Short Films: From Concept to Distribution

How is a short film written? What challenges does one encounter during shooting? How is a film selected at festivals worldwide? Short films hold great emotions but also equally great challenges. Onassis Culture and Onassis AiR invite you to a masterclass with the Big Short Film Winners 2023, Yiorgos Fourtounis, Dimitra Mitsaki, Thanasis Trouboukis, Lia Tsalta, and Dimitris Zouras; Onassis AiR Fellow Aristotelis Maragkos; and the Onassis AiR mentors for the 2024/25 season, Eva Stefani and Konstantinos Aivaliotis. They will narrate the journey of short films from script development to production and subsequent distribution at film festivals.

During the masterclass, the directors will discuss specific stages of the process, using the films they created under the Open Call: Big Short Films initiative as case studies, while Onassis AiR Fellow Aristotelis Maragkos will focus on storytelling through animation. Following the presentations, there will be a discussion with the audience. The masterclass is addressed to film school students and creators from all fields of film production who are at the beginning of their careers in cinema.

Yiorgos Fourtounis, “MJ” (Big Short Film Winner 2023)

MJ would do anything to be the best—anything for glory. However, behind the trapper’s mask, he isn’t sure he can handle it.

Aristotelis Maragkos, “Kafka’s Collection of Porn” (Onassis AiR Fellow 2024/25, Onassis Film Award 2023)

An episodic, animated biopic about Franz Kafka inspired by rumors of his pornography collection. He writes—masturbates—dies. Through his story, we discover ourselves.

Dimitra Mitsaki, “The Animals in the Forest” (Big Short Film Winner 2023)

Margot and Michalis are going on vacation to get their relationship out of a rut, but things between them soon go off the rails.

Thanasis Trouboukis, “Last Tropics” (Big Short Film Winner 2023)

A marine crisis affects the lives of residents in a coastal settlement who fish illegally with dynamite.

Lia Tsalta, “Nothing and Everything” (Big Short Film Winner 2023)

A flower is cut. A parting of ways. Valeria is ready to become light.

Dimitris Zouras, “Fouetté” (Big Short Film Winner 2023)

A ballet dancer fights to win the acceptance of her mother, who is preoccupied with her son’s homosexuality.

Konstantinos Aivaliotis and Eva Stefani will moderate the discussion.

The event is held in collaboration with Onassis AiR, the international artistic research and residency program of the Onassis Foundation. This program, dedicated to fostering artistic process and works in progress, provides space and time for art professionals from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, enabling them to delve deeper into their practice without the pressure of presenting a final work.

Since 2023, Onassis Culture has addressed open calls to Greek and international filmmakers to submit their proposals for short fiction and documentary films, live-action, and animation. Five of the proposals are funded with €10,000 each and proceed to production to meet their audience at festivals worldwide.