22nd Drama Short Film Festival

The Greek city of Drama does not seem to be a typical place to host an international film festival at first glance. You can discover the whole place in a day and can taste here, in this small and peaceful township, the rhythm of the North-Balkan daily life, too. Of course, there are lots of taverns and bars in and around the city but, to be honest, Drama is not a city for party lovers. But as we know, size does not matter. Moreover, the festival can be described not just as professional, but very familiar. The headquarters of the events was settled very close to the Olympia cinema, and you can always find a helping hand there in case of any problems. The whole crew deserves respect. First of all, it is hard to deny how difficult it is to organize a festival like this in a small Greek city, particularly regarding the bad economical state of the county. Facing up to this cold fact the local government did not hesitate to support the festival this year, and as a guest I could not make any complaints about the hospitality. Although the festival offers a wide international selection encompassing many genres, Drama also celebrates Greek cinema and is a meeting point for the Greek film makers and film critics. There were several competitions and workshops for young Greek film makers. In line with the festival programs, every morning children were welcome to see short films, too. The members of this year’s international jury were American director Bobby Roth, Professor Dr. Bülent Küçükerdogan from Turkey, French film maker Vincent Michaud, the writer Bernd Sahling from Germany (who directs films specially for children), and film director ????? ???st??a? from Greece, who also works in theater. The Grand Prix Prize this year went to Mouth of Hell (Anant) from Bosnian director Samir Mehanovic. The Second Prize went to Madam Black, directed by Ivan Barge from New Zealand. The European Film Awards Drama 2016 Prize went to the Bulgarian film Shooting Star by Lyubo Yonchev. (István Szathmáry © FIPRESCI 2016)

Edited by Steven Yates

Drama Short Film Festival: www.dramafilmfestival.gr