The European Short Film Festival, Petit Plan: Europa, returns for its 4th edition on October 16-20 at the Goethe Institute of Athens, the French Institute of Greece and the Hellenic American Union with a rich programme of 80 European films, with free admission for the public.

Petit Plan: Europa IV, launches its Student Film Competition Section, which will include 27 films from 13 different countries. The Best Student Film Award will be presented by members of the Film Section of the Cultural Club of the Students’ Club of the University of Athens (P.O.F.P.A.).

26 European productions are competing for the #ThisIsEU – European Values award, in collaboration with the Representation of the European Committee in Greece. The European Values Award – #ThisIsEU, is awarded to the film that highlights issues that fall within European values, such as sustainability, gender equality, etc.

We will also have the pleasure of seeing 19 Greek films competing for the Best Greek Film Award, in collaboration with the Greek Film Centre. The competition programme of Greek films will also be screened with subtitles in Greek for the hearing impaired.

The #ThisIsEU and Best Greek Film awards will be decided and awarded by the three-member jury consisting of:

-Chrysoula Korovesi (Animator and director. Since 2014, she has been running the creative agency Mavra Gidia together with Marios Gambierakis. Their work focuses on graphic arts, illustration and animation.)
-Aphrodite Bitzouni (Director, animator. In 2023 she created the graphics for two feature length documentaries, “Venizelos, Struggle for Asia Minor” and “Akoe/Amphi: The Story of a Revolution – Sleeping on His Chest”. )
-Marianna Economou (Director. Since 2000 she has been directing Greek and foreign co-productions as well as documentary series for Greek television. Indicative filmography: ‘When Wagner met the tomatoes’, the film premiered in Berlin and represented Greece at the Oscars in the international film category.)

As every year, students will be able to vote for their favourite film in the Student Audience Award Competition, consisting of 7 Greek short films that will be presented in a special school screening. Also, in a special school screening, the Norwegian youth film “Los Bando” will surely entertain our young students.

Finally, in collaboration with the Geneva film school, Haute école d’art et de design – Genève (HEAD), and the Embassy of Switzerland, a programme of their internationally acclaimed student films of recent years will be presented.

Petit Plan: Europa IV, is realised in cooperation with: Greek Film Centre, Representation of the European Committee in Greece, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Goethe Institute, French Institute, Hellenic American Union, Instituto Cervantes, Embassy of Switzerland, Haute école d’art et de design – Genève (HEAD), Embassy of Norway, Embassy of Sweden, Embassy of Poland, ERT, Second Programme, Antivirus.

The Official Film Selection follows:

International Student Competition

An Extra Day in Prague (Jacob Ramsay, Czech Republic, 2022, 15’)
Anna (Kristina Rushiti, Albania, 2021, 13’)
Code of Silence (Leonard Mink, Germany, 2022, 18’)
Coming In (Louis Devignes, Alice Florent, Romane Etienne, Camille Devise, Killian Maret, France, 2022, 4’)
Dawgz (Erynn Pather, Switzerland, 2022, 21’)
Deus Ex Capital (Axel Chemin, France, 2020, 8’)
Eclipse Diplomacy (Diplomatie De L’éclipse) (Cesar Luton, Achille Pasquier, Selim Lallaoui, Clemence Bailly, Axel Mechin, France, 2022, 8’)
Far From Evil (Daniele Orlandi, Italy, 2022, 20’)
First Shot (João B. Martins, Denmark, 2022, 12’)
Holy Mother (Hussein Hossam, Czech Republic, 2022, 13’)
King (Emily Ufken, Germany, 2021, 5’)
Malevolence (Eugenia Hamilton, UK, 2022, 4’)
Matapacos (Karla Riebartsch, Lion Durst, Germany, 2022, 7‘)
Offerlamm (Tova Persson, UK, 2022, 6’)
Once Means Forever (Katarzyna Bińko, Poland, 2023, 4’)
Only Child (Lucas Chaunay, France, 2021, 14’)
Our Home (Bogdan Alecsandru, Romania, 2021, 14’)
Regarde Moi (Hermenier Benjamin & Barrion Lucie, France, 2022, 12’)
Small Hours (Marta Sniezek & Christian Spurling, Ireland, 2022, 5’)
Smalltown Miss (Alexandra Pärn, Estonia, 2022, 19’)
The Confession (Maja Górczak, Czech Republic, 2022, 11’)
The dependent variables (Lorenzo Tardella, Italy, 2022, 15’)
The Devil (Jan Bujnowski, Poland, 2022, 19’)
The Lost Ones (Die Verlorenen) (Simon Baucks, Germany, 2022, 20’)
The Monkey (Xosé Zapata Pérez & Lorenzo Degl´Innocenti, Spain, 2021, 17’)
Valitchka (Alexis Cuzon, France, 2022, 17’)
Zawal (Mujtaba Saeed, Germany, 2020, 8’)

