48th DRAMA INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
08 -14 September 2025
#DISFF48
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● INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION REGULATIONS ●
1. Intro
The 31st International Competition of the Drama Short Film Festival will take
place from September 8th to 14th, 2025.
2. Eligibility
To be eligible for participation, films shall meet the following conditions:
- Greek Premiere is required for the submission of films to the International
Competition. Therefore, prior public performance, screening, broadcasting or
rebroadcasting of the works to the public by radio and television by any means to the public in Greece or on-demand access in any way before or during the days of the Festival are not allowed. The presentation of the film shall be deemed to be public when the film becomes accessible to a circle of persons wider than the narrow circle of the family and theimmediate social circle of the author, regardless of whether the persons of this wider circle are at the same or at different locations.
- Films shall be completed after January 1st of 2024.
- The DCP to be screened at the Festival shall be available in one of the
formats provided for in this Regulation for film screening and in one of the
formats provided for in this Regulation for online screening.
- Their duration should not exceed forty (40) minutes with the end
credits. In exceptional cases, with a reasoned opinion of the Artistic Director and
a decision of the Board,the Festival reserves the right to accept a longer film.
- Each director may participate in the Festival with only one (1) film, and shall
declare the type of film (documentary, fiction, animation),
- Film genres that may participate: fiction films, documentary films, animated
films, experimental films.
- Films that have participated and rejected by the Preliminary Committee may
not be submitted.
3. Deadline for application - Application Fee
a. The application form, the material and a digital copy of the film shall be
submitted by May 8, 2025. through the website www.filmfreeway.com. Upon
its discretion, the Festival may announce the submission of application
through other platforms.
b. Submission fee of twenty (20) euros per film submitted until the 30 th of April
is required. For films submitted from 1 st to 8 th of May, the submission fee
amounts to twenty five (25) euros. Payment is due with submission. Once the
digital submission is finalized, fees may not be refunded. In addition, the
festival reserves the right to provide discounted or total waver codes to film
or educational institutions or directors unable to pay the submission fees.
Waivers are provided upon their request before the Independent
Department of the Drama Short Film Festival, and relevant Administration’s
decision.
4. Awards
The Jury of the Festival consists of at least 3 members and awards the following Prizes:
- GRAND PRIX
- BEST DIRECTION
- Best Southeastern European Film Award
- Best Production Award “TV5 MONDE”
- AUDIENCE AWARD
Best Production Award “TV5 MONDE” is awarded to the Producer. The rest of
awards are awarded to the director. It is expressly provided that awards may not be
shared.
.
The following awards are also attributed:
- FIRPESCI AWARDS – Awarded by the FIRPESCI Committee
- HELLENIC PARLIAMENT TV CHANNEL AWARD HUMAN VALUES - The
television channel of the Parliament bestows the “Human Values” Award
Drama International Short Film Festival is qualified by the American Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Recipients of the festival’s Grand Prix will be
eligible for consideration in the Short Films competition of the Academy Awards®
without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the
Academy rules. (Oscar® qualified)
The Drama International Short Film Festival, as a member of the Short Film
Programme of the European Film Academy, is eligible to submit one film for
consideration in the awards of the Academy. This submission is contingent upon the
film's adherence to the EFA rules.
* Materials of the films for the final screening should be submitted at latest by July 20th, 2025 *
** See full regulations for materials required in case of selection **
__________________________________ . __________________________________
● INTERNATIONAL STUDENT COMPETITION REGULATIONS ●
1. Intro
The International Student Competition of the Drama Short Film Festival will
take place from September 8th to 14th, 2025.
To be eligible for participation, films shall meet the following conditions:
2. Eligibility
- Greek Premiere is required for the submission of films to the Competition.
Therefore, prior public performance, screening, broadcasting or rebroadcasting
of the works to the public by radio and television by any means to the public in
Greece or on-demand access in any way before or during the days of the Festival
are not allowed. The presentation of the film shall be deemed to be public when
the film becomes accessible to a circle of persons wider than the narrow circle of
the family and the immediate social circle of the author, regardless of whether
the persons of this wider circle are at the same or at different locations.
- Films shall be completed within the year 2024 or 2025.
- The DCP to be screened at the Festival shall be available in one of the
formats provided for in this Regulation for film screening and in one of the
formats provided for in this Regulation for online screening.
