Tag Archive for: DISFF48

All the way from Drama to the Oscars

Από τη Δράμα στα ΟΣΚΑΡ

All the way from Drama to the Oscars

All the way from Drama to the Oscars

We were delighted and honored to see the film “In the Shadow of the Cypress” win the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film at the Αcademy Awards Ceremony! The film had its Greek premiere at the International Short Film Festival of Drama in the #animation program (Head programmer Spiros Siakas) and won the Best Animation film Award. The team of the DISFF congratulates the directors Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani and all the film’s contributors.

In the Shadow of the Cypress / Dar Saaye Sarv Iran
Animation

Directed by: Hossein Molayemi, Shirin Sohani | Screenplay: Hossein Molayemi, Shirin Sohani | Animation: Azad Maroufi, Hessam Javaheri, Hossein Molayemi, Reyhaneh Sadat Mirhashemi, Sepehr Momeni, Mehdi Torabi | Editing: Hossein Molayemi | Original Music: Afshin Azizi | Sound Design: Hossein Ghoorchian | Production Design: Hossein Molayemi, Shirin Sohani | Producers: Hossein Molayemi, Shirin Sohani | Production Company: Barfak Animation Studio

A captain suffering from PTSD, lives with his daughter, struggling with a harsh life. He wants to be a caring father… One day, something unexpected happens. It can be either a new trouble or a blessing in disguise.

Από τη Δράμα στα ΟΣΚΑΡShirin Sohani was born in 1986 in Tehran, Iran. She graduated from Tehran University of Art with an MA in Animation Directing. She started her professional career in 2012. She works as concept artist, background artist, scriptwriter, and production manager. In the Shadow of the Cypress is her first professional film. Her graduation animated film, The Fan (2014), won national and international awards.

Από τη Δράμα στα ΟΣΚΑΡHossein Molayemi was born in 1982, in Shiraz, Iran. He graduated from Tehran University of Art with an MA in Animation Directing. He started his professional career in 2004. He works as director, character designer, storyboard artist, animator, and university lecturer. In the Shadow of the Cypress is his second film. His first film, Run Rostam Run (2017), was selected in Annecy, Warsaw and several other Oscar-qualifying film festivals, winning national and international awards

Yorgos Angelopoulos is Drama Festival’s new Artistic Director

Γιώργος Αγγελόπουλο

Yorgos Angelopoulos is Drama Festival’s new Artistic Director

Drama Festival is happy to welcome Yorgos Angelopoulos at the helm of our institution.

Drama International Short Film Festival’s board of directors has unanimously decided to accept the decision made by the evaluation committee and appoint Yorgos Angelopoulos as the new Artistic Director.

The board consisted of: Panagiotis Iosifelis, screenwriter and professor at the School of Film of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Spyros Siakas, associate professor of 3D Animation and Gaming at the Department of Graphic Design and Visual Communication of the University of West Attica, and Eleftheria Kavaka, manager of Drama Festival.

Yorgos Angelopoulos is a young and talented creator with experience in filmmaking and important institutional roles, as he has served as Director of Development & Production at the Greek Film Centre. DISFF’s new artistic director comes with a strong résumé and his fresh, youthful creativity is essential for an institution as great as Drama International Short Film Festival.

We welcome him, greatly optimistic for DISFF’s future editions.

YORGOS ANGELOPOULOS

Yorgos Angelopoulos graduated with a degree in Directing from the School of Film of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

He then got a scholarship for a master’s degree on Screenwriting at the University of The Arts London.

In 2017 he began working on the Production and Development Directorate of the Greek Film Centre where he was promoted to Director in 2020. He introduced new funding program regulations designed to support emerging professionals and foster inclusivity in short filmmaking.

During his term, the evaluation mechanism was established with a registry of readers and clear artistic criteria, leading to the funding of hundreds of film projects at the writing, development, and production stages.

He has been active in film education and has participated in the creation and development of the Olympia Effect, a script development workshop for children and teens by the Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People.

He has served as an expert for Creative Europe MEDIA Desk and has been a script consultant for short and feature films.

His first short film as screenwriter-director Goldfish (2017) premiered in BFI Flare and became part of the British Council’s International Campaign for Equality and Human Rights (#5filmsforfreedom).

In 2025 he completed his second short film.

Statement by Yorgos Angelopoulos:

“With a sense of responsibility and great excitement I accept the position of artistic director to an institution that is a benchmark and starting point for filmmakers in Greece. I am confident that through teamwork and dedication to the Festival’s important mission we will continue the significant work accomplished in recent years under the direction of Yannis Sakaridis and will further develop the Festival into a global platform for cinematic creation. The Drama International Short Film Festival has been and will always remain a refuge for diversity, inclusivity, and the need for free creation and expression.”