International #ThisIsEU Competition

/askOD. (Jack Elliot, Sweden, 2022, 13’)
A Guerra Finita (Simone Massi, Italy, 2022, 5’)
Arrows (Imanol Ruiz De Lara, Spain, 2023, 16′)
Branka (Ákos K. Kovács, Hungary, 2021, 20’)
Burial (Jerzy Czachowski, Poland, 2023, 15’)
Coming Out Autistic (Steven Fraser, UK, 2022, 4’)
Corruption On Earth (Omid Mirnour, Germany, 2022, 12’)
Disposal (Pawel Herman, Poland, 2023, 7’)
Do Birds Sing In Wartime? (Gijs van der Meer, Netherlands, 2023, 5‘)
Dogs (Jonas Thielcke, Germany, 2023, 11’)
Forgive Us Our Trespasses (Lorenzo Maria Chierici, Italy, 2022, 17’)
George Barton (Kiyan Agadjani, Luxemburg, 2021, 17’)
Home Of The Heart (Sarah Saidan, France, 2022, 15’)
Medusa (Amelia Nanni, Belgium, 2022, 25’)
Myosotis (Michael Schwendinger, Switzerland, 2022, 15’)
Pig (Jorn Leeuwerink, Netherlands, 2022, 8’)
Rare (Léo Deschênes, France, 2021, 15’)
Roped (Carmen Córdoba González, Spain, 2022, 10′)
Scrap (Jamie O’Rourke, Ireland, 2021, 15’)
Seeds (Toni Bestard, Spain, 2022, 5’)
Sixth Floor (Albert Carbó, Spain, 2023, 15’)
Solidarity Day (Gabriel Lugigo Lopez, Spain, 2022, 5’)
Sugar People (Suzana Dinevski, North Macedonia, 2022, 25’)
The hat (La Casquette) (Hadi Moussally, France, 2022, 4’)
The One-Way Ticket (Melika Rezapour, Germany, 2022, 10’)
Three Shadows (Alexandre Lança, France, 2022, 24’)

Greek Competition

11:20 AM (Dimitris Nakos, Greece, 14’, 2022)
Agalliasi (Manolis Klonaris, Greece, 2022, 10’)
Celestial Bodies (Alex Charitou, Greece, 2023, 13’)
Chlorine (Thanos Psichogios, Greece, 20’, 2022)
Christmas Present (Konstantinos P. Kakarountas, Greece, 2022, 7’)
Dromedy (Christos Doulgerakis, Greece, 29’, 2022)
Fox’s Socks (Lazaros Mylonas, Greece, 2023, 7’)
In Between (Effie Pappa, Greece, 7’, 2022)
Les Noctambules (Giorgos Konstantinou, Greece, 2023, 15’)
Memoir of a Veering Storm (Sofia Georgovassili, Greece, 14’, 2022)
Pink Mountain (Thomas Kunstler, Greece, 2022, 9’)
Pledging the Sun (Chrisanthos Margonis, Greece, 17’, 2022)
Sock’s Manifesto (Angeliki Pardalidou, Greece, 4’, 2022)
Summer Breeze (Alexandros Rellos, Greece, 15’, 2022)
Sun & Shadow (Melina Loukanidou, Greece, 2022, 15’)
The Basket (Aris Lechouritis, Greece, 2022, 10’)
The Ride (George Leontakianakos, Greece, 15’, 2021)
To Vancouver (Artemis Anastasiadou, Greece, 2021, 24’)
Tzitzipongo (Pavlos Sifakis, Greece, 2022, 15’)

