Drama International Short Film Festival unveils the line-up for its 49th Edition

This year’s programme includes 30 films in the Greek National Competition, 19 in the Greek Student Competition, and 45 world premieres, alongside the Festival’s five competition sections-including the brand-new International Documentary Competition.

At the rooftop of the open-air Lais Open Air Cinema, surrounded by leading Greek filmmakers, DISFF Artistic Director Giorgos Angelopoulos unveiled the visual identity and official spot of the 49th Drama International Short Film Festival (DISFF), while announcing the selections for the festival’s five competition sections. The 49th edition will take place from 6 to 12 September and will feature the Greek National Competition, Greek Student Competition, International Competition, International Student Competition, and the newly established International Documentary Competition.

This year, the Drama International Short Film Festival will screen 157 short films in total. Of these, 30 films have been selected for the Greek National Competition and 19 for the Greek Student Competition, while 45 titles will have their world premiere at the festival. Overall, the festival received 3,420 submissions from around the world.

Welcoming journalists, film professionals and guests to the presentation, Giorgos Angelopoulos reflected on the festival’s evolution over the past year:

“A year later, we are here again, but a great deal has happened in the meantime. We are transforming the Festival in ways that extend far beyond the week of the event itself, creating meaningful, year-round support for emerging filmmakers.

This year, the Drama Festival enabled Greek filmmakers to attend major international film events-from the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival to the ECAM Forum and Beldocs-where they had the opportunity to present and develop their upcoming projects. At the same time, we launched our first screenwriting residency for short films, bringing together award-winning filmmakers from the European Film Academy to mentor emerging screenwriters.

We also introduced the DISFF PASS, offering participating directors free admission to cinemas throughout the year. In addition, we secured free submission opportunities for Greek films to major international festivals and, for the first time, systematically worked through partnerships to ensure screening fees were paid to filmmakers participating in the Drama Festival on Tour programme.

In less than a year, more than €6,000 has been paid to directors whose films competed in Drama. For many of them, it was the first time they had been compensated-even symbolically-for their work. We are fostering healthier practices because cinema is not only an art form; it is also a profession.”

All these initiatives reflect the philosophy of the new Drama International Short Film Festival: less spectacle, more substance. Guided by this vision, we are already planning our next steps, including the creation of a sales company dedicated to Greek short films, with the aim of strengthening their international visibility and extending their journey beyond the festival circuit.

As we approach the 49th edition, just one year before the festival’s 50th anniversary, we feel the need to return to where it all began-to the core of an institution that emerged from the film club of a border town in northern Greece and grew thanks to the talent of Greek filmmakers, many of whom took their very first steps here. The international identity of a festival draws its strength from its local roots, and perhaps it is precisely these roots that make it distinctive. This year’s programme therefore embraces the festival’s Balkan identity through a special tribute and a series of parallel events.

“Welcome Home!” is the motto of this year’s edition. It welcomes audiences home-to the place where we feel safe and connected, where our memories are kept alive and where we rediscover our sense of direction. Home is the cinema. And the cinema is the Drama Festival.

We also welcome our international guests, as Drama will host, for the first time, the annual meeting of the network of festivals affiliated with the European Film Academy. Representatives from leading European festivals will take part in educational activities while meeting Greek filmmakers and discovering their work. Together with the residency programme mentioned earlier, this initiative forms part of the programme supported by EKKOMED in the lead-up to the European Film Awards ceremony, which will be held in Athens.

This year also marks the arrival of documentary filmmaking as a new international competition section, accompanied by panel discussions, the international Young Balkans workshop, and a special tribute to one of Greece’s most distinguished documentary filmmakers.

And, of course, we welcome our audiences. This year we are investing in the collective experience of cinema-going and introducing structural changes designed to make the festival more welcoming and accessible: fewer but more focused competition programmes, shorter screening blocks that allow each film to stand out, post-screening Q&As that encourage dialogue between filmmakers and audiences, and accommodation for all competing filmmakers until the festival’s closing day-after all, they are the reason we gather here.

So, welcome-to the home of the short film and the home of cinema. The 49th Drama International Short Film Festival opens its doors on 6 September. Familiar and welcoming, yet full of new beginnings.

