PDSFF2021 Home – Positively Different

About the Festival

Positively Different, Short Film Festival, 19 - 28 Μarch 2021, Athens

Gender, sexuality, race, class, ethnicity, religion, able-bodiness – are determinants of our present and future, life prospects and obstructions. PDSFF2021 focuses on their intersections and follows stories of characters, individuals and communities that experience oppression due to identities they carry. Shedding light on life paths of “others” – often through realism and humor and other times through abstraction and experimentation – the festival aims to give space to co-creation, networking and shaping of collective claims. Our aspiration is to turn PDSFF into an institution for promoting intersecting identities and raising awareness on issues of discrimination and oppression experienced by individuals and groups that fall through the cracks of representation in contemporary polities.

Produced by: Inter Alia

Submissions

Years

Countries

Awards

Honorable Mentions

Announcements

Announcement of PDSFF 2021 awards

Submissions for 2021 are now open!

This year’s call for submissions is up!

Building up on the success of 2020’s event, urged by intensified injustices as a result, among others, of the pandemic; moved by the uprisings against racism: Positively Different Short Film Festival returns!

We invite all filmmakers, documentarists, visual artists and film students to submit short movies from the fields of fiction, documentary or visual arts.

Check out the official call in the link below, submit your films, and see you in March 2021!

RSVP: Positively Different Short Film Festival 2021

Positively Different Short Film Festival joins Zagoriwood

Up in the mountains of Epirus under a magical August full-moon, PDSFF held a screening of selected movies from the 2020 catalogue in the framework of Zagoriwood film festival and workshop. Along with local citizens and film students, in the main square of Kato Pedina, films about intersecting stories and shared struggles against oppression were screened. The discussions that followed with participants and teachers in the workshop were enlightening as to how to make the upcoming festival even better.

Big thanks to Zagoriwood organising team for the invitation and to the local community of Kato Pedina for the warm welcome. See you next year!

Positively Different Short Film Festival at CinePark

Thank you for this great turnout and the participation in the screening of these wonderful short films.

We especially would like to thank Navarinou Self-Managed Park for hosting us – see you at the next one!

Have a great summer!

Pre-festival screening Photos

PDSFF was introduced to the audience with its first pre-festival event on Friday, 10th of January, almost a month prior to its official opening at the 13rd of February at Trianon. The attendees had the chance to discuss the festival’s core thematics and to participate in crafting the official 2020 festival selection by selecting amongst the semi-finalists.

Stay tuned!

At a glance...

None of my Business
(trigger warning) Can outsiders help break the cycle of apathy? This set features stories of the moments when one is called upon to take a stand; in these moments, everything changes when you choose if you are going to be an onlooker, if you are going to contribute, silently, to an oppressive system.

This is Right; Zak Life and After (2020)
Ukde (2019)
Let there be Colour (2020)
As if Underwater (2020)
The Stamp (2019)

Sabotaging the Norms
(trigger warning) To do away with the "normal" is to create a society that is safe for all. These stories go against the norm(s), they provoke us to think about our own internalized stereotypes and, often through conflict, invite us to see the world in new ways.

Blooming Cycles (2020)
Saigon Sentinel (2020)
Rosa Kairo (2020)
At the Schoolyard (2020)
Coal (2019)
Aderfi (2019)
Rouge (2019)

Art at Crossroads
(trigger warning) The stories talk about the times when healing and empowerment can be found in artistic expression. The characters featured in this set find a shelter, a weapon or a cure in arts, in order to survive in a world that oppresses them.

Between the Hill and the Marsh (2020)
We are good (2020)
My Gypsy Road (2020)
God’s Daughter Dances (2020)
Alba (2018)

Revolutions of One
(trigger warning) These are the stories of the journeys that take us beyond violence and oppression. These journeys are solitary, taken by the ones who had no one to rely on; they show the characters coming up against their own selves, towards the life they deserve.

I see in the Dark (2019)
Dünyam (2019)
Saucy Toinha (2020)
Baring Iran (2020)
Madonna f64.0 (2020)
Mermaid (2019)

One is the Loneliest
Let's talk about shelters; let's think about the shelter we can find in ourselves, the ones we can construct with our loved ones, the ones that are offered to us by the communities that welcome us, or the ones we give life to with each other. Let's talk about loneliness, safety, care, support.

Happy (2020)
At Night, I Dream (2020)
A Day in the Life of a Boy (2020)
Beautiful Cure (2019)
My Other Son (2019)
The Daring Young Girl on the flying Trapeze (2020)

Paradoxes of Freedom
(trigger warning) The line between freedom and oppression is not always easy to draw. The stories and people in this set challenge the viewers to revisit their understanding of what it really means to be free.