- Each director may participate in the Festival with only one (1) film, and shall
declare the type of film (documentary, fiction, animation),
- The Preliminary Committee may, in its sole discretion, approve one or more
films submitted to the Present Competition Program, for further participation in
other Programs in accordance with the provisions of this Regulation and in
particular for the International Competition Short & Green, International
Animation Competition Programme and for the Program – Cinematherapy Lab
provided that these films meet the general principles of this and the
corresponding Competition program and after the consent of the candidates has
been obtained
- Film genres that may participate: fiction films, documentary films, animated
films, experimental films.
- Films that have participated and were rejected by the Preliminary
Committee may not be submitted.
3. Deadline for application – Application fee:
a. The application form and a digital copy of the film shall be submitted through
the website www.filmfreeway.com by May 8, 2025 electronically. Following
a relevant announcement, it is possible for submission to be made possible
through other platforms.
b. For submissions up to the 30 th of April, application fee amounts to eight (8)
euros per film submitted, and for submissions from the 1 st until the 8 th of May
application fee amounts to ten (10) euros. Payment is due with submission.
Once the digital submission is finalized, fees may not be refunded. In
addition, the festival reserves the right to provide discounted or total waver
codes to film or educational institutions or directors unable to pay the
submission fees. Waivers are provided upon their request before the
Independent Department of the Drama Short Film Festival and relevant Administration’s decision.
4. Awards
Prizes are awarded to promote young talent. The international festival jury consists of at least 3 members and will decide on the prizes to be awarded:
- GRAND PRIX STUDENT: “Almost Famous”
- SPECIAL JURY AWARD: “Rising Star”
- QUEER STUDENT AWARD: "Loud & Proud"
*Materials of the films for the final screening should be submitted at latest by 20th July 2025 *
** See full regulations for materials required in case of selection **
__________________________________ . __________________________________
● NATIONAL COMPETITION REGULATIONS ●
● ΕΘΝΙΚΟ ΔΙΑΓΩΝΙΣΤΙΚΟ ●
(Για να διαβάσετε στα Ελληνικά τον Κανονισμό μπείτε εδώ: https://www.dramafilmfestival.gr/festival/greek-competition/ )
1. Intro
The 48th National Competition of the Drama Short Film Festival will take place
from September 8th to 14th, 2025.
2. Eligibility
To be eligible for participation, films shall meet the following conditions:
- Greek Premiere is required for the submission of films to the National
Competition. Therefore, prior public performance, screening, broadcasting or
rebroadcasting of the works to the public by radio and television by any means to
the public in Greece or on-demand access in any way before or during the days
of the Festival are not allowed. The presentation of the film shall be deemed to
be public when the film becomes accessible to a circle of persons wider than the
narrow circle of the family and the immediate social circle of the author,
regardless of whether the persons of this wider circle are at the same or at
different locations.
- Films shall be completed within the year 2024 or 2025.
- The DCP to be screened at the Festival shall be available in one of the
formats provided for in this Regulation for theatrical screening and in one of the
formats provided for in this Regulation for online screening.
- The films must be of Greek production or co-production and the directors
must be Greek or Cypriot.
- Each director may participate in the Festival with only one (1) film, and shall
declare the type of film (documentary, fiction, animation),
- Film genres that may participate : fiction films, documentary films, animated
films, experimental films.
- Films that have participated and rejected by the Preliminary Committee may
not be submitted.
3. Deadline for Application
The application form, the material and a digital copy of the film shall be submitted by
May 15, 2025 electronically on www.filmfreeway.com . Any film selected for the
competition may not be removed from the selection. The applicant shall submit by May 15, 2025, the application free of charge via the platform filmfreeway.com. A non-public secure/password-protected link of the film shall be submitted with subtitles in Greek or in English.
4. Awards
The Jury of the Festival consists of at least 5 members and awards the following Prizes:
-The following awards shall be attributed in the 48th National Competition and will
be accompanied by a monetary award, provided that sponsorships are secured:
● GOLDEN DIONYSOS Best Film Award
● SILVER DIONYSOS BEST DIRECTION “TONIA MARKETAKI” AWARD
● DOCUMENTARY AWARD
● BEST SCRIPT AWARD
● AUDIENCE AWARD
● DRAMA QUEER AWARD
● BEST MALE ACTOR AWARD
● BEST FEMALE ACTOR AWARD
● SOUND DESIGN AWARD
● BEST EDITING AWARD
● PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD
● ORIGINAL MUSIC AWARD
● COSTUME AWARD
● SCENOGRAPHY AWARD
● MAKE UP DESIGN AWARD
● SPECIAL EFFECTS AWARD
● SPECIAL COMMITTEE AWARD
● AUDIENCE AWARD
The Golden Dionysos, Silver Dionysos, Documentary, Audience and Queer awards
are awarded to the Director of the film. The rest of the Awards are awarded to each
artist (actor, photographer, editor etc.) It is expressly provided that awards may not
be shared.
