Tag Archive for: DISFF 49

DISFF RESIDENCY 2026 - Meet the writers

The first residency program in Greece dedicated to short film screenwriting is officially here! From April 14 to 21, seven emerging filmmakers will participate in the new residency program of the Drama International Short Film Festival, which will be hosted in  Granitis Lodge at the Granitis mountain village, to write the screenplays for their next short films.

The DISFF Residency is an initiative dedicated exclusively to the short film as an autonomous artistic form and one of the very few international residency programs for short film screenwriting. In its first year, the program is carried out with the support of the Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center (EKKOMED) and is part of the activities coordinated by the organization in preparation for the 39th European Film Awards ceremony in 2027, to be held in Athens.

The Drama International Film Festival, a long-standing member of the European Film Academy’s Short Film Network, has secured the participation of two award-winning filmmakers recognized by the Academy, Una Gunjak and Bogdan Mureșanu, who, together with the Festival’s Artistic Director, Yorgos Angelopoulos, and the head of the Short Film Hub, Antigone Papantoni, will mentor the participants.

The DISFF Residency is organized with the support of the Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center (EKKOMED), M. Foundation (Bodouroglou AMKE) and the Creative Europe MEDIA Desk.

Following an open call for submissions and after a large number of high-quality film projects were submitted, the following six projects by the seven screenwriters listed below were selected:

The Girl Who Cried Pearls

For the second consecutive year, the Drama International Short Film Festival (DISFF) has reaffirmed its role as a global “antechamber” for major awards.  The film “The Girl Who Cried Pearls” by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, extending an impressive string of successes for the Festival.

The film, a Canada’s National Film Board (NFB) production, was selected for the Animation Competition Section of the 48th DISFF, making its Greek premiere in Drama and marking the third stop around the world on its journey to the Academy Awards.

This year’s distinction confirms a tradition of quality, as last year the gold statuette also went to a film that competed and won in the Animation Competition Section of the 47th DISFF.

The Head of the Animation section and a festival collaborator, Spyros Siakas, stated: “I feel deeply vindicated that our team managed to pinpoint and present works of such significance. For two consecutive years, our selections have reached the Oscars, proving that Drama is now a reference point on the global map of animation.”

We warmly congratulate the filmmakers and Canada’s NFB on this great distinction. The Drama Festival remains committed to supporting the art of the short film, demonstrating that talent and creativity know no borders.

PITCHING LAB 2026

DISFF PITCHING LAB is an intensive workshop for presenting film projects (pitching), designed for directors, screenwriters and producers who wish to strengthen their presentation skills and promote their projects both in the Greek and International market. The Lab takes place during the Drama International Short Film Festival in September 2026.

Participants receive specialized training in pitching techniques, as well as guidance for presenting their film projects efficiently and networking in the framework of a film industry event. The workshop focuses on short fiction films, documentaries, and animation projects. The Festival covers accommodation and meals for all participants.

Upon completing DISFF PITCHING LAB, participants present their film projects to Greek and international industry professionals, such as producers, financiers, distributors, and festival programmers and engage in one-to-one meetings with DISFF’s Short Film Hub professional guests.

Additionally, cash prizes are awarded for at least two (2) of the participating projects.

Deadline for applications: April 20, 2026, 23:59 EET

TO APPLY CLICK HERE

Required info/materials

  1. Director’s, producers and screenwriter’s contact details (email & phone number)
  2. Project Title
  3. Logline (max. 40 words)
  4. Synopsis (max. 150 words)
  5. Screenplay with max. duration 20’ (for fiction projects) or film treatment with max. duration 30’ (for documentaries). The screenplay should be an advanced draft. Animation projects are accepted in both categories.
  6. Director’s note (min. 300 words)
  7. Genre, duration (approx.), confirmed production country/ies
  8. Director’s, producer’s and screenwriter’s CV (max. 150 words each)
  9. Financing plan with confirmed and pending funding sources

Additional materials (if available):

  1. Audiovisual material in support of the project (i.e. moodboard, teaser, shooting locations, cast etc.)
  2. Links from director’s filmography

All materials must be sent in a single PDF file, named as projecttitle_directorlastname. The attachment should not exceed 15MB in size.

The selection of the projects is made with an emphasis on the following:

– Originality and narrative virtues of the script
– Artistic approach
– Feasibility of the project

Terms & Conditions

– Applications are accepted for short film projects with a duration of up to 20 minutes for fiction or 30 minutes for documentaries. Animation projects are accepted in both categories.

– Applicants must have an excellent command of the English language, as the workshop is conducted entirely in English.

– The deadline for submissions is April 20, 2026, at 23:59 EET. Late submissions will not be accepted.

– Applicants are allowed to submit only one proposal. Proposals that have been resubmitted in previous years or different versions of them will not be accepted.