Βραβείο Μαθητικού Κοινού

Hantush – A Fairytale (Alexia Tsouni, Ελλάδα, 6’, 2022)
Hug 65+ (Xenia Tsilochristou, Ελλάδα, 32’, 2022)
Just Like Water (Manos Triantafillakis, Ελλάδα, 13’, 2021)
Looking For Joy (Anna Oikonomou, Ελλάδα, 8’, 2021)
The Garden Florist (Anastasios Stamnas, Ελλάδα, 9’, 2022)
The Incredible Mrs Lien Mourlen (Eleni Xoupa, Ελλάδα, 7’, 2021)
The Rise of the Caryatids (Stephie Theodora, Ελλάδα, 4’, 2022)

Special School Screening

Los Bando (Christian Lo, Norway, 2018, 95’)

Tribute to Haute école d’art et de design – Genève (HEAD)

Oldschool (A l’Ancienne) (Yasmine Bahechar, Switzerland, 2020, 20’)
Serafina (Noa Epars & Anna Simonetti, Switzerland, 2022, 11’)
Spoils Of War (Champ de mars) (Rokhaya Marieme Balde, Switzerland, 2019, 14’)
The Truth About Albert, The Last Dodo (La vérité sur Albert, le dernier dodo) (Nathan Clément, Switzerland, 2022, 17’)
The Youth Route (La route des jeunes) (Saro Vallejo, Juan Manuel Vegas, Justine Knuchel, Switzerland, 2021, 16’)

Screening schedule:
All films are screened with Greek and English subtitles.

Monday 16th October

Institut Français de Grèce (31 Sina, Athens) – Venue accessible to people with mobility problems
https://maps.app.goo.gl/WodtdKiy9whjuKa87

18:00
PARLEZ-VOUS FRANCAIS?
A selection of student short films from Francophone countries
Duration: 85min

Dawgz
(Erynn Pather, Switzerland, 2022, 21’)
In order to dodge his problems in Switzerland, Krystian has withdrawn to southern Spain. There he lives with his dog on the fringes of society.

Coming In
(Louis Devignes, Alice Florent, Romane Etienne, Camille Devise, Killian Maret, France, 2022, 4’)
A knight ventures to the demon’s lair to save a princess. However, the epic battle he was prepared for, will not be as expected.

Only Child
(Lucas Chaunay, France, 2021, 14’)
A young man, a room, his dying mother.

Deus Ex Capital
(Axel Chemin, France, 2020, 8’)
Jean, a consumer, is looking for his wife in La Défense, France’s largest business and commercial district. He meets Matthieu, a business man, who offers to help him on his lunch break.

Eclipse Diplomacy (Diplomatie De L’éclipse)
(Cesar Luton, Achille Pasquier, Selim Lallaoui, Clemence Bailly, Axel Mechin, France, 2022, 8’)
At the moment of alignment, of total eclipse, humanity will vanish, this was the message sent by the Sun and the Moon. The World Council decides to send his best negotiator to stop the end of the world.

Regarde Moi
(Hermenier Benjamin & Barrion Lucie, France, 2022, 12’)
In the space of a day, Tom’s life, a 14-year-old reserved middle school student, will change. While he struggles to get his mother to stop considering him a child, he discovers that she regularly shares pictures of him on social media since he was very young. But when an embarrassing photo of him begins to circulate, Tom faces harassment at school.

Valitchka
(Alexis Cuzon, France, 2022, 17’)
The meeting between two Russian women and German soldiers in Ukraine during the Second World War in 1941.

20:00
VIVE LA FRANCOPHONIE!
A selection of short films from Francophone countries
Duration: 115min

The hat (La Casquette)
(Hadi Moussally, France, 2022, 4’)
As Hadi begins to ger dressed, he expresses his thoughts on the current situation, how much discrimination weighs on him, he who wears the double stigmatizing hat of gay & Arab. What to do with this weight?

Rare
(Léo Deschênes, France, 2021, 15’)
Sébastien, a small-town butcher, has been working for 12 years when a law banning the trade in animal meat forces him to shut up shop. Determined to continue his job, he takes to the road with the firm intention of opening a new butcher’s shop in a neighboring country.

