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.
Una 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.
Bogdan 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:
- Short CV
- Project description (up to 500 words)
- 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
- 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