- 5TH GIFF -
27/02/2025
SGT. FRUIT FLY
A young boy who is a victim of bullying hopes his mother's magic potion will make him a war hero like his father, but in the end discovers that all he needed was to believe in himself. Not your typical coming of age story, Sgt. Fruit Fly shows what happens when a boy can just be a boy. FEATURE FILM Director: Tommy King
Murderess
Based on the classic by Alexandros Papadiamantis, "Murderess" takes place on a remote island in Greece, circa 1900. There, Hadoula, trapped in her own mother's rejection, struggles to survive the dictates of a patriarchal society. FEATURE FILM Director: Eva Nathena
A SHORT TRIP
Klodi and Mira, a young Albanian couple, decide to marry Mira to a Frenchman for 5 years in exchange for money, in order to obtain French nationality. They will then have to choose the right husband for her, and learn to detach themselves from each other. SHORT FILM Director: Erenik Beqiri
SAGAH
After filing a complaint, Sagah is summoned to the police station. But how do you tell the unspeakable when you're suffering from complex post-traumatic stress disorder? SHORT FILM - GREEK PREMIERE Dir: Maité Lonne, Gaël Maleux
IN HALF
Through a child's imagination it tells the journey of a man who after falling prey to his fears, he must cross a strange world, a universe full of magic, where he will be confronted with his own fears and conflicts from the past and where he must find solutions for the future to discover his self-identity. SHORT FILM Director: Jorge Morais Valle
THE BALLAD
A fed up delivery worker chooses a split second act of rebellion - one that results in an awkward, spiraling dance between the classes of the 21st century. SHORT FILM Director: Christofer Nilsson
47 Inches
"One night, Zélie, a 7 year old girl, sees her father coming home with her young aunt Clara. Clara is sad, does not leave the room and wears bandages on her wrists. Faced with the mystery of this closed door, Zélie understands that in order to get her aunt out of her melancholy, all she has to do is help her dispel the clouds in her head." SHORT FILM Director: Pascale Mompez
A 10 MINUTE SWIM
In 70's Albania, dictatorship oppresses freedom. Two lovers will go against it and become the demise of the rest around them. SHORT FILM Director: Achilles Tsoutsis
BAYONETED!
Rick and Mike, soldiers in spite of themselves from the First World War, turn back in the face of superior enemy fire, to take refuge behind their trenches. They barely have time to breathe when Rick realizes that a bayonet is planted in his stomach. The eternal "cliché" scene of war "you will tell my wife that..." is interrupted immediately when... They realize that Rick has no wife. Rick, in agony, gets up immediately to leave the battlefield limping, in order to find the woman of his life... despite his rifle-bayonet still planted in the belly. SHORT FILM - GREEK PREMIERE Director: Thomas Dahirel
GOLDEN FINGERS
In 1960s rural Greece, a 6-year-old gypsy boy battles school bullies, an abusive father, and a deeply racist society. As an outcast from a destitute family, his dream of becoming a musician seems impossible. Yet, this young boy will stop at nothing to overcome the obstacles and fulfill his dream of becoming one of the world's finest clarinet soloists. SHORT FILM Director: Fivos Kontogiannis
UNDER THE ROCK
Having to move out against her will, Maria seeks refuge in secret meet-ups with a young stranger. Running against the clock, she has to find a way to stay in the beloved past she is so obsessed with. SHORT FILM - GREEK PREMIERE Director: Nikolas Koskinas
THE TOOTH AND THE ROCK
Margarita and her father, returning to Pylos, they will be confronted with the rapid tourist transformation of the place. Margarita will become the cause for those old friends of his to mingle again and claim a spot, in the shade of the plane tree, taken over by tourists. SHORT FILM Director: Kostis Alevizos
JUS D’ORANGE
Toni grows oranges. He loves them, they are his treasure. Until one day, strange cargo ships dock in the valley. Cargos loaded with... GREEN oranges! SHORT FILM Director: Alexandre Athané
CACTUS IN NNEED