Home Of The Heart
(Sarah Saidan, France, 2022, 15’)
Omid is an Iranian immigrant who came to France with his family. One evening, in the street, he is attacked and stabbed in the heart. But Omid gets back up! At the hospital, the diagnosis is formal: he has no heart. Has he left it behind in Iran?

Three Shadows
(Alexandre Lança, France, 2022, 24’)
In a French state that has become militarized and repressive, a crossing guard border intercepts a police officer on the run with a young migrant.

Myosotis
(Michael Schwendinger, Switzerland, 2022, 15’)
A Mountain farmer experiences the drastic consequences of a forced farewell first-hand. Powerless in the face of a system that swallows you up faster than you think.

George Barton
(Kiyan Agadjani, Luxemburg, 2021, 17’)
George Barton (45) is a construction worker who lives with his daughter Amelia(9). His entire adult life, he has held a secret, something that he is deeply ashamed of: being illiterate. When an unexpected event puts his livelihood at stake, he has to finally face his shame.

Medusa
(Amelia Nanni, Belgium, 2022, 25’)
Medusa is a group of 8 young women, in the Marolles district of Brussels, who decided to no longer allow themselves to be confronted with sexism and racism. Medusa is a sisterhood story.

Tuesday 17th October

Goethe-Institut Athen (14-16 Omirou, Athens) – Venue accessible to people with mobility problems
https://maps.app.goo.gl/GRzRTxuJAuweSqHK8

17:45
KURZFILME
A selection of German short films
Duration: 91min

Zawal
(Mujtaba Saeed, Germany, 2020, 8’)
Eight year-old Adam confronts a mutated world, when he breaks out of the designated quarantine area for refugees.

Code of Silence
(Leonard Mink, Germany, 2022, 18’)
While pursuing a suspect, police officer Thomas loses his service weapon in a scuffle with the fleeing suspect. His partner, and long-standing friend, Grebe sees no other way than to shoot at the suspect and kill him. Inspired by real events.

King
(Emily Ufken, Germany, 2021, 5’)
While in rehab, a young man recounts his descent into gambling addiction. The animated documentary “King” offers an intimate insight into a psychological illness that is often overlooked.

The One-Way Ticket
(Melika Rezapour, Germany, 2022, 10’)
Taha, a six-year old boy, has been raised by a misogynist father and lives in a society where women have no freedom of choice. He finds out that his sister wants to escape with her lover. Now the decision is his whether to reveal the secret to his father or not.

Matapacos
(Karla Riebartsch, Lion Durst, Germany, 2022, 7‘)
Based on the famous Chilean “Riot Dog” Negro Matapacos. A stray dog gets to know María, a young protester. Together they radicalize.

The Lost Ones (Die Verlorenen)
(Simon Baucks, Germany, 2022, 20’)
Exhausted from alcohol abuse, MMA fighter Runau, participates in fixed fights, Amelie, under the influence of amphetamines, cares for her sick mother and her sibling Jonas, spends all their money gambling. The three protagonists experience a parallel evolution of their addictions.

Corruption On Earth
(Omid Mirnour, Germany, 2022, 12’)
The short film is about a fictional award ceremony for the “Best Regime in the World”. The prize is awarded to Iran.

Dogs
(Jonas Thielcke, Germany, 2023, 11’)
An aggressive dog is chasing nine-year-old Namira, who just manages to escape into a simple wooden shed. But the danger is not over, because Namira is not hiding in a normal village, but in a settlement of right-wing extremists.

19:30
EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES
Short films showcasing innovative and relevant stories across Europe
Duration: 108min

An Extra Day in Prague
(Jacob Ramsay, Czech Republic, 2022, 15’)
Before moving across the ocean, a 13-year-old hockey player spends an extra day in his home country, reuniting with his estranged father and saying goodbye to his “best friend.”

Offerlamm
(Tova Persson, UK, 2022, 6’)
A sheep writes a letter to his sister whilst being prepared for a ritual.

Small Hours
(Marta Sniezek & Christian Spurling, Ireland, 2022, 5’)
We follow two people’s trains of thought, transitioning from one memory to another. As we dive deeper into the memories we transcend into the character’s subconscious and lose track of reality.

