5th “Athens International Digital Film Festival”

The 5th “Athens International Digital Film Festival” (AIDFF www.aidff.com) will be held in Athens from 17 to 23 December 2015.

As a cultural event of great importance it is fully tuned to cinema’s historic stepping in the Digital Age, which is happening worldwide. It is also a pioneering movement created and organized by cinema creators, thus it has received a spontaneous response from hundreds directors around the world. The 5th Festival will screen more than 150 films originating from 40 countries, 70 of which have chosen this festival for their Premiere screening, enjoying its international environment and recognition. This year the Festival will also give the prize “Rising Star Award” provided by the British Foundation MMBF, starting its exclusive partnership with the AIDFF.
The Festival is supporting the contemporary cinematic reality and the major international developments, which track to the Digital Age, and for that the festival is featured as an Innovative one.

This year the screenings will be held at the renovated historical cinemas Alkyonida and Studio. The program includes a tribute to Lucia Rikaki and screening of her film "Hold me". The film deals with the loss and is the first Greek film that started as an Internet event and gathered stories from all over Greece. A radio broadcast producer loses her father suddenly. In order to handle this unexpected loss she creates a site asking radio listeners to send their stories. Later she meets with them and they all share their stories through a game of touch. During these meetings that last two years a man is lost unexpectedly.

We will also enjoy movies from the Edge Hill University (UK) and the Future Wave Film Festival from Ireland. The famous director Roviros Manthoulis will initiate us in the secrets of editing with a unique Master-Class titled "EDITING, poetry of the irrational". Cinema is the art of time, an art starting in Editing.
The master class will be held on the 19th of December at «Antonis Tritsis Auditorium» (address: Akadimias 50, hours 15: 00-19: 00).

The Festival in its section “Getting to know famous directors” will screen Nikos Zervos’ film "Exiled in the central avenue". A forties (Kostas Ferris) has reached an existential limit condition. As a representative of his generation that lived the revolt of the French May, up close, and Berkeley’s revolt, from afar, today he does not feel attached to any social or ideological group. Isolated he runs away from the convent where he lives, he walks in the streets and wanders in the Avenue meeting old friends, people of his generation, and eventually his old girlfriend. He abhors the system that has formed even him and he refuses to submit. As neither love nor profound theories can fill his empty soul, he directs his own theatrical death.

The presentation of the book "The old cinemas of Athens” by Nikos Theodosiou\ will introduce us to the history of Athenian cinemas since the very first appearance of cinema in the city, which took place only a few months after its official birth in Paris. Contrary to all the inaccuracies occasionally published, that the Athenians faced the new art almost like a demonic phenomenon, stoned the screen etc., the inhabitants of this city greeted cinema’s birth with enthusiasm. They massively flocked to see the new phenomenon. And so, the cinematic spectacle, took root for good, despite the fact that the country was going through financially difficult and politically extremely troubled moments.

A workshop on "New media production and distribution" will be held with Vasiliki Kappa (director – festival producer) John Klados (director – member of the organizing committee and Christos Karakasis (director – artistic director of the festival) at Antonis Tritsis’ auditorium on December the 20th, at Akadimias 50 street, (hours and 15: 00-19: 00). Furthermore the 5th Athens Digital Film Festival is pleased to announce that it will present the third "Panorama of ecological and scientific films" in cooperation with the Finnish Festival Wildlife Vaasa on "Activism and use of documentaries as a catalyst for positive change in politics and in society, through media strategic cooperation projects, networking and using a variety of digital media for the production of accurate, relevant information means that form the world around us for the better, "The special screening schedule has already started and screenings will be held before the main festival in particular places like the Greek art theater drama school Karolos Koun, the Kouinta lab of arts and sciences, the ENOSI Educational Institute, the pocket flat theater, and many schools in Attica and several in the district. The events will be also be supported by a panel discussion on December 21 at Antonis tritsis’ auditorium Akadimias 50 (15: 00-19: 00).

A special moment will be the screening- tribute to the director George Kolozis and his movie “To pidima tou Katsantoni kai o barba Lampros” (Katsandonis’ leap and uncle Labros) which was awarded in Russia with a Silver Knight Award in the category Cinematic Documentary. George Kolozis systematically served the documentary and was one of the first directors in Greece devoted to the ecological cinema.

The Festival is organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the support of the City of Athens/ Opanda. The festival is produced by KOYINTA Organization and Tickets Tickets and has partners and cultural correspondents in many cities in Greece and in various countries around the world.

Production Organization
KOYINTA Organization
http://Organization.koyinta.gr
Tickets Tickets Company
www.aidff.com