Drama International Short Film Festival is qualified by the American Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Recipients of the festival’s Golden Dionysos will be
eligible for consideration in the Short Films competition of the Academy Awards®
without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the
Academy rules. (Oscar® qualified)
__________________________________ . __________________________________
● NATIONAL STUDENT COMPETITION REGULATIONS ●
● ΕΘΝΙΚΟ ΣΠΟΥΔΑΣΤΙΚΟ ●
(Για να διαβάσετε στα Ελληνικά τον Κανονισμό μπείτε εδώ: https://www.dramafilmfestival.gr/festival/greek-competition/ )
1. Intro
The National Student Competition of the Drama Short Film Festival will take
place from September 8th to 14th, 2025.
2. Eligibility
To be eligible for participation in National Student Competition, films shall
meet the following conditions:
- Greek Premiere is required for the submission of films to the National
Student Competition. Therefore, prior public performance, screening,
broadcasting or rebroadcasting of the works to the public by radio and television
by any means to the public in Greece or on-demand access in any way before or
during the days of the Festival are not allowed. The presentation of the film shall
be deemed to be public when the film becomes accessible to a circle of persons
wider than the narrow circle of the family and the immediate social circle of the
author, regardless of whether the persons of this wider circle are at the same or
at different locations.
-.Films shall be completed within the year 2024 or 2025.
- The DCP to be screened at the Festival shall be available in one of the
formats provided for in this Regulation for film screening and in one of the
formats provided for in this Regulation for online screening.
- No restriction shall apply regarding the number of films to be submitted by
each film school. Each director may participate in the Festival with only one (1)
film.
- Film genres that may participate: fiction films, documentary films, animated
films, experimental films.
- The Preliminary Committee may, in its sole discretion, approve one or more
films submitted to the present Competition Program, for further participation in
other Programs in accordance with the provisions of this Regulation and in
particular for the International Competition Short & Green, International
Animation Competition Programme and for the Program – Cinematherapy Lab
provided that these films meet the general principles of this and the
corresponding Competition program and after the consent of the candidates has
been obtained
- Films that have participated and were rejected by the Preliminary
Committee may not be submitted.
3. Deadline for Application
The application form and a digital copy of the film shall be submitted through
the website www.filmfreeway.com by May 15th, 2025 electronically.
Following a relevant announcement, it is possible for submission to be made
possible through other platforms. Submission at the Student National
Competition programme is free.
4. Awards
The following awards shall be attributed in the National Student Competition will be
accompanied by a monetary award, provided that sponsorships are secured:
- GREEK STUDENT FILM “FRIDA LIAPPA” AWARD
- BEST DIRECTION AWARD
- BEST SCRIPT AWARD
- DRAMA STUDENT QUEER AWARD
- BEST PERFORMANCE AWARD
- PHOTOGRAPHY “NTINOS KATSOURIDIS” AWARD
- BEST EDITING AWARD
- SCENOGRAPHY AWARD
- SOUND DESIGN AWARD
- AUDIENCE AWARD
GREEK STUDENT FILM “FRIDA LIAPPA” AWARD, DIRECTOR AWARD AND
AUDIENCE AWARD are awarded to the Director of the film. The rest of the
Awards are awarded to each artist (actor, photographer, editor etc.) It is
expressly provided that awards may not be shared.
__________________________________ . __________________________________
● SHORT & GREEN COMPETITION REGULATIONS ● ANIMATION COMPETITION REGULATIONS ●
1. Intro
The International Environmental Short & Green Competition and the Animation Competition of the Drama Short Film Festival will take place from September 8th to 14th , 2025.
2. Eligibility
To be eligible for participation for both competitions, films shall meet the following conditions:
- Greek Premiere is required for the submission of films to the Competition.
Therefore, prior public performance, screening, broadcasting or rebroadcasting
of the works to the public by radio and television by any means to the public in
Greece or on-demand access in any way before or during the days of the Festival
are not allowed. The presentation of the film shall be deemed to be public when
the film becomes accessible to a circle of persons wider than the narrow circle of
the family and the immediate social circle of the author, regardless of whether
the persons of this wider circle are at the same or at different locations.