The Devil
(Jan Bujnowski, Poland, 2022, 19’)
In research on the religiosity of Poles conducted in the 1990s by OBOP, the percentage of believers has always fluctuated around 95%. At the same time, the unemployment rates also reached record values. The crisis strengthened the society’s need for spirituality, which allowed things not necessarily possible to happen in other times .

/askOD.
(Jack Elliot, Sweden, 2022, 13’)
”/askOD” is a short fiction film exploring why young people turn to the internet for help rather than trust the Swedish welfare system in the case of an overdose. Ida returns home over summer break. She immediately gets thrown back into the drug filled life style she once had with her childhood friend Otto. She is forced to endanger her new life by calling 911 when Otto suffers from an overdose.

Disposal
(Pawel Herman, Poland, 2023, 7’)
As a result of the development of technology and artificial intelligence, most people have lost their jobs. Some of them attend meetings led by the charismatic Professor to learn how to utilize their excess free time. However, as it turns out, the problem is not only with the participants – the Professor himself will have to face a crisis of values, a conflicted student and a tempting offer of leisure time utilization classes for advanced participants.

Pig
(Jorn Leeuwerink, Netherlands, 2022, 8’)
A big group of animals makes itself dependent on a power grid, hooked onto the socket-shaped snout of a single sleeping pig…How long will that last?

Scrap
(Jamie O’Rourke, Ireland, 2021, 15’)
Ciaran and Michael meet one summer and become quick friends. When they return to school and Michael, a member of the Traveller community, attends the same school as Ciaran for the first time, will they remain friends?

Sixth Floor
(Albert Carbó, Spain, 2023, 15’)
Fina is the landlady of an apartment block in Barcelona. She has put one of her apartments up for rent and has arranged a visit with different potential tenants. Will everyone have the same opportunities?

Solidarity Day
(Gabriel Lugigo Lopez, Spain, 2022, 5’)
Luismi must do social work for his company during “Solidarity day”. He thinks of inviting the beggar on the corner home for dinner.

Wednesday 18th October

Goethe-Institut Athen (14-16 Omirou, Athens) – Venue accessible to people with mobility problems
https://maps.app.goo.gl/GRzRTxuJAuweSqHK8

17:45
LIFE DURING WARTIME
War affects us all. Short films that have war as a main theme or its consequences.
Duration: 91min

A Guerra Finita
(Simone Massi, Italy, 2022, 5’)
A world without war is another utopia that we cannot wait any longer.

Branka
(Ákos K. Kovács, Hungary, 2021, 20’)
Yugoslavia, 1991. Far away from the war zones Branka gets a job at a maternity ward of a state hospital. The young woman is all alone, but it turns out loneliness is not the hardest burden Branka has to carry. Newborns are disappearing from the hospital.

Do Birds Sing In Wartime?
(Gijs van der Meer, Netherlands, 2023, 5‘)
A young woman wanders through her grandmother’s house and delves into her past. Fragments of her diary make her memories of the war come alive.

Forgive Us Our Trespasses
(Lorenzo Maria Chierici, Italy, 2022, 17’)
On the evening of 21 November 1974, the Provisional Irish Republic of Army carried out a terrorist attack in Birmingham (UK). It was recognised as the bloodiest attack in the Troubles England. This short film tells the “behind the scenes” of this attack, which hides a series of mistakes, delays and frictions within the same terrorist cell responsible for it.

Seeds
(Toni Bestard, Spain, 2022, 5’)
Spain, 1938. A woman is quietly planting seeds in her garden when two armed soldiers appear. Before being detained, she hides some of the seeds in her pocket.

Far From Evil
(Daniele Orlandi, Italy, 2022, 20’)
The story of two jewish boys in the nazi occupied Rome in 1943 saved by the same catholic school.

The Monkey
(Xosé Zapata Pérez & Lorenzo Degl´Innocenti, Spain, 2021, 17’)
1588: A shipwrecked member of the Spanish Armada sent by Felipe II from Lisbon to conquer England is captured on a beach in Ireland. There he is tried, found guilty and hanged until his death. Everything would be very reasonable following the laws of war and hatred between human beings, the problem is that the prisoner is a monkey.