The Visual Identity of the 49th DISFF

This year’s visual identity has once again been created by Drama-based designer Konstantinos Pavlidis, who explains the concept behind the design:

“The three iconic bell-bearers featured in the visual identity of the 49th Drama International Short Film Festival were not chosen simply for their striking appearance. They represent one of the oldest and most vibrant expressions of the region’s cultural identity, serving as guardians of its Dionysian tradition. Although they may initially appear intimidating, they embody a deeply celebratory and regenerative spirit, revealed through an unexpected visual interpretation.”

The Official Spot of the 49th DISFF

The official festival trailer was directed by Isabella Margara and filmed entirely in Drama. Describing her creative approach, she said:

“Before cinema, there was Dionysus. Before the theatre, there was the village square, the night, the sound of bells awakening nature, driving away evil and calling people to gather. The bell-bearer—this Balkan Dionysian figure whose every step resonates-is an ancient relative of cinema. Both were born from the same human need: to lose ourselves for a while in collective ecstasy, to let the individual dissolve into a shared experience. To meet in the darkness and become part of something greater than ourselves. The Drama International Short Film Festival has been that meeting place for five decades, in a city that remembers it all.”

Mayor of Drama’s Message

A message was also delivered by Giorgos Papadopoulos, Mayor of Drama and President of the Cultural Organisation of the Drama International Short Film Festival:

“Dear friends of cinema, film is a way of looking at life a little more closely. Through the frame, light and silence, it captures what often escapes us in everyday life: the small fractures, the great desires, the moments that shape who we are. This is why the short film, condensed and essential, resembles life itself—brief, intense and profoundly human.

It is in this spirit that Drama welcomes, for the 49th time, the Drama International Short Film Festival, an institution that for decades has reflected contemporary life while serving as a meeting point for ideas, aesthetics and cinematic storytelling from Greece, Europe and beyond.

This year’s edition, taking place from 6 to 12 September 2026, carries particular significance as it paves the way for the festival’s landmark 50th anniversary in 2027-a milestone for Greek cinema and culture.

The Festival has always been a living institution: a platform for emerging filmmakers, a home for new voices and contemporary cinematic languages that seek to interpret our times. Our city does not simply host the Festival-it is in constant dialogue with it. Drama has learned to recognise the power of the short form, where economy of means gives rise to emotional intensity, meaning and genuine human connection.

In an age saturated with images, the Drama Festival invites us to look again with greater attention, to listen and to reflect. As President of the Festival’s Cultural Organisation, I hope this year’s edition will continue to serve as a space for dialogue, where life finds its most truthful and courageous expression through cinema. May our Festival continue to remind us that no matter how short a film may be, it can contain an entire lifetime.”

The evening’s host, Vasilis Terzopoulos, also read a message from the Festival’s Vice President, Petros Paraskevaidis:

“It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the presentation of the 49th Drama International Short Film Festival. We are just one step away from celebrating fifty years of an institution that has become inseparable from the history of our city and has evolved into a leading reference point for Greek and international short filmmaking.

As we approach this important anniversary, the Festival symbolically returns to its roots. From the Dionysian rituals of the Drama region to the darkness of the cinema auditorium, humanity’s need to tell stories has remained unchanged. Perhaps this is why cinema has become the modern ritual of storytelling-a place of encounter, expression and shared experience that brings together people, cultures and generations.

As the Festival’s administration and as the Municipality of Drama, we remain firmly committed to supporting an institution that promotes our city around the world, champions emerging filmmakers and strengthens society’s relationship with the art of cinema.

The recent signing of the new Programme Agreement is a tangible confirmation of our shared commitment, together with the Ministry of Culture and our institutional partners, to the Festival’s continued growth and long-term development. Through the initiatives and programmes that run throughout the year, the Festival remains a vibrant cultural force for Drama and the wider region.

I would like to warmly thank the filmmakers who entrust us with their work, our supporters, volunteers and the Festival team for their invaluable contribution. We invite you to join us in Drama for another remarkable celebration of cinema, creativity and human connection. Enjoy the Festival!”

Greek National Competition: The Future of Greek Cinema

Commenting on this year’s selection for the Greek National Competition, DISFF Artistic Director Giorgos Angelopoulos said:

“What does Greek cinema mean today? What concerns it? What drives it? What makes it distinctive? These are not easy questions to answer, yet every year the films in the Drama Festival’s Greek National Competition offer their own responses.

Greek short films are like colourful mosaic tiles. Some may have slightly worn edges or lack a certain polish, but together they form a striking mosaic-and, more importantly, a promise for the future of Greek cinema.

