Drama short film fest broadens international reach

Celebrating its 38th year as the country’s most influential short film gathering, the Drama International Short Film Festival (14-19 September) enters its 21st year as an international event by welcoming its first FIPRESCI jury.

The jury, comprised of Italy’s Massimo Lechi, UK’s Michael Pattison, and Greece’s Nikos Tsagarakis will bestow awards to films from the International Competition section, this year showcasing 57 films from 47 countries.

Daniel Nocke’s animated short Who Will Pay the Bill? (Germany, pictured) will kickstart the festival, which will screen a total of 210 films in this year’s various programmes: the EFA’s short film nominees will be showcased in Short Matters!, the fest’s first Balkan Panorama will turn the spotlight on Bulgaria, the 6th Student Panorama will present the year’s production of student films, while the Greek Competition will serve as a definitive marker of the talents, voices and faces the local industry should look out for.

Multi-awarded Albanian film-maker Neritan Zinxhiria’s The Time of a Young Man About to Kill, co-produced by Valeria Golino, will be among those vying for an award in the international section, which will also showcase Baby Box by the distinguished Finnish animator Katarina Lillqvist and Talio by France’s Bob Fokouam. The locals competing for international acclaim this year are Nicolas Kolovos with Fig, Iphigenia Kotsoni with The Seed and Gabriel Tzafka with Euroman.

Moreover, the Drama Pitching Lab will once again offer specialized courses to projects selected by its yearly submission procedure, culminating with the Drama Pitching Forum, regularly attended by major players of the local market.