– The Festival covers accommodation costs, and applicants are responsible for their own travel expenses.

– Applicants must be the holders of the intellectual property rights for the proposal they submit. In case the submitted script is based on an existing source, they must have secured the relevant rights from the rights holder.

– Applicants must be at least 18 years old.

– The names of the participants will be announced by June 2026, on the DISFF website. The Festival may select up to ten (10) projects for participation in the LAB.

– By submitting the application, applicants agree to the use of their names and any promotional material related to their project for publicity purposes.

– The Festival reserves the right to alter the above terms if deemed absolutely necessary for the smooth running of the workshop.

TO APPLY CLICKHERE

For more information, please contact the Drama Film Festival Office:

info@dramafilmfestival.gr
Athens Office: +30 210 3300309
Drama Office: +30 25210 47575

DISFF-pass

A new initiative by the Drama Festival is being launched this year, as part of a broader effort to provide practical and ongoing support to the new generation of filmmakers. The Festival’s aim is not only to showcase the work of talented filmmakers through their participation in the Festival, but also to stand by them afterwards, thereby strengthening their artistic development and their engagement with cinema.

In this context, the DISFF PASS is being introduced.

The DISFF PASS is a personalised card offering directors who competed with a film at the DISFF 48 free admission to selected cinemas in Athens and Thessaloniki. In its first year of implementation, it will be valid until 31 December 2026.

We believe that films should be experienced in their natural environment, i.e. in a proper cinema hall and through the collective experience offered by the big screen. At a time when going to the cinema presents a financial challenge for many, especially young filmmakers, the DISFF PASS aims to facilitate access to more screenings, strengthen ongoing engagement with contemporary cinema, and provide new stimuli and inspiration.

The selection of films at the Drama Festival constitutes an important recognition of the filmmakers’ work.

With the DISFF PASS, we offer a symbolic yet meaningful reward.

This initiative has been made possible thanks to the generous participation and support of the cinema halls.

Participating cinemas:

ATHENS
Astor, Athenée, Zea, Mikrokosmos (Μonday – Thursday), Newman Cinema, Studio New Star Art Cinema, Greek Film Archive (Hall 1, Laïs), Trianon.

THESSALONIKI
Apollon, Vakoura, Makedonikon, Natali, Olympion and Pavlos Zannas (Thessaloniki Film Festival) also Cine John Cassavetes and Cine Stavros Torner.

DISFF49 - OPEN CALL for BALKAN YOUNG TALENTS

Beldocs and Drama International Short Film Festival Launch Joint Edition of Balkan Young Talents

Beldocs International Documentary Film Festival (Serbia) and Drama International Short Film Festival (Greece) are proud to announce a new partnership for the upcoming edition of Balkan Young Talents, expanding the program’s regional reach and strengthening collaboration between the Balkan film communities.

Through this collaboration, for the first time, the call is officially open to young filmmakers from Greece, alongside participants from the Western Balkans — Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovenia, and Serbia.

Balkan Young Talents is dedicated to supporting emerging filmmakers aged 18–30 who wish to develop compelling and visually strong short creative documentary films. The program will select eight participants to take part in a structured development journey across Serbia and Greece.

The 2026 edition will unfold through four sessions:

– A physical opening session in May 2026 during Beldocs Industry Days in Belgrade

– Two online mentoring and development sessions during the summer months

– A concluding physical session in September 2026 at Drama International Short Film Festival in Greece, focused on intensive editing consultations

The program aims to foster creativity, knowledge exchange, and meaningful regional networking. Participants will benefit from lectures, panels, hands-on workshops, and one-on-one mentoring with experienced film professionals, supporting them in developing and refining their short documentary projects.

Completed films will premiere at Beldocs International Documentary Film Festival the following year.

Applications for Greek participants are open until March 31st, 2026.

TO APPLY CLICK HERE

(ONLY for Greek entries)

*All references to Kosovo, whether the territory, institutions or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.

Writing Residency

The Drama International Short Film Festival announces the launch of a new Residency Programme for the development of short film screenplays, which will take place in April 2026, in Granitis, Drama.

With a long-standing commitment to supporting short-form cinema, the Drama Film Festival creates and offers a space for focus, research and creative exchange for screenwriters. This initiative is dedicated exclusively to the short film as an autonomous artistic form and is one of the very few international residencies focused specifically on short film scriptwriting.

The Programme promotes creative exchange through group discussions, collective activities, as well as individual mentoring sessions with experienced tutors, creating a safe and meaningful environment for the development of ideas and screenplays. For its first edition, the Residency will host up to six screenwriters from Greece or permanent residents of Greece, covering their accommodation and meal expenses. The seven-day Residency will take place from 14 to 20 April 2026, in the mountain village of Granitis, Drama.