Work for Him (2020)
Presence (2019)
The Roars That Keep the Storm Away (2019)
Marie (2019)
Pivot (2020)

The world through adolescent eyes
Program for youngsters, featuring a selection of films that look at the world through a lens of sensitivity. These stories introduce challenging topics in accessible, sweet and funny ways, through the eyes of teens that experience them and find ways to understand and overcome them. (Suitable for 13+)

Overload (2019)
quite easy (2019)
Trick or Treat (2020)
I Never Picked Cotton (2019)
The Music Video (2020)
Teen Horses (2019)

None of my Business

(trigger warning) Can outsiders help break the cycle of apathy? This set features stories of the moments when one is called upon to take a stand; in these moments, everything changes when you choose if you are going to be an onlooker, if you are going to contribute, silently, to an oppressive system.

This is Right; Zak Life and After (13')

Ukde (18')

Let there be Colour (15')

As if Underwater (18')

The Stamp (19')

This is Right; Zak Life and After (2020)

Directed by: Gevi Dimitrakopoulou

Synopsis: A short narrative documentary about the aftermath of Zak’s murder from her community’s perspective.

Genre: Documentary
Country of Origin: Greece
Country of Filming: Greece
Language: Greek

Ukde (2019)

Directed by: Ecem Çelik

Synopsis: The film deals with a universal immigrant problem that suddenly enters the life of a woman. Güzide is a tailor. She has a routine life, strictly adheres to his own rules. One day Leyla comes to Güzide’s house with a little girl. Leyla asks Guzide to take care of the child for a few days, says that she will go out of town for work and will get her back. The tailor does not accept. Leyla leaves the house on the pretext of speaking on the phone and does not return.

Trailer: vimeo

Genre: Fiction
Country of Origin: Turkey
Country of Filming: Turkey
Language: Turkish

Let there be Colour (2020)

Directed by: Ado Hasanovic

Synopsis: (trigger warning: hate speech) On September, 8 2019 Sarajevo hosts its first Pride March. Are people ready for this event?

Trailer: vimeo

Genre: Documentary
Country of Origin: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Country of Filming: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy
Language: Bosnian, English

As if Underwater (2020)

Directed by: Anthi Daoutaki

Synopsis: The film is the portrait of Hera, a 35-year-old woman. Her home is her world, and a world of magic, and her loneliness is filled with objects. She forgets herself in her daily routine and gets tangled in the universe of her mind. Her difficulty to cope with social gender norms and an awkward encounter with a jeweler lead her to buy a wedding ring. The ring gives life to an imaginary relationship, fleeting like a dream. As the relationship comes to an end, Hera goes back to her everyday life.

Trailer: YouTube

Genre: Fiction
Country of Origin: Greece
Country of Filming: Greece
Language: Greek

The Stamp (2019)

Directed by: Lovro Mrdjen

Synopsis: The real war begins, when the one ends. The clock is ticking for a foreigner, an immigrant faced with the coldblooded bureaucracy of a foreign country, as he tries to save his younger sister and prevent separation. Nobody hears their voices, lost in translation.

Trailer: YouTube

Genre: Fiction
Country of Origin: Croatia
Country of Filming: Belgium, Croatia
Language: Arabic, Croatian

Sabotaging the Norms

(trigger warning) To do away with the "normal" is to create a society that is safe for all. These stories go against the norm(s), they provoke us to think about our own internalized stereotypes and, often through conflict, invite us to see the world in new ways.

Blooming Cycles (2')

Saigon Sentinel (5')

Rosa Kairo (14')

At the Schoolyard (11')

Coal (10')

Aderfi (20')

Rouge (18')

Blooming Cycles (2020)

Directed by: Allison Power

Synopsis: Inspired by the parallels of art and women’s rights from the 1890s and the 1960s.

Genre: Visual Arts
Country of Origin: United States

Saigon Sentinel (2020)

Directed by: Chris Noltekuhlmann

Synopsis: Nguyen Van Chuc lives under the bridges on the Saigon River. Driven by a small outboard motor, he goes out onto the river every day. His mission: He fishes the bodies of suicides out of the water so that they can be given a proper burial.

Trailer: Self-Hosted

Genre: Documentary
Country of Origin: Germany
Country of Filming: Viet Nam
Language: Vietnamese

Rosa Kairo (2020)

Directed by: Jacques Simha

Synopsis: (trigger warning: murder) Another farewell underlines the distance between the ones absent, the visitors, and the residents of a commune in the heart of Athens.