Kostas, a young office worker is forced to work overtime by his boss while also trying to match the expectations of his best friend and his girlfriend. His imagination is the only way out from this demanding reality. SHORT FILM Director: Giorgos Dellis
COMING SOON
Cinemas go to heaven when they die. The short film «Coming Soon.» captures moments from the last days of the historic Ideal cinema, which was located for 102 years at Panepistimiou ave., number 46, in the center of Athens. The film is dedicated to all the cinemas that for one reason or another are destined to go to heaven. MID-LENGTH FILM Director: Liza Themeli
STRAY LIFE
A man wakes up irritated by the screams of some dogs and rushes to get ready to go to work. His movements and the objects he takes with him, indicate that he does not have good intentions. Before he goes to work, he needs to do something about the issue that's bothering him. SHORT FILM Directors: Haris Georgiadis, Danny Koumniotis
THE HOUSE OF MEMORIES
"The House of Memories," filmed by Sohaib Ilyas in Valsad, offers a deeply emotional and immersive portrayal of a house designed by Studio Lagom. The film captures real-life moments as residents go about their daily routines, creating an authentic connection between the architecture and the lives it shelters. Shot over four days, with minimal direction apart from a few partially guided scenes to refine conversations, the film highlights the beauty of a home that adapts to its inhabitants' rhythms. The film reveals how the design fosters warmth, intimacy, and timeless memories, evoking a sense of belonging and emotional resonance. SHORT FILM - WORLD PREMIERE Director: Sohaib Ilyas
BIG
A musician arrives on tour in a small town. After settling in a small room, he feels the closeness of the overwhelming walls and life in it becomes a real challenge for him. Reaching the boiling point, the hero is faced with a choice - to stay inside his walls or allow himself to break free. SHORT FILM Director: Olga Dymskaya
TRINIDAD
Three children steal their beloved grandfather's ashes from a cemetery to keep him close throughout their lives. SHORT FILM - GREEK PREMIERE Director: Jose Manuel, Azuela Espinosa
ROUTINE SUSPENSE
When our hero attempts to read Hitchcock's interview to Truffaut, an unexpected event will stop him. Was it a horrible crime, or just a minor accident in his daily routine? SHORT FILM Director: Spyros Pantazis
DEEPER
Dealing with anxiety and phobias, Dafni struggles to finish a drawing. As she navigates her relationship with her mother, friends, as well as a dog that she’s been asked to pet sit, her old best friend suddenly reappears after many years and wants to meet up. SHORT FILM - WORLD PREMIERE Directors: Mary Gogoli, Petros Tserpelis
LETTRE À MA FILLE
Unfolding on the beaches and streets of Benin, a heartfelt letter from a mother to her future daughter expresses the challenges and joys of growing up as a woman. Through song and dance, a tribe of women dispel fairy tales myths to center embodied values of feminine power: strength, independence, and self-worth. Their rebellious spirits find freedom and joy through the rhythms of their bodies as hands clap, shoulders shake, hips swirl, and feet stomp out their bold dreams of womanhood. SHORT FILM - GREEK PREMIERE Director: Michael Maurissens
SUMERGE
Through a parallel universe that oscillates between a dreamworld and the real, Isaiah Wilson evolves in a living room fully submerged under water. A choreographic work for video that questions the human condition in it's most visceral and powerful aspects. By performing in apnea, Isaiah pushes his body to the limit to create a dance that edges on the impossible. Submerge is a poetic autobiographic piece that shows Isaiah's state of mind in moments of solitude, vulnerability and change in a setting that borrows artefacts that echo his childhood home. DANCE VIDEO - WORLD PREMIERE Director: Isaiah Wilson
FREQUENCE OF LOVE
Ukrainian singer RYTA RAY debuts with a ballad ‘Frequency of Love’. It was last year when she won an international songwriter contest hosted by the world-famous music producer and songwriter Guy Chambers (UK). MUSIC VIDEO - Greek Premiere Director: Nikita Kvasnikov
E LIKE ANGEL BARDALOS