19:30
ΧΧ
Short films with a female focus
Duration: 130min

Smalltown Miss
(Alexandra Pärn, Estonia, 2022, 19’)
Everything begins to change for Liidia in a Soviet smalltown, once a new arrival comes to town.

Malevolence
(Eugenia Hamilton, UK, 2022, 4’)
Navigate the club scene through the lens of a predatory man’s mouth. A social commentary on the sexualization of the nightclub industry and an anti-spiking film.

Burial
(Jerzy Czachowski, Poland, 2023, 15’)
Poland today – after the publication of the near total abortion ban regulations. A man and a woman bury a chest on the random field. Meanwhile, the owner of the plot calls the police. The couple is being accused of committing a crime.

Roped
(Carmen Córdoba González, Spain, 2022, 10′)
Mother and Daughter are roped for life by an eternal bond that heals and hurts, and that is perpetuated when Daughter becomes a Mother.

Holy Mother
(Hussein Hossam, Czech Republic, 2022, 13’)
A talented fashion designer’s desire of embracing her womanhood is ruined by her muslim father’s strict traditional demands.

Once Means Forever
(Katarzyna Bińko, Poland, 2023, 4’)
A girl who could be any other woman. Looking through her eyes, we will see the day which will change her life forever.

The Confession
(Maja Górczak, Czech Republic, 2022, 11’)
Hana is a young nurse in a Prague hospice. She is used to taking care of the dying and supporting them in their last days. Her devotion changes after one of her patients is visited by a priest.

Arrows
(Imanol Ruiz De Lara, Spain, 2023, 16′)
Gabrielle, Emma, Leire and Zoe sneak out of their rooms at a boarding school for a night out at the center’s gym. But a secret from Gabrielle and her friend Emma’s jealousy causes tension to spiral out of control when Gabrielle walks into the gym with a bow and arrows.

Anna
(Kristina Rushiti, Albania, 2021, 13’)
Anna, a teenage girl with mental health issues, commits the murder of her own father. Anxiety, violence and depression dominate Anna’s family.

Thursday 19th October

Hellenic American Union (22 Massalias, Athens) – Venue accessible to people with mobility problems
https://maps.app.goo.gl/78eQuMmDo4HrXgPY9

17:30
TRIBUTE TO HEAD – Genève, Haute école d’art et de design
Over the three years of the Bachelor of Arts in Cinema, students discover the diversity of film writing, from documentary to fiction. The program promotes formal risk-taking and encourages the exploration of areas of hybridisation between genres, while emphasising films in tune with today’s world. Students learn to master the techniques of filming, sound recording, editing and post-production. In addition, they cultivate their vision, critical thinking and ability to express themselves through theory courses. The five films of this programme are both diploma and workshop films. – Jeanneret Delphine (Lecturer Film Department)
Duration: 78min

Serafina
(Noa Epars & Anna Simonetti, Switzerland, 2022, 11’)
An orthodox heroine riding a motorcycle. Young people breaking the monotony of a country life through stunt riding. A meeting on a Western backdrop between two worlds that everything opposes except their very reason for being: passion.

The Truth About Albert, The Last Dodo (La vérité sur Albert, le dernier dodo)
(Nathan Clément, Switzerland, 2022, 17’)
In Reunion Island, little Four Eyes and his granpa try to turn a chicken into a dodo bird, whose magic feathers might save the sick mother of the kid.

Oldschool (A l’Ancienne)
(Yasmine Bahechar, Switzerland, 2020, 20’)
Somewhere in Geneva, a friendship between a bunch of girls has been forged between the Rhône and the Arve, right where the two rivers meet and mix homogeneously. That’s what we call Junction. A departure can turn things upside down. There are those who leave and those who stay. Those who leave, leave behind memories. Those who see people leaving, hold the memory and keep the memories in spite of themselves.

The Youth Route (La route des jeunes)
(Saro Vallejo, Juan Manuel Vegas, Justine Knuchel, Switzerland, 2021, 16’)
Under the viaduct that gives relief to the Route des Jeunes in Geneva, an epicenter of entertainment cohabits with the dust that accumulates on abandoned vehicles. Depending on the day and the time of day, one can find skaters, field hockey players, future bikers who slalom, or young people who enjoy their cars. Youth is part of the history of this road from its construction in 1942 until today.

