altcine - Short Film Festival Drama 2014

Featuring 38 movies in the Greek Competition section and 58 in the international one, the 37th Drama Film Festival came to an end with a 3-hours long awards ceremony and quite a few tensed -but productive- disscussions between filmmakers and state officials.

The Jury of the National Competition section, president Yorgos Tsemberopoulos, Dimitris Athanitis, Katerina Marangoudaki and Yiannis Sakaridis agreed unanimously to give to Thanassis Neofotistos΄ Greek School Prayer the Golden Dionysus Award, a film about adolescense, sexual identity and school bullying. They pointed out the "director΄s skillfully melded photography, sound and editing, sheding a light on a key issue of our society". “I΄m very happy that the film communicated with the audience. This award gives me the strength to continue creating,” said the emotionally charged young filmmaker before dedicating his achievement to the colleagues who helped and supported him during the film’s creation. Golden Dionysos comes with a 10.000 Euro worth of equipment for the winner next production by NERIT and a ckeck of 5000 Euros from Finos Film.

Golden Dionysus winner Thanassis Neofotistos

Director Konstantinos Samaras΄ Three Eggholders Almost Four was awarded with the Silver Dionysus Award, "a charming film with excellent performances and artistic taste, humorous and filled with irrational twists that takes us from loss to finding and back again” according to the Jury. The award is accompanied with post-production services and 4K camera along with a full filming package of 10.000 by Authorwave.

The best international short film at the last Toronto IFF, A Single Body by Sotiris Dounoukos went away with the (3 against 1 votes) Greeks of the World - Socrates Dimitriadis Award, "a sensitive and powerful film about frienship, survival and loneliness". Greek Film Center offers 1000 Euros with this award.

Aliki Souma΄s Jennings Lodge was named Best Student Film “for its free search for a cinematic narration experimenting on the relationship between sound and image”. The award comes with an Avid Media Composer, by Avid/Telmaco.

Silver Dionysus winner Three Eggholders Almost Four

In the International Competition the Grand Prix went to the Portugese/Romanian Luminuta by Andre Marques, with the Jury΄s stating that "the winning film is an excellent movie about a reality we can’t avoid. In an unsentimental story with realistic atmosphere we are taken into the difficult and intimate room of saying farewell. A room the opens our deepest feelings. The winning film represents excellent skills of filmmaking on all levels including direction, acting, photography, use of music and a powerful symbolism in storytelling".

Iraqi film Black & White by Jalal Saedpanah was awarded the Second Prize for "its realistic, almost documentaristic negotiation of every day life, its sensitivity in the approach of the characters and the use of photography and production design to enhance the semi-documentary feeling that reminds us that even in the most remote corners of the globe, hope can spring out of the harshness of life".

A Single Body, Greeks of the World - Socrates Dimitriadis Award

The complete list of the awards

National Competition:

Golden Dionysus Award for Best Fiction Film: given unanimously to Greek School Prayer by Thanasis Neofotistos, 2014, 17΄.

Silver Dionysus Award for the Best Fiction Film: with votes 3 against 1 to Tree Egg-holders Almost Four by Konstantinos Samaras, 2014, 24΄.

Special Award "Sokratis Dimitriadis" for the category Greeks of the World: with votes 3 against 1 to A Single Body by Sotiris Dounoukos, 2013, 19΄.

Best Student Film Award: with votes 3 against 1 to Jennings Lodge by Aliki Souma, 2013, 11΄.

Special Award “Dinos Katsouridis” for the Best Debut Director: with votes 3 against 1 to Maasai by Harry Lagoussis, 2014, 16΄. A “minimal and with powerful performances film”. Dinos Katsouridis’ family offers full technical cover for the winner’s next film.

Award “Tonia Marketaki” for the Best Film with Social Context: given unanimously to The Immortalizer by Marios Piperidis, 2013, 22΄. “A big-scale production portraying social divisions, managing to transform death into a unifying friendship and humanity”.

Honorary Distinction for the Best Screenplay: with votes 3 against 1 to Sunday by Vaggelis Serfas, 2014, 25΄ “A story revealing in a simple and gradual way its three characters”.

Honorary Distinction for an Actress in a Leading Role: unanimously given to Marisa Triantafyllidou for her performance in the film Walk by Stella Kyriakopoulou, 2014, 15΄.

Honorary Distinction for an Actor in a Leading Role: According to festival rules the distinction cannot be ex aequo, so the Jury decides unanimously to give it to Alkis Panagiotidis for his performance in Eviva by Dimitris Nakos and Amerissa Basta, with the request to be given equally to his friend Giorgos Cotanidis.

Honorary Distinction for the Best Cinematography: given unanimously to Christos Voudouris (GSC) for the film II by Efthimis Kosemund Sanidis, 2014, 16΄. "For its creative use of camera and lighting, providing exceptional images for the director΄s original point of view".

Honorary Distinction for the Best Music: unanimously given to Kostas Christides for Dinner for Few by Nassos Vakalis, 2014, 10΄.

Honorary Distinction for the Best Editing: unanimously given to Angelos Angelidis for A Single Body by Sotiris Dounoukos, 2013, 19΄. .

Honorary Distinction for the best Sound Design: with votes 3 against 1 to Alejandro Cabrera for Greek School Prayer by Thanasis Neofotistos, 2014, 17΄.

Honorary Distinction for the Best Sets: with votes 3 against 1 to Penelope Valti for Three Eggholders Almost Four by Konstantinos Samaras, 2014, 24΄.