The videoclip of the main song of the feature film "Angel Pardalos". A video full of colour, passion, smiles and fantasy. MUSIC VIDEO - Greek Premiere Director: Angeliki Pardalidou
SIDDHARTA - MIR
For the song Mir, the director chose the ultraviolet spectrum, which is invisible to the naked eye but detectable by a special camera. The resulting effect is almost intimate, as if you are looking beneath someone’s skin, revealing hidden layers of their personality and expression, giving it a completely new meaning. The stereotypes of current trends, where everything is geared towards perfection and beauty, never appealed to the director – and lately, they have opposed them even more strongly. None of the protagonists in the video were wearing makeup; with the UV technique, they were presented in their rawest and most authentic form, in a way no one had ever seen them before. The limitations of space and layers of clothing that might define them were also avoided. The performers stepped in front of the camera just as they came into the world. MUSIC VIDEO - Greek Premiere Director: Ven Jemersic
One Last Time
Days after October 7th, the crippling fear of an attack, as the one they suffered in the south, cannot be shaken. As Michal bathes her daughter, Yael, in what should be the dearest moments, the fears grow strong, what will Michal do to protect her child? SHORT FILM Dir: Marco Carmel
PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE (Depeche Mode Cover)
A powerful woman's journey within a futuristic dystopia world of different people in a society that challenges individuality & race. Visually and emotional scenes resonate with those who see the beauty of diversity, empathy and the universal bond that connects us all. MUSIC VIDEO - Greek Premiere Dir: Vaja
WHEN TIME STOPPED
A powerful but tortured man gets confronted by his closest associate, who reveals a tragic truth. SHORT FILM - World Premiere Dir: Alexandros Kouros
TEMPORAL ECHOES
To alter the course of history, scientist Clara Rose utilizes a ground-breaking temporal bridge to resurrect Ada Lovelace, a woman from the latter half of the 19th century with a profound knowledge of technology. A dedicated admirer of Ada's pioneering work, Clara Rose sees an opportunity to reshape history by sending her back to 1807 England. FEATURE SCREENPLAY - EUROPEAN PREMIERE Writer: Dr Margaret Wheldon
HEROES FROM HEAVEN
An embittered leader in a dystopian future joins forces with ancient biblical heroes to end the reign of the oppressive Seven Continental Alliance. FEATURE SCREENPLAY - WORLD PREMIERE Writer: Scott Glenn
GENARATIONS
A best-selling author, suffering from writer’s block and dangerous night terrors is forced to return to East Texas after her grandmother passes. Her world is turned upside down when she is pulled back into an alternate universe called the "in between” and must uncover generational secrets or remain in an endless cycle of nightmares that could lead to her death. FEATURE SCREENPLAY Writer: Jaylani M. Cortes
PURGATORIUM
Sometimes death is just the luck of the draw. SHORT SCREENPLAY - WORLD PREMIERE Writer: Damien Aulsberry
RED IN THE WOOD
Emma has to kidnap children for an old witch. When Mike is among them, his sister Pia sets out to free him. She quickly finds herself deep in the forest, in an enchanted witch's house. Pia tries to save herself, her brother and the other children. SHORT SCREENPLAY Writer: Gerd Günter Witt
THE VICTORIAN LADIES
Three Victorian ladies - two English and one American - join forces to uncover and destroy a serial killer in 1890's London. THEATRICAL PLAY Writer: Patricia Milton
THE TRIANGLE
Chief Inspector Agatha Sanders and her assistant Detective Paul Pyne are investigating the mysterious death of Simeon, who was allegedly in a relationship with an anonymous emailer who in turn had an affair with Simeon’s wife Margaret. The detectives meet with Simeon’s wife, in-laws, a family lawyer and a cardinal, and collect important pieces of evidence for and against each suspect. But right in the middle of their investigation, Agatha and Paul receive an order from the FBI to stay away from the case... THEATRICAL PLAY Writer: Martin Foroz
