The 6th AIDFF awards ceremony brings the curtain down on another hugely successful festival, which was held from 2 to 8 February 2017. More than 150 films, from 30 countries, were screened during the Festival’s week, including 60 premieres. The Festival screens all the typical film categories of New Cinema such as short and feature fiction films, video art, video dance, experimental, short and feature Documentaries. In collaboration with the British MMBF institution the festival awarded one of the winners with the Rising Star Award. This special prize is supported and provided by the British MMBF Trust, which is an international fund set up to support young people with an interest to follow a career in the film industry.
The “Best Director” award was granted by the Greek Directors’ Guild. Another Award provided by ALKYONIS New Star Art Cinema to a director chosen by the Festival ensures distribution for hisfilms.This Festival’s main program was screened in the two well know Athenian cinemas of historical value, Alkyonis New Star Art Cinema and Studio New Star Art Cinema. Two tributes took place in the parallel events with films of unique aesthetics and themes: the first to young filmmakers from Spain and the second to filmmakers from Iran. We also enjoyed films created by Edge Hill University students, who for four years now prepared films especially for the festival and whose films this year joined the competition in the category: Student - Young filmmakers.
A special tribute to Environmental Education, Lifelong Learning was held by the 6th Athens International Digital Film Festival on Saturday 4 and Monday 6 of February. The tribute’s inspiring environmental films charmed both grownups and children, through their magical images, stunning landscapes, clever animals and birds and scientific information that have overturned all we have known about the nature that surrounds us.
During this Tribute the Festival arranged a premiere screening in Greece for 11 excellent quality and international production documentaries, on the environment, which demanded long-term shooting and brought to the silver screen images of distant and inaccessible places.
Τhe Tribute is implemented through the Operational Program "Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning" and is co-financed by the European Union (European Social Fund) and Greek national funds.
The special program of screenings was accompanied by a panel discussion focusing on the role that –documentaries hold in introducing environmental sciences research and discoveries to a wide audience. And a special workshop entitled "Environmental education with the power of new media production and distribution”. This workshop’s success motivated the organizing team to include it in the festival events that will hopefully be repeated.
The Festival takes place under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and has had the Support of the City of Athens/ Opanda since its first year. The festival is produced by KOYINTA Organization and Tickets Tickets and has partners and cultural correspondents in several cities of Greece and in various countries around the world.
The Rising Star Award will be announced on the festival website in the coming days
Special Mentions
Special Mention Eugenie Hadjikou –Student - New Directors
Naked bodies by Yorgos Linardos
Feature Fiction
FATE by Andreas Marianos
Utopia by Nikos Kourou
Medium and Long length Documentary
Silent Witness, directed by Dimitris Koutsiabasakos
Short Documentary Film
Kifisia Omonia by Menelaos Kirlidis
Short fiction
Carols directed by Thanos Psichogios
The locksmith by Miltiadis Christidis
Invisible by Kostas Gerampinis
Best Video Art
Film Noir by Thanasis Panou
Video Dance
Imago Ep.II: Symmetry by Dani Joss
Experimental
Flies by Nadia Zygouri - Aris Pavlidis
A special honorary mention was given by the Festival to the film
Meetings,
created by the students of the 2nd Second Chance School in Trikala Prison
Awards
Student Competition - New Directors
April fool's day by Apostolis Iliopoulos
Short documentary award
Through the Pane by Dawn Westlake / United States
Medium and Long Lenght Documentary Award
A Breath of life by Dimitris Vernikos and Poly Vlachou
Animation
The runner by Zachos Samoladas
Best Music
to Giorgos Ramantanis for the film Phantom Limb directed by Michael Felanis
Best Photography
to Petros Antoniadis for the film The Spectator directed by Thodoris Vournas
Best Screenplay
for the film Dove written and directed by Konstantinos Chaliasas
Best editing prize
tο Dimitris Polizos and Μichael Roumbis for the film Rage against the uniform directed by Katerina Bakagianni
Best actor
to Makis Papadimitriou for the film Cube directed by Alexandros Skouras
Best Actress
to Arietta Moutousi for the film Birthday directed by Dimitris Katsimiris
Best Direction
for the film Cube directed by Alexandros Skouras (the prize is sponsored by the Greek Directors’ Guild)
Best Film Award- International section
for the film Ardak directed by Esmaeil Monsef- Iran
Young filmmakers Award International section
¬for the film Adaptation directed by Bartosz Kruhlik - National Polish Film School in Lodz
Rising Star Award-Movie There was a place from spain
Director- Irene Garces
AUDIENCE AWARD
for the film High directed by Chrysostomos Barbas