Applicants must have at least one previous short film screened at an international film festival and in the process of developing a short film idea that has not yet secured funding. A very good command of the English language is also required.

The mentors

The Drama Intl Short Film Festival, a long-standing ally of the European Film Academy, was among the first festivals to join the EFA Short Film Network and is the only festival in Greece that participates in the pre-selection voting process for the EFA Short Film Awards. In addition, for more than twenty years it has consistently nominated a film for consideration at the EFA Awards. On the occasion of Greece hosting the European Film Academy Awards in 2027 for the first time, DISFF invites as mentors of the programme two distinguished filmmakers who have been honored with the prestigious European Film Academy Award for their work.

Writing ResidencyUna Gunjak is a writer, director and editor, born in Sarajevo and based in Paris. She studied in Italy and later in the UK at the National Film and Television School (NFTS). Her short film The Chicken premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014, won the European Film Award for Best Short Film and screened at the Sundance Film Festival. Her debut feature film Excursion premiered at the Locarno Film Festival in 2023, where it received a Special Mention. The film went on to screen at more than 50 festivals worldwide and was released theatrically in 12 countries. She also works as an editing consultant and tutor at First Cut Lab, Dok Incubator and Jihlava Academy.

Writing ResidencyBogdan Mureșanu is a writer, director and producer. His short film The Christmas Present (2018) won the European Film Academy Award and received over 200 festival selections and 72 awards, including the Grand Prix at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. His debut feature film The New Year That Never Came (2024) was nominated for the European Film Awards and has received 23 international awards, including Best Film in the Orizzonti section and the FIPRESCI Award at the Venice International Film Festival. He has also written screenplays for award-winning short films, such as the animated film Opinci (2019), which received the Youth Jury Award at Clermont-Ferrand.

The mentors team is supported by the Festival’s Artistic Director, Yorgos Angelopoulos and the Head of the Short Film Hub, Antigoni Papantoni, acting as project advisors.

Application Materials & Deadline

Applicants are invited to submit the following via the application form till March 15th:

  1. Short CV
  2. Project description (up to 500 words)
  3. Letter of motivation, including reasons for wishing to participate in the Programme, expectations, the current development stage of the project, and the intentions behind its creation
  4. Online link to a previous film

TO APPLY, CLICK HERE

For information, please contact the Drama Film Festival Secretariat:

info@dramafilmfestival.gr
Drama Office: +30 25210 47575
Athens Office: +30 210 3300309

DISFF49 - CALL FOR ENTRIES 2026

Submissions are open for the 49th Drama International Short Film Festival

The Drama International Short Film Festival looks forward to receiving your film for its 49th edition. A place at an Oscar® and European Film Academy qualifying festival awaits you! Claim it by submitting your film to the National or International Competition Programme of DISFF.

The Drama International Short Film Festival announces the opening of submissions for the competition programmes of its 49th edition, continuing a long-standing journey dedicated to artistic expression and the promotion of short films in Greece and internationally.

Filmmakers from Greece and abroad are invited to submit their films to one of the Festival’s five competition programmes, which explore the full spectrum of cinematic forms: fiction, documentary, animation, experimental, films for children, among others.

Submissions are accepted only via the FilmFreeway platform and are free of charge for Greek and Cypriot directors. Please note that a Greek premiere is required for all submissions to the Festival, and only films completed in 2025 or 2026 are eligible.

The submission deadline for the National Competition and the National Student Competition is May 8, 2026, while for the International Competition and the International Student Competition the deadline is April 30, 2026.

INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION – New Programme

In this year’s edition, the Festival launches for the first time a new competition programme dedicated to Documentary films. With this initiative, DISFF aims to highlight this constantly evolving cinematic form and its inventive hybrid expressions. At the same time, it seeks to encourage the development and production of short-form documentaries.

The Festival’s goal is for the International Documentary Competition to become, in the coming years, one of the core pillars of its identity, further strengthening Drama’s role as a key reference point for documentary cinema as well.

DISFF49: September 6-12, 2026

The 49th Drama International Short Film Festival will take place from September 6 to September 12, 2026, presenting the finest selection of Greek and International short films, alongside a rich parallel programme of activities, including: the Short Film Hub, Pitching Lab, networking events, educational workshops, special tributes, fair literature afternoons, the KIDDO children’s films zone, as well as events and programmes of international scope to be announced in the coming months.

As it approaches the celebration of 50 years since its founding, the Drama Film Festival once again invites filmmakers and audiences to join us in celebrating the creators of tomorrow.

TO SUBMIT, CLICK HERE

It is essential that you carefully review the General Terms as well as the specific terms of each competition programme before submitting. You can find them HERE.

For further information, please contact the Drama Film Festival offices:

info@dramafilmfestival.gr
Drama office: +30 25210 47575
Athens office: +30 210 3300309