- Films shall be completed within the year 2024 or 2025.
-The DCP to be screened at the Festival shall be available in one of the
formats provided for in this Regulation for film screening and in one of the
formats provided for in this Regulation for online screening.
- Each director may participate in the Festival with only one (1) film, and shall
declare the type of film (documentary, fiction, animation),
- Film genres that may participate: fiction films, documentary films, animated
films, experimental films concerning environmental issues, nature and the
environment.
- Films that have participated and were rejected by the Preliminary
Committee may not be submitted.
3. Deadline for application – Application fee:
The application form and a digital copy of the film shall be submitted through the
website www.filmfreeway.com by May 8th, 2025 electronically. Submission through
other platforms may also be announced.
For submissions up to the 30th of April, application fee for Short & Green and Animation Competitions amount to ten (10) euros per film submitted, and for submissions from the 1st until the 8th of May application fee amounts to twelve (12) euros. Payment is due with submission. Once the digital submission is finalised, fees may not be refunded. In addition, the festival reserves the right to provide discounted or total waver codes to film or educational institutions or directors unable to pay the submission fees. Waivers are provided upon their request before the Independent Department of the Drama Short FilmFestival, and relevant Administration’s decision.
4. Awards
Short & Green:
The following awards shall be attributed in “Short & Green” 2025 and will be
accompanied by a monetary award, provided that sponsorships are secured:
- DRAMA GREEN AWARD
The Awards Committee may at its own discretion attribute the Committee's Special
Award.
Awards are awarded to the director. It is expressly provided that awards may not be
shared.
Animation:
The following award shall be attributed and will be accompanied by a monetary
award, provided that sponsorships are secured:
BEST ANIMATION FILM
SPECIAL JURY AWARD
The award is awarded to the director. It is expressly provided that awards may not
be shared.
__________________________________ . __________________________________
● INTERNATIONAL KIDS' FILM COMPETITION - KIDDO REGULATIONS ●
1. Intro
The International Kids’ Film Competition Drama Kiddo of the Drama Short Film Festival will take place from September 8th to 14th, 2024.
2. Eligibility
To be eligible for participation in International Kids’ Film Competition, films
shall meet the following conditions:
- Greek Premiere is required for the submission of films to the Competition.
Therefore, prior public performance, screening, broadcasting or rebroadcasting
of the works to the public by radio and television by any means to the public in
Greece or on-demand access in any way before or during the days of the Festival
are not allowed. The presentation of the film shall be deemed to be public when
the film becomes accessible to a circle of persons wider than the narrow circle of
the family and the immediate social circle of the author, regardless of whether
the persons of this wider circle are at the same or at different locations.
- Films shall be completed within the year 2024 or 2025.
- The DCP to be screened at the Festival shall be available in one of the
formats provided for in this Regulation for film screening and in one of the
formats provided for in this Regulation for online screening.
- Each director may participate in the Festival with only one (1) film.
B.e. Film genres that may participate: animated films, fiction films, documentary
films.
- Films that have participated and were rejected by the Preliminary Committee
may not be submitted.
3. Deadline for application – Application fee
The application form and a digital copy of the film shall be submitted through
the website www.filmfreeway.com by May 8th, 2025 electronically.
Submission through other platforms may also be announced.
For submissions up to the 30 th of April, application fee amounts to five (5)
euros per film submitted, and for submissions from the 1 st until the 8 th of May
application fee amounts to eight (8) euros. Payment is due with submission.
Once the digital submission is finalized, fees may not be refunded. In
addition, the festival reserves the right to provide discounted or total waver
codes to film or educational institutions or directors unable to pay the
submission fees. Waivers are provided upon their request before the
Independent Department of the Drama Short Film Festival, and relevant
Administration’s decision.
4. Awards
The following awards shall be attributed in the International Kids’ Film Competition
and will be accompanied by a monetary award, provided that sponsorships are
secured:
- BEST KIDS FILM AWARD
- SPECIAL JURY AWARD
The award is awarded to the director. It is expressly provided that awards may not
be shared.