This year’s films explore a wide range of themes. Filmmakers continue to examine the Greek family, but now with greater focus and a more psychoanalytical perspective. At the same time, the need for resistance remains deeply rooted in the work of emerging filmmakers, who seek-through cinema-to challenge the flaws that have become accepted as normal.

Queer characters with supernatural dimensions appear to be here to stay, as do young protagonists who embody a longing to return to what seems like a more innocent period of life. This year’s programme also highlights the toxicity of human relationships, while suggesting that love and desire-or at least the endless search for them-remain the only real antidote. For many, the hope of a better future may seem like a fantasy, but fortunately filmmakers are still willing to fight for it.

One unprecedented statistic also stands out this year: three directors who competed at last year’s Festival return just one year later with new films. Together with the fact that many of this year’s productions are independently made, this reflects both a sense of urgency and an unstoppable need to create and communicate. In Greek cinema, it is usually several years before the same filmmaker completes another work. I hope this year’s Drama Festival points to a new path forward. Greek filmmakers can no longer-and do not want to-wait. They have something to say, and their moment is now. Let us listen to them. We may end up learning something about ourselves as well.”

Greek Films Selected for the 49th DISFF Competition Sections

Greek National Competition

• All the Love in My Body – Carmen Baltzar
• Art is Missing – George Kontos
• FREE ELIZA (NOTES ON AN ANATOMICAL IMPERFECTION) – Alexandra Matthaiou
• Holterline – Alexandra Delitheou
• MIA KRYPSONA (A Hiding Place) – Flora Ilias
• Multi Family Garage Sale – Zak Simcha
• SHIFT – Ioanna Skylogianni
• SISTERS – Marianna Bozantzoglou
• STARFLYER – Maria Hatzakou
• The Great Organ – Roxani Krimizi
• Michalis – Kimonas
• Unleaded Wasteland – Vasilis Kalemos
• Wheel to Live – Vicky Anastasiadou
• Strays (Adespotoi) – Anastasia Gkivalou
• Amaranthi – Anthi Daoutaki
• Arkansas – Giannis Karpouzis
• Jasmine and Rose (Giasemi kai Rodon) – Spyros Charalambous
• Surfaces (Epifaneies) – Melina Loukanidou
• Life and Hen (Zoi kai Kota) – Lefki Derizioti
• The Desert (I Erimos) – Ioanna Digenaki
• Against the Cock (To Kata tou Alektoros) – Thanos Tokakis
• Good Friday (Megali Paraskevi) – Loukia Tzortzopoulou
• Don’t Eat Me (Mi Me Fas) – Konstantinos Kalogridis
• A Small Story of Resistance – Ioulia Biba & Diamantis Anastasiadis
• The Courier (O Paketas) – Ermolao Fotiou
• The Dog (O Skylos) – Konstantinos Demis
• Horizon (Orizontas) – Afroditi Tavri
• We Didn’t Even Get Turned On (Oute Pou Kaflosame) – Marthilia Svarna
• Soirée After the Guided Tour (Souaré Meta Xenagisis) – Christos Samaras
• The Candle (To Keri) – Chrysianna Papadaki
• Holes (Trypes) – Petros Kalfamanolis

Head of the Greek National Competition: Giorgos Angelopoulos

International Competition

Greek Films Selected

• FREE ELIZA (NOTES ON AN ANATOMICAL IMPERFECTION) – Alexandra Matthaiou
• Holterline –Alexandra Delitheou
• The Great Organ – Roxani Krimizi
• Michalis – Kimonas
• Wheel to Live – Vicky Anastasiadou

Head of the International Competition: Vasilis Terzopoulos

Commenting on this year’s programme, Terzopoulos said:

“This year, the International Competition received 1,850 submissions from around the world. Together with a selection committee of twelve programmers, we watched and evaluated them all. From an exceptionally strong pool of films, we selected 26 titles representing the cinema of 20 countries.

The programme includes films that are already enjoying successful international festival runs, others making their international premiere in Drama, and several that will have their world premiere at our Festival.

As part of our commitment to supporting Greek filmmakers, we have included three Greek productions and one Greek-Cypriot co-production in the International Competition.

This year we are also giving animation a dedicated place within the programme, with six outstanding animated films.”

