The administration of the Drama Short Film Festival informs the audience, partners and artists with an announcement about the start of the selection process for the institution’s new Artistic Director.

As stated in the announcement of the Festival administration, the term of the current Artistic Director, Yiannis Sakaridis, ends on December 31, 2024, after five years of service. “For the first time in the history of the Festival, the selection of the next Artistic Director will be made through an open competitive process. This decision is based on fundamental principles of transparency and equal access for all applicants, a practice found in major festivals internationally. The process is open to any interested person who meets the criteria of the invitation, the terms of which will be announced soon with a new press release” points out the administration of the institution and adds:

“This decision is part of the renewal strategy of the Drama Festival, with the aim of maintaining its vanguard and competitiveness on the international cultural map. We believe that every great institution grows and renews itself through open and transparent processes that promote diversity, innovation and inclusion. This tender process reflects our commitment to continuous progress.”

With reference to recent statements and publications, the Administration points out that “the decision on the tender process is not related to the personal or artistic career of the current Artistic Director. On the contrary, it is another step towards strengthening transparency and pluralism in the way the institution operates.”

“The Drama Festival remains committed to supporting art and creators, and is committed to continuing to be a point of reference in the field of culture. We invite the artistic community to embrace this process, seeing it as an opportunity to participate and contribute to the further development of the institution we all love and support,” the announcement concludes.

For its part, the Ministry of Culture, responding to relevant publications regarding the tenure of the Artistic Director of the Drama Short Film Festival, clarifies in its announcement that the appointment of the Artistic Director is the sole responsibility of the Festival administration and the Municipality of Drama.

C. Sakaridis: We managed to modernize and strengthen the Festival

In his open letter, the current Artistic Director of the Drama Short Film Festival, Yannis Sakaridis, states that “after five years, and not by his own choice, his collaboration with the Festival is coming to an end”, noting that it was “a journey full of challenges , inspiration and unforgettable moments”, which he will keep in his heart forever.

He also expresses his gratitude to the film community and the wonderful world of Drama for embracing his and his team’s vision and supporting them every step of the way. “During this course, we managed to renew, modernize and strengthen the Festival. We’ve upgraded the National Competition Program, ensuring that films that stand out get the coveted ticket to the Oscars process. We created new programs such as the International and National Student, International Animation, Short & Green, KIDDO, and of course the innovative educational program Cinematherapy, which traveled beyond borders and dynamically joined schools,” he notes.

At the same time, he states that “the new administration of the institution, despite the fact that it publicly declares that this year was the best Festival of recent years, announced to me, through the official channel, without any warning, that my term will not be renewed. This announcement was preceded by a disqualification of the position of Artistic Director throughout the year, with severe criticism from the new Festival management for the style and direction the film program took under my own artistic direction, critical and against the principles of progress , of the inclusion and respect for diversity that modern cinema serves and as a national film festival should serve, alluding even to abolishing the Drama Queer Award in the National Competition and the two more corresponding awards in the other competition programs and expressing anachronistic, homophobic, extremely disturbing views in our opinion”.

The following is the full open letter of Yannis Sakaridis:

“Dear girlfriends and dear friends,

After five years, and not by my own choice, my collaboration with the International Drama Short Film Festival comes to an end. It was a journey full of challenges, inspiration and unforgettable moments, which I will keep in my heart forever.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the film community and the wonderful world of Drama for embracing our vision and supporting us every step of the way. A big “thank you” to all the partners of the Festival, to the tireless volunteers of the city, to the directors and filmmakers who honored us with their presence and their work, to the institutional supporters and sponsors who trusted us, and to the media who supported consequently our work.

I certainly owe a special “thank you” to the organizations, festivals and institutions, with whom we had the honor to cooperate perfectly and which contributed to the organization of actions that left their own mark on the cultural map of the country.

Above all, I thank my creative team from the bottom of my heart: Giorgos Zois, Thanasis Neofotistos, Vassilis Terzopoulos, Panagiotis Iosifelis, Denis Nikolakou, Spyros Siakas, Yiannis Christodoulou, Elena Mavridou, Alexia Theodorakis, Maya Sfakianaki and Dimitris Papazoglou. With their selflessness, passion and dedication, we overcame every challenge and shared the magic of cinema with the public. It was a privilege to work alongside such talented and inspiring people.

During this course, we managed to renew, modernize and strengthen the Festival. We’ve upgraded the National Competition Program, ensuring that films that stand out get the coveted ticket to the Oscars process. We created new programs such as International and National Student, International Animation, Short & Green, KIDDO, and of course the innovative educational program Cinematherapy, which traveled beyond borders and dynamically joined schools. We also launched the Short Film Hub, a platform that connects talented creators with the international and domestic film industry, strengthening Greece’s position on the global film map, led by the remarkable and highly experienced Gianna Sarris and Florian Fernandes.

Having realized the great successes of the Greek short film and the huge impact of the Festival on the live audience and through our online platform (we reached 150,000 unique users with 1 million visits) we changed the visual identity, upgraded the screening areas adding new ones to the already existing (Sine Alexandros, Drive in Parking of Krachtidi Stadium, Gymnasium courtyard Arrene, Marble House Garden – CYCLOPS Photography Museum).

At the same time, the new Film School of the EAP was founded in Drama, offering distance courses and live workshops, laying the foundations for a bright future. I will always remember the screenings of the 12 films from the film workshops that took place during this year’s Drama Festival in the presence of over seven hundred Drama spectators. In this unique program for the local community, supported by Raycap, 25 people participated in the first year and 55 people in the second year, with whom I connected with enthusiasm for cinema and honesty in their expression. It is one of those initiatives that strengthen the essential connection of the Festival with the city, but also its people with the cinema that has been so intertwined with Drama over the years.

This year brought challenges. The new management of the Festival, despite the fact that it publicly declares that this year’s Festival was the best in recent years, announced to me, through the official channel, without any warning, that my term will not be renewed. This announcement was preceded by a disqualification of the position of Artistic Director throughout the year, with severe criticism from the new Festival management for the style and direction the film program took under my own artistic direction, critical and against the principles of progress , of the inclusion and respect for diversity that modern cinema serves and as a national film festival should serve, alluding even to abolishing the Drama Queer Award in the National Competition and the two more corresponding awards in the other competition programs and expressing anachronistic, homophobic, extremely disturbing views in our opinion.

I am worried about the management of the festival, which this year without any financial pressure abolished the meal vouchers of the competing creators, which has been a feature of the hospitality for years now, and throughout the year asked the Artistic Director not to communicate with sponsors and institutions, while not communicating the proposals to the KD culminating in the proposal of the successful Film Workshop and Cinematherapy in schools for the year 2024-25.

Nevertheless, I’m really proud of the work we did as a team. With planning, patience, perseverance, teamwork and hard work, we raised the Festival to new heights. From the recognition of the film community and the drama society to the thousands of viewers who watched us through platforms, every step was a great victory.

The future of the Festival can be bright, with projects such as the utilization of the former Andrikakis camp to create a modern audio-visual arts center and the modernization of the Municipal Conservatory and the Olympia Cinema. I hope that the next administrations will maintain the course of progress and continue to strengthen the role of the Festival as a beacon for the short film.

For me, this circle closes with many beautiful memories. I feel grateful to have had the honor to work with such special people, to coordinate a team full of talent and passion, and to contribute to my beloved Festival.

All of the above, as my project comes to a close, I feel the obligation and need to make it known to the filmmaking community that I have loved and served throughout my years as a filmmaker.

With best wishes for the future,

Yannis Sakaridis

Director-Screenwriter”