Honoray Distinction for the Best Costumes: to Lisa Tsouloupas of The Immortalizer by Marios Piperidis, 2013, 22΄ with votes 3 against 1.

Special Mentions and Awards:

Special Award: For the powerful visual design and the composition of an abstract but totally convincing world, a Special Award was unanimously awarded to the film II by Efthimis Kosemund Sanidis.

Special Award: For a creation that creates a different look of the world with a masterful and flawless technique, a Special Prize was awarded with votes 3 against 1 to the animation Dinner for Few by Nassos Vakalis.

Special Mention: For a complete aesthetic and technical proposal from an independent production and a director with a hopeful point of view, a Special Mention was awarded the film Pass by Lambros Georgopoulos, with 3 votes against 1.

Special Mention: For its difficult film conception, originality and boldness the film For Eterrnity by Maria Lafi received a unanimous Special Mention by the Jury.

Best Animation Film: The Jury noted the presence of many good animations in the festival. It decided unanimously to award the film Drag me: An Urban Music Tale by Nikos Kellis, "which with its music it managed to transfer us into her own, dark universe".

Best Documantary Film: "Among 38 films, we only had two documentaries. From the tense emotions of the Labyrinth and cinematic acheivement of When A Song Begins, the award goes with votes 3 against 1 to When A Song Begins by Yiannis Pothos" stated the Jury. The award is accompanied with equipment and technical services worth of 5000 Euros for the winner΄s next film, by NERIT.

Greek Federation of Film Societies Award: To the film Walk by Stella Kyriakopoulou, because it highlights poverty and its consequences -an increasing social proble in Greece- with a mediate narrative and comprehensive dramaturgy.

Greek Society of Cinematographers Award: To Thomas Tsiftelis for its cinematography for the film Ilena by Spiros Skandalos. "We believe that our young collegue will have a moral support in this initial phase of his artistic career" said the Jury. The award is accompanied by a color grading process, provided by the company Digital Cinema Services.

Greek Association of Film Critics Award: To The Immortalizer by Marios Piperidis, because, apart from its powerful narration and its obvious mention to the social impact of cinema, the film aptly depicts the Cyprus Dispute, an open wound on Greece΄s body.

International Competition:

Drama΄s 20th International Competition Jury were Thomas Stenderup (Dean of Norwegian Film School, Professor, producer and President of the Jury) from Norway, Gerald Weber (Six Pack Films) from Austria, Serbian director Miroslav Momcilovic, Ioakim Mylonas (Cypriot director and producer) and Professor Tzortzina Kakoudaki.

Before announcing the winners, the President of the Jury stated -among others-: This year΄s competition presented a great variety of films from all over the world. Films that gave us the vivid and ephatic expression of the world we all live in. Films about life -from beginning to the end-, with all its possibilitie and impossibilities. Films about death, love, war, loss, hope and much more that brought us new emotional understanding of the life we live, of the life we hope to live.

The selection of films reflects in a convencing way the different conditions of life into this world. This is important, that we get the chance to understand each other through our films. The films contribute into building the future together [...] The International Jury΄s selection of awards is unanimous and it reflects the variety of the themes presented in this year΄s program.

Watch here the full International Competition Jury statement.

International Competition Grand Prix winner Luminita

Grand Prix 2014 to Luminuta by Andre Marques, Portugal/Romania

The winning film is an excellent film about a reality we can’t avoid. In an unsentimental story with realistic atmosphere we are taken into the difficult and intimate room of saying farewell. A room that opens our deepest feelings. The winning film represents excellent skills of filmmaking on all levels including direction, acting, photography, use of music and a powerful symbolism in storytelling.

Second Prize to Black & White, Jalal Saedpanah, Iraq

For its realistic, almost documentaristic negotiation of every day life, its sensitivity in the approach of the characters, the use of photography and production design to enhance the semi-documentary feeling, that reminds us that even in the most remote corners of the globe, hope can spring out of the harshness of life.

EFA Drama 2014 to Still Got Lives_ by Jan-Gerrit Seyler, Germany

Despite of adult criticism about the solitude of “social media and video games” two young people create a story of trust solidarity support. Tender, optimistic, strong drama acted in full detail, the film proves that love can survive in every case.

Best South and Eastern European Film to Springtime Suns by Stefan Ivancic, Serbia, for a very poetic and authentic approach to the coming of age theme, brilliantly directed moments of carefree youth melancholy and dreams of the revolution.

Springtime Suns, Best South and Eastern European Film

Best Animation Film to Darling by Izabela Plucinska, Germany/Poland

For its impressive visuality, accompanied by excellent sound design, with which it unfolds in just six minutes a mind game of memories of a woman that mingles all allegories, fears, realities and abilities of her existence, and bringing it up to a general meaning,

Special Award TV5 Monde to Grounded by Alexis Michalik, France

This film is an example of how a short film can engage the audience with its effective storytelling and plausible story line, using all the expressive means of cinema, at top level, it presents us an optimistic humane face in an inhumane environment.

Special Mention to Victor by Kaveh Tehrani, Norway

A detailed screenplay and profound cinematic dramaturgy about post traumatic stress of young soldiers and the disability to go back to normal. Undermined violence created an atmosphere of fear and despair throughout the “light” atmosphere of a party.

Special Mention for Documentary to Shoot for the Moon by Zara Zerny, Denmark, a film full of tenderness and hope for life, witty and funny without ever making fun of its two protagonists but taking their passion and achievement to connect to the universe as serious.