International Documentary Competition

Greek Films Selected

• DASMA ’96 – Fjorida Cenaj
• In Search of a Goodbye – Vangelis Kollias
• Loutrópolis – Anna Papadopoulou
• My Cosmonaut – Eleni Zenthefi
• Before the Meal Gets Cold – Alkistis Kafetzi
• Kite –Thanos Psychogios

Head of the International Documentary Competition: Gianna Sarri

Greek Student Competition

Selected Films

• (AN)OIKIA – Nelly Evangelidou
• A Moment in Her Life – Nikolas Kostis
• Bloom – Christoforos Herodotou
• El Consuelo – Elena Papakonstantinou
• Find Fenia – Lila Barba
• Interrogation Room – Ioannis Kostopoulos
• Meltdown – Eugenia Papazisi
• Resídua – Nasia Stouraiti
• Still Sexy – Panos Zygouros
• The Monsters of the City – Giorgos Vlassis
• Trace – Feyyaz Bayram
• From One to Blue – Sofia Priovolou
• Departure (Apoplous) – Giorgos Polymeropoulos
• Self-Appointed Winged One – Vangelis Panagiotakopoulos
• Thanasis Fousekis
• Game Farm (Ektrofeio Thiramaton) – Vasilis Georgoulas
• Cherry – Eftychia Manola
• My Cousin’s Wedding –Silva Tsumana
• Soloundrania –Akis Stavropoulos
• Text Me When You Get There…– Konstantinos Taliadouros

Head of the Greek Student Competition: Panagiotis Iosifelis

“The Greek Student Competition celebrates its fifth year. In that short time, films premiering in the programme have travelled across Greece and internationally, while film schools have adapted the presentation of their graduation projects so that students can premiere their work in Drama. More recently, EKKOMED introduced a funding scheme specifically for student productions.

At the heart of all these developments lies the extraordinary energy, creativity and passion of emerging filmmakers. The Student Competition was created to be exactly this: a safe space for young filmmakers to express themselves, connect with one another and present their work.”

International Student Competition

Greek Films Selected

• Imago – Iakovos Sax Lane
• Hayley Wade
• My Cousin’s Wedding – Silva Tsumana

Head of the International Student Competition: Kostis Charamountanis

“The International Student Competition once again showcases the next generation of filmmakers, giving a platform to student cinema from around the world.

This year the Festival received 653 international and 214 Greek student film submissions, from which 13 films representing 10 countries were selected, including two Greek productions.

Every year we are impressed by the quality of these emerging filmmakers. The label ‘student film’ often proves misleading. This year’s selection brings together directors who take risks, experiment boldly and tell their stories with remarkable confidence and sensitivity, reminding us that the future of cinema is already being shaped in film schools.”

DISFF Kiddo

Greek Films Selected

• Cinema Rialto – Antony Petrou
• SISTERS – Marianna Bozantzoglou
• The Boy Who Fell to Earth – Vasilis Bourantas
• Tree House –Nasia Koko
• MIA KRYPSONA (A Hiding Place) – Flora Ilias
• Good Friday – Loukia Tzortzopoulou
• Soaked (Mouskema) –Alexandros Romanos Lizardos
• Akis Melachris
• Daddy, Look at Me! – Voula Stampelou

Head of Kiddo: Giorgos Angelopoulos

Short Film Hub

The Short Film Hub will once again run throughout the Festival, offering a rich programme of industry activities, including one-to-one meetings between directors, screenwriters, producers and film professionals, alongside open discussions, panels and roundtable sessions.

Head of the Short Film Hub: Antigoni Papantoni.

The Festival will also host its established International Pitching Lab, led by Varvara Douka, bringing together the ten best short-film projects from around the world. The selected Greek projects are:

• Broken Relationship Museum – Antonis Kitsikis
• Khaki Babes – Angelos Charalambous
• Twin Cherries – Dimitra Petmeza

Balkan Tales: Special Tribute

The 49th DISFF will present Balkan Tales, a special tribute featuring Balkan films that have been nominated for or received the European Film Academy Award over the past twenty years. The programme also serves as a prelude to the European Film Awards, which will take place in Athens later this year.

The full programme of parallel events and additional tributes will be announced in August.

From Drama to the Oscars®

Every September, the winners of the Greek National Competition and the International Competition automatically qualify for consideration in the Academy Awards® race. This connection with the Oscars® has further strengthened DISFF’s international profile and reinforced its role as one of Europe’s leading showcases for short filmmaking.