Spoils Of War (Champ de mars)
(Rokhaya Marieme Balde, Switzerland, 2019, 14’)
In a retirement home, a film crew tries to shoot a thriller in which a nutritionist decides to ban the chocolates, which pushes three residents to take the situation in hand.

19:00
GREEK COMPETITION I
Duration: 135min

Agalliasi
(Manolis Klonaris, Greece, 2022, 10’)
In the near future, Petros Hardamis will apply for a suicide permit. We all have the right to live, but to die?

Sun & Shadow
(Melina Loukanidou, Greece, 2022, 15’)
There was light and it was brutal. Shadows could not heal. The Boy had fallen into sleep. The Girl was recalling and sand was everywhere.

The Basket
(Aris Lechouritis, Greece, 2022, 10’)
A teenage refugee is hiding in a wrecked trailer and is using a basket to beg for food from passers-by. The presence of a man, who happens to pass by the basket, will bring about a turning point in his life.

Pink Mountain
(Thomas Kunstler, Greece, 2022, 9’)
What can a humble florist in love do to win the heart of a Pasha’s bride? An ancient Ottoman fairy tale tells the story of a forbidden love, made of patience, silence and the help of a heron.

To Vancouver
(Artemis Anastasiadou, Greece, 2021, 24’)
Two siblings, one spell, wounded landscapes and an inevitable departure.

Tzitzipongo
(Pavlos Sifakis, Greece, 2022, 15’)
On his last day of vacation in Greece, a young dad working abroad embarks on a quest to find a precious ice-cream hoping to please his grumpy son.

Christmas Present
(Konstantinos P. Kakarountas, Greece, 2022, 7’)
When the financial crisis destroys your life and everything around you dissolves, you start an internal monologue trying to pamper yourself as much as you can. Your only goal is to save your family. By all means! And Christmas is coming soon…

Celestial Bodies
(Alex Charitou, Greece, 2023, 13’)
He feels oppressed in his workplace and she experiences oppression in her relationship. The night before his departure, they will meet again for one last time, leaving the attraction between them unfulfilled.

Fox’s Socks
(Lazaros Mylonas, Greece, 2023, 7’)
An eight-year-old girl uses her imagination in order to escape the abusive family environment in which she lives.

Les Noctambules
(Giorgos Konstantinou, Greece, 2023, 15’)
Two strangers, with totally different personas, but also very same, will join the same party, for different reasons. During the night, the two of them will make some important decisions, fight with their inner demons, and make realizations that will change them.

Friday 20th October

Hellenic American Union (22 Massalias, Athens) – Venue accessible to people with mobility problems
https://maps.app.goo.gl/78eQuMmDo4HrXgPY9

17:30
OUR LIVES
Stories of first loves, life decisions, toxic masculinity, stigma
Duration: 70min

Our Home
(Bogdan Alecsandru, Romania, 2021, 14’)
Irina and Cătă are moving in together for the first time. This big step sparks a heated debate on Irina’s unwillingness to expose their relationship to her parents and to the rest of the world.

The dependent variables
(Lorenzo Tardella, Italy, 2022, 15’)
When does childhood really end? And what does intimacy truly mean? Pietro and Tommaso are at the gates of their teenage years. They meet in the lodge of a theater, while the notes of Vivaldi resonate around them. Is it a first kiss, or is it something else? That same afternoon, surrounded by the silence of the house, they will try to understand it.

Coming Out Autistic
(Steven Fraser, UK, 2022, 4’)
Coming out Autistic is a short animated documentary that explores the experience of telling the world that you are autistic when you also identify as LGBTQ+.

First Shot
(João B. Martins, Denmark, 2022, 12’)
“First Shot” follows Carl, a 17-year-old boy who goes on his first hunting trip with his father and two of his father’s friends. Carl’s desire to prove himself to his father, leads him to depart from the hunting crew following a sound that he believes to be an animal. He fires his first shot, but he discovers something that he never expected.

Sugar People
(Suzana Dinevski, North Macedonia, 2022, 25’)
Elena, a young HIV positive woman meets Fillip, a young romantic man at an intersection in the city of Skopje. They spend the next couple of days walking around the city and getting to know each other while forming a special bond.