Tralier: vimeo

Genre: Fiction
Country of Origin: Greece
Country of Filming: Greece
Language: Greek

At the Schoolyard (2020)

Directed by: Afroditi Kairaki

Synopsis: A day at the yard of a squat in Exarcheia in Athens.

Genre: Documentary
Country of Origin: Greece
Country of Filming: Greece
Language: Arabic, Greek

Coal (2019)

Directed by: Resat Fuat Cam

Synopsis: To receive coal subsidy from government, Nimet (32) and his son Erkan (9) reach the final stage, where poverty is measured through household investigation. They pass the stage too and get the subsidy. The coals arrive, however they have other plans: selling them.

Trailer: Self-Hosted

Genre: Fiction
Country of Origin: Turkey
Country of Filming: Turkey
Language: Turkish

Aderfi (2019)

Directed by: Sam Albatros

Synopsis: “i often felt that the past would last forever” (Sam Albatros) Video-art version of the online performance by Sam Albatros, that took place on facebook between 2017 and 2018. Family pictures and video are intertwined with cyber-sex scenes with the poet Ntinos Christianopoulos, Sailor Moon curing homosexuality, Sam as a slave-Pokémon. Confessional poems are intertwined with cut-up poems that have been created after googling personal trauma: cut-up poems made out of other people’s trauma, as they have been posted in online forums, youtube comments etc. Poems that can be viewed as a collective queer confession of the Greek internet. An attempt by Sam, so that their own past becomes universal, so that it does not belong to Sam or anybody, so that it can’t hurt us anymore.

Genre: Visual Arts
Country of Origin: Greece
Country of Filming: Greece
Language: Greek

Rouge (2019)

Directed by: Kostis Theodosopoulos

Synopsis: A sexist violence incident fires tension in Danai’s friendship with Ilona and Toufa. Torn between theory and practice, the three friends realize that patriarchy won’t die with bottles (only), and they now have marks to prove it.

Trailer: YouTube

Genre: Fiction
Country of Origin: Greece
Country of Filming: Greece
Language: Greek

Art at Crossroads

(trigger warning) The stories talk about the times when healing and empowerment can be found in artistic expression. The characters featured in this set find a shelter, a weapon or a cure in arts, in order to survive in a world that oppresses them.

Between the Hill and the Marsh (20')

We are Good (10')

My Gypsy Road (28')

God's Daughter Dances (24')

Alba (4')

Between the Hill and the Marsh (2020)

Directed by: Niete

Synopsis: “Between the hill and the marsh” is an ode to the friendship between Rafael de la Rosa “Camarón de Plata” and Juan Mendoza “Juanillo”, two iconic figures from the streets of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. A tribute to optimism and survival.

Genre: Documentary
Country of Origin: Spain
Country of Filming: Spain
Language: Spanish

We are good (2020)

Directed by: Manuel Boskamp

Synopsis: Dance instructor Alan Brooks shows 25 vocational students what capabilities they have and how they can come into life stronger with it. ‘We are good’ grippingly tells of the fascination of dancing, of believing in yourself and others, of enthusiasm, devotion, respect and love of life – the dream of a tolerant and diverse community … The film not only throws a spotlight on dance and music, but also on social role models and how we emancipate ourselves from them.

Genre: Documentary
Country of Origin: Germany
Country of Filming: Germany
Language: German

My Gypsy Road (2020)

Directed by: Vilma Kartalska

Synopsis: An inspiring story about the winding road of the first Roma actress in Bulgaria, officially graduated from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts. From the everyday life’s challenges, to the sacrifices in the name of theater, and the trust in the great Roma cause – education for the ghetto.
Nataliya Tsekova – THE WOMAN, THE ACTRESS, THE PERSON.

Trailer: vimeo

Genre: Documentary
Country of Origin: Bulgaria
Country of Filming: Bulgaria
Language: Bulgarian

God's Daughter Dances (2020)

Directed by: Sungbin Byun

Synopsis: (trigger warning: hate speech, misgendering) A transgender female dancer, Shin-mi, gets a call from the Military Manpower Administration, to attend for the Military Service Examination. Shin-mi, with everything in readiness, takes her steps to the Military Manpower Administration.

Trailer: Self-Hosted

Genre: Fiction
Country of Origin: Korea, Republic of
Country of Filming: Korea, Republic of
Language: Korean

Alba (2018)

Directed by: Samantha Cito

Synopsis: Alba, a passionate, ambitious woman, tries to remember when it was that she ceased to believe in herself and in her dreams. Her partner ridiculed her aspirations, convincing her that she would never succeed. Without love, a violent routine invades her life for years, until the tragic epilogue.