__________________________________ . __________________________________
__________________________________ . __________________________________
● Educational Program DRAMA PITCHING LAB REGULATIONS ●
1. Intro
The Cultural Organisation may organize in Drama, from the 8th to 14th
September, 2025, the Educational Program Drama Pitching Lab for Developing
ideas for short films, during the Drama Short Film Festival. Following the
announcement of a relevant call on the website of the Festival, eight(8) to
ten (10) projects submitted for participation are selected.
2. Eligibility
To be eligible for participation in the Educational Program Drama Pitching Lab,
the drafts shall meet the following conditions:
- Submission dossier shall meet the conditions to be announced by the
educational tram.
- Each director has the right to participate with one (1) project.
- Film genres that may participate: fiction films, documentary films, animated
films.
- Projects that have participated and been rejected by the Preliminary Committee
may not be submitted.
3. Deadline for application
to be announced.
REQUESTED MATERIAL IN CASE OF SELECTION (*for all Competitions)
After the selection of films, the director/producer shall submit by June 25, 2025 (National Competitions) & (International Competitions) the following:
Catalogue Material
- Information related to the film: contributors, summary, director’s CV and
filmography in Greek and in English.
- If the original language of the film is not Greek, a list of dialogues of the film in
Greek must also be submitted. Otherwise, the film must be subtitled in Greek.
- At least one (1) photograph/screenshot of the film and one (1) of the director.
- The declaration - license and guarantees of the author and / or producer of and /
or rightholder over the film, as provided in Annex I hereof, signed.
The files submitted with the application form remain in the Festival Archive, as
defined in term V hereof. When submitting the application, the producer declares
whether he wishes the inclusion of the film in the Film Market, as defined in term VI
hereof and in accordance with the specific terms to be notified to the applicants.
Screening Material
The DCP for the cinematic screening and the other material described below must
have been submitted or sent for reception to the offices of the Festival in Athens
(Emm. Benaki 71, 10681 Athens) by 20th July 2025 by 14:00. The following material
shall be submitted:
-Digital Cinema Package (DCP) in one of the following acceptable formats:
a) DCP subtitled in English.
b) Apple ProRes, subtitled in English.
c) H264 subtitled in English.
d) MPEG4, subtitled in English.
For the online screening on the platform of the Festival are additionally required:
- One (1) mp4 file of the final version of the film, subtitled in English, for the Film
Market, as further defined in term VI hereof.
- One downloadable Vimeo Link
- Trailer of the film
- One poster on the film in A4 format.
- Signed statements of final technical check by the technical manager of the film
and the director.
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GENERAL TERMS (*for all Competitions)
a) The Artistic Director of DISFF reserves the right to compile the Festival's program and implement changes wherever necessary.
b) The submitter is responsible for clearing rights and permissions concerning each submission. The festival holds no liability.
c) The pre-selection of the films is made by a group of professionals of cinema and/or the artistic/ cultural sector who are suggested to the Administrative Board by the Artistic Director, who also supervises their work.
d) The Final selection, programming, and any changes are proposed by the Artistic Director.
e) The film's screener remains with the Festival’s Film Market.
f) The Festival reserves the right to digitize the submitted films for the needs of the Film Market and its Archive.
g) Film excerpts that might be broadcast on television or the internet should not exceed the duration of 3 minutes or 10% of the total running time of the film.
h) The Festival reserves the right to publish film information, including the contact info of the director and the producer.
i) Hospitality: The festival aims to invite one director or representative of each film that have been selected to be part of DISFF In Competition Program. Hotel accommodation and daily meals are provided. These provisions are subject to change without prior notice, due to budget controls. Personalized information will be provided upon selection.
j) Transportation costs for preview material and prints submitted to the competition program shall be covered by the applicant. The Festival will undertake the costs of returning and securing the films as long as they are in the possession of the Festival.
k) In case of loss or damage under the Festival’s liability, the Festival undertakes the cost of making a new copy of that film.
l) Films that have participated and/or been rejected by the Committee before, may not be submitted again.
m) Any dispute concerning the present regulations will be judged and settled by the President of the Festival.
n) Any legal disputes can only be settled by the local Legal Courts of Drama.
o) The languages of the festival are English and Greek.
p) *”Greek Premiere” means: prior public performance, screening, internet, broadcasting or rebroadcasting of works-films to the public by radio and television by any means to the public in Greece or on-demand access in any way before or during the days of the Festival is not allowed. The presentation of the film shall be deemed to be public when the film becomes accessible to a circle of persons wider than the narrow circle of the family and the immediate social circle of the author, regardless of whether the persons of this wider circle are at the same or at different locations.
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