19:00
GREEK COMPETITION II
Duration: 135min

Dromedy
(Christos Doulgerakis, Greece, 29’, 2022)
An ambitious stand-up comedian faces the fear of censorship and the influence of political correctness on his work.

Sock’s Manifesto
(Angeliki Pardalidou, Greece, 4’, 2022)
Socks go in pairs.They cannot exist on their own, only as a pair! And I ask now!Why? I am in favor of the self-existence of socks!

Chlorine
(Thanos Psichogios, Greece, 20’, 2022)
The 9-year-old girl spends the day swimming in the pool. Her eyes sting from the chlorine in the water. The man’s eyes are red too although he spends the day in the bedroom. The sun is shining. The house is clean and tidy. A father and a daughter keep hiding from each other.

11:20 AM
(Dimitris Nakos, Greece, 14’, 2022)
Olga, a domestic worker originally from Albania, will be in a house she works in downtown Athens, at the right time. Or at the wrong one?

The Ride
(George Leontakianakos, Greece, 15’, 2021)
Frixos, an impatient taxi driver, is in a hurry to finish his shift, but his last customer, a 90-year-old woman, slows down the route and inspires him to rearrange his priorities.

Memoir of a Veering Storm
(Sofia Georgovassili, Greece, 14’, 2022)
Anna, a fifteen-year-old girl sneaks out of school, and with the help of her boyfriend, they visit a hospital. There, she has to face an event that will jolt her into adulthood.

Pledging the Sun
(Chrisanthos Margonis, Greece, 17’, 2022)
A middle-aged man living in the countryside is trapped by a failed business project and has lost connection with people around him. A local festival will be an opportunity for him to understand that it may not be too late to reconnect with reality.

In Between
(Effie Pappa, Greece, 7’, 2022)
Three different characters, caught in a frenetic everyday loop in pursuit of time. Never finding the right moment to eat, cross the street, or go to the toilet. Until time suddenly freezes.

Summer Breeze
(Alexandros Rellos, Greece, 15’, 2022)
A recently divorced middle-aged man receives a smartphone from his daughter and reconnects with the first love of his life who asks him to meet.

21:15
AWARDS’ ANNOUNCEMENT
After the Greek Competition screenings, the announcement of the Festival Awards will be announced.

SPECIAL SCHOOL SCREENINGS
Contact us at [email protected] for information and reservations.

Los Bando
(Christian Lo, Norway, 2018, 95’)
A young band from Norway sets out on a journey across the country to attend the National Championship of Rock in a race against time, police and parents.

SCHOOL AUDIENCE AWARD

Hug 65+
(Xenia Tsilochristou, Greece, 32’, 2022)
A documentary about equal participation of older people in the digital world.

Just Like Water
(Manos Triantafillakis, Greece, 13’, 2021)
The movie is about the father of the director, Spyros, his life and experiences. He is the protagonist and narrator.

The Garden Florist
(Anastasios Stamnas, Greece, 9’, 2022)
The documentary brings us in contact with the story of Christos Sakellaris, a Greek immigrant at the beginning of the 20th century and with the one and only trip he made back to his homeland.

The Rise of the Caryatids
(Stephie Theodora, Greece, 4’, 2022)
After summoning the stone statues of the caryatids from the Acropolis, Joanna has to help them reunite with their lost sister to help save the world.

The Incredible Mrs Lien Mourlen
(Eleni Xoupa, Greece, 7’, 2021)
Lien Mourlen a peaceful and kind lady, receives a letter and heads to the shore to see the ship coming. Unfortunately, a sudden storm does not allow ships to arrive and Lien, disappointed, leave the letter to slip from her hand.

Looking For Joy
(Anna Oikonomou, Greece, 8’, 2021)
A girl is looking for a way to break the vicious cycle of her routine. She lives the same day over and over again.

Hantush – A Fairytale
(Alexia Tsouni, Greece, 6’, 2022)
When Israeli bulldozers arrived at her Bedouin village to demolish her home, 14-year-old Palestine refugee girl Salha called on her flying lamb Hantush to take her somewhere far away…