Genre: Fiction
Country of Origin: Italy
Country of Filming: Italy
Language: Italian

Revolutions of One

(trigger warning) These are the stories of the journeys that take us beyond violence and oppression. These journeys are solitary, taken by the ones who had no one to rely on; they show the characters coming up against their own selves, towards the life they deserve.

I see in the Dark (16')

Dünyam (14')

Saucy Toinha (13')

Baring Iran (8')

Madonna f64.0 (18')

Mermaid (14')

I see in the Dark (2019)

Directed by: Lana Bregar

Synopsis: Confessions of people who have lost their sight during their lives. What are their feelings and how do they view their apparent handicap?

Trailer: vimeo

Genre: Documentary
Country of Origin: Slovenia
Country of Filming: Slovenia
Language: Slovenian

Dünyam (2019)

Directed by: Thanos Liberopoulos

Synopsis: For Ali the world is as far as he can see. As he grows up, his will to discover other worlds grows with him. He’s leaving behind Kurdistan, and roams in European Turkey before crossing the Hellenic borders. A new world unfolds and it will be his dünya.

Trailer: vimeo

Genre: Documentary
Country of Origin: Greece
Country of Filming: Greece
Language: Greek

Saucy Toinha (2020)

Directed by: Sérgio Bloch

Synopsis: That Toinha is not just any Bahian, this is evident to those who see her, for the first time, behind her board. What many do not even suspect is that she is the one who makes the palm oil that she uses to prepare her delicacy. She climbs the coconut tree, drops the bunch, cooks the coconuts, macerates in the pestle, and when everything turns into a paste, she separates the liquid from the bagasse in a long manual process. Then it boils the palm again and only then does the oil appear, like a blade, over the water. At night she will serve the dumplings generously stuffed and packed in a banana leaf, which Toinha takes off her feet and prepares over the fire. The business takes a lot of work, but who cares? – “My acarajé has to be perfect. That’s why I do the male and female frills ”- she says proudly.

Trailer: Self-Hosted

Genre: Documentary
Country of Origin: Brazil
Country of Filming: Brazil
Language: Portuguese

Baring Iran (2020)

Directed by: Jordan Woodgate

Synopsis: Mouchette is an articulate Iranian artist who shoots stunning nudist photography in her subject’s homes in Tehran. Due to Iran’s strict suppression of the liberal arts, it’s a dangerous passion – for Mouchette and her elusive subjects. In contrast to the hard-line, religious side of Iran shown in the media, Mouchette captures and reflects its humanity, individualism and vulnerability. She lays bare her concerns, motivations, and hopes for the future of artistic expression in her country.

Trailer: Self-Hosted

Genre: Documentary
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Country of Filming: Iran, Islamic Republic of
Language: Persian

Madonna f64.0 (2020)

Directed by: Stavros Markoulakis

Synopsis: (trigger warning: physical violence, hate speech) After an important surgery, Maria returns to her family home, in order to recover. Living with her mother, her sister and a newborn baby. While Maria’s body starts healing, a deeply hidden desire of hers surfaces. Maria wants to come close to the baby, and this creates a serious threat to the “safety” of the family home.

Trailer: Self-Hosted

Genre: Fiction
Country of Origin: Greece
Country of Filming: Greece
Language: Greek

Mermaid (2019)

Directed by: Saber Mostafapour

Synopsis: (trigger warning: extreme violence) Milad (Boy’s name) abandons home and school to preserve her identity and having nowhere to go, she lives in ruins. Three rapist classmates who are tired of her absence, chase after her in secret and find her in a feminine appearance.

Trailer: vimeo

Genre: Fiction
Country of Origin: Iran, Islamic Republic of
Country of Filming: Iran, Islamic Republic of
Language: Persian

One is the Loneliest

Let's talk about shelters; let's think about the shelter we can find in ourselves, the ones we can construct with our loved ones, the ones that are offered to us by the communities that welcome us, or the ones we give life to with each other. Let's talk about loneliness, safety, care, support.

Happy (8')

At Night, I Dream (17')

A Day in the Life of a Boy (14')

Beautiful Cure (11')

My Other Son (10')

The Daring Young Girl on the flying Trapeze (30')

Happy (2020)

Directed by: Julie Anastasopoulou

Synopsis: Αggeliki, a lonely and kind of quirky woman, who has lost her dog “Happy” a long time ago, makes the decision to stop looking for him. During that special night, she finds something magical that ordinary people are not able to see.

