The Greek Film Festival in Berlin
The Greek Film Festival in Berlin, collaborated for the first time with Drama International Short Film Festival, presenting the Cinematherapy programme based on Thanos Tokakis’ short film Tokakis or What’s My Name. Denise Nikolakou travelled to Berlin and gave a talk about the therapeutic capacity of films, accompanied by the GFFB festival’s director Sophia Stavrianidou, the DISFF’s artistic director Yiannis Sakaridis and head programmer Constantinos Aivaliotis.
*Cinematherapy at Drama schools running for the second year
Following a successful course since the 2021-22 academic year, the Cinematherapy programme continued for the second consecutive year, taking place at schools within the Drama region. Headed by psychotherapist Denise Nikolakou, the programme was yet again embraced by schools of all educational levels, was addressed to children and teenagers up to 18 and aimed at further empowering the educational role of the Festival through a diverse series of innovative programmes. Cinematherapy at schools runs entirely online during school hours and it is offered as a free and optional programme to the participants. Supported by: Raycap S.A.
*Cinematherapy at Los Angeles Greek Film Festival
Drama International Short Film Festival has established yet another invaluable collaboration: the innovative Cinematherapy programme teamed up with Los Angeles Greek Film Festival presenting to the audience of L.A. a Cinematherapy session based on the film Toxic Magnus by Nasos Gatzoulis. The event was held on 10 June 2023 at Regal L.A Live in the city centre of Los Angeles and was attended by numerous spectators who watched the screening and participated in the session that followed. The discussion, held in the presence of the director, analysed the social phenomenon of toxic masculinity, the family-related factors that contribute to this behaviour, as well as the social and psychological effects arising from it.