LOS ANGELES – Under the leadership of director/producer and Los Angeles Greek Film Festival (LAGFF) Artistic Director Aris Katopodis, a special shorts program of five films was curated and will be showcased at the 46th edition of the Drama International Short Film Festival (DISFF) September 4-10. The LAGFF showcase is the result of the organization’s internationally expansive trend through Global Greek Film Initiative and the collaboration with DISFF Director and Artistic Director Yannis Sakaridis.

The five films are: Pebble by Karina Logothetis (13 mins.), Niko Newark by Tracey Washington-Bagley and executive producer Nick Dessipris (19 mins.), Fire Born by Daniel Carsenty and producer Katerina Hoyo-Frederickson (13 mins.), Share for Me by Alexander Georges (13 mins.); and George by Matt Richmond (29 mins.).

“After the successful Drama Travels to Los Angeles Greek Film Festival program, we’re ready for a new step and further exchange,” explained Katopodis. “LAGFF Travels to Drama opens new horizons for the selected short filmmakers who presented their works at the 17th LAGFF in June 2023. It is a unique opportunity for Greek filmmakers of the Diaspora to participate in the celebration of short films at the Drama International Short Film Festival.”

DISFF is considered one of the best short film festivals in Europe, and it recently has become a ‘ticket’ to the Oscars. The American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) selected DISFF among the world’s top film festivals and it received the status for the Oscar qualifying short films in its International and National Competition Program. More information about DISFF is available online: https://www.dramafilmfestival.gr/en/.

AMPAS selected the world’s leading festivals to collaborate in the formation of the final list of short films eligible to compete for the Academy Award for Best Short Film. The Academy allows films that win first prize at these festivals to automatically qualify for the category shortlist, provided they meet the Academy standards.

LAGFF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that focuses its attention to bringing films and filmmakers from Greece, Cyprus, and the rest of the world to the United States. LAGFF has screened over 580 films and hosted over 530 filmmakers supporting their films. More information is available online: www.lagff.org.

The Global Greek Film Initiative is strategically designed to establish an array of new annual programs to promote cultural exchange between Greece, the U.S. and the Hellenic Diaspora, service opportunities for employment and economic growth within Greece and to be the North American hub and global one-stop collective for Greek film programs and initiatives.