Trailer: YouTube

Genre: Fiction
Country of Origin: Greece
Country of Filming: Greece
Language: Greek

At Night, I Dream (2020)

Directed by: Frédérique Buck

Synopsis: Entirely shot in the elevator of a retirement home, “At Night, I dream”, is a documentary about tender encounters with fellow human beings. A tale about age, aging, loss, love, longing, mourning and the power of human connection. “At night, I dream” touches the daily life of the residents, their relationship with the care staff, their relationship to life and finally also our own relationship to age and to the elderly, who are so often excluded and sidelined from our lives.

Genre: Documentary
Country of Origin: Luxembourg
Country of Filming: Luxembourg
Language: French

A Day in the Life of a Boy (2020)

Directed by: Niklas Bauer

Synopsis: Autistic boy Daan has a unique perspective on the world. His little sister Millie struggles with his sometimes strange behaviour and the lack of attention she gets from their single mother. When Daan accidentally kills her pet bird, emotions overflow – will Millie be able to be there for her brother despite it all?

Trailer: Self-Hosted

Genre: Fiction
Country of Origin: Germany
Country of Filming: Germany
Language: German

Beautiful Cure (2019)

Directed by: Nataša Cordeaux, Cheyenne Ritfeld, Ricarda Theobald

Synopsis:

GÜZEL DERMAN ( Beautiful Cure) is a short documentary about a Kurdish & Turkish women’s handcraft group in London. The film weaves together each woman’s knitwork with their memory of moving to England. Through shared migration struggles and a passion for knitting, the women create for themselves a ‘beautiful cure’.

Invited into the intimate circle of knitters, the audience discovers how the women initiated and maintain a place of peace and of respite, free from everyday pressures. Here, the act of knitting sparks non-judgmental conversation, and empowers women to break the silence on mental health within the community.

Genre: Documentary
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Country of Filming: United Kingdom
Language: Turkish

My Other Son (2019)

Directed by: Gustavo Alonso

Synopsis: Sometimes with the sons, it happens as with the drawing, they do not come out as you imagined. This is Gusti’s story. A father who goes through bewilderment and denial, to the most unconditional love for his new son, upon discovering that he has Down Syndrome.

Trailer: vimeo

Genre: Visual Arts
Country of Origin: Argentina
Country of Filming: Argentina
Language: Spanish

The Daring Young Girl on the flying Trapeze (2020)

Directed by: Nina Ross

Synopsis: As a child Nancy Willis dreamt of joining the circus, longing for freedom and adventure. Diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and a prognosis not to live beyond her twenties, the now 65-year-old artist invites us into her world. Combining hard hitting memories of societal discrimination with the depth and beauty of everyday moments, she opens up about vulnerability, self-exploration, family and maternity. This is a stark reminder of the treatment of disabled people, but also a remarkable story of a woman who refused to be broken by society’s limited expectations of her. The narrative meanders seamlessly between the grounded and the dream-like. A rich tapestry of artwork, observation and archive, illustrates the challenges of physical deterioration, but also the infinite possibilities of imagination.

Trailer: vimeo

Genre: Documentary
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Country of Filming: United Kingdom
Language: English

Paradoxes of Freedom

(trigger warning) The line between freedom and oppression is not always easy to draw. The stories and people in this set challenge the viewers to revisit their understanding of what it really means to be free.

Work for Him (30')

Presence (12')

The Roars That Keep the Storm Away (15')

Marie (17')

Pivot (12')

Work for Him (2020)

Directed by: Fariba Buchheim, Hilarija Locmele

Synopsis: (trigger warning: hate speech) We were called to promote God’s name – why shouldn’t we use Instagram? Four adolescent social media influencers have one goal: to glorify the word of God.

Trailer: Self-Hosted

Genre: Documentary
Country of Origin: Germany
Country of Filming: Germany
Language: German

Presence (2019)

Directed by: Diego Valdés, Andres Tapia

Synopsis: A short film, shot and choreagraphed on a continuous take where the camera, the cast (And the viewer) are invited to explore the elusive meaning of “mental health” and the acting craft.

Trailer: Self-Hosted

Genre: Fiction
Country of Origin: Chile
Country of Filming: Chile
Language: Spanish

The Roars That Keep the Storm Away (2019)

Directed by: Santiago Reale

Synopsis: Michel lives behind the lagoon. He fishes with his rode and wanders around the fields near the town. He survives only with the indispensable. No traffic, no people, no responsibility, just pure survival. When the evening falls, the roars keep the storm away and keep him safe.

Trailer: vimeo

Genre: Documentary
Country of Origin: Argentina
Country of Filming: Argentina
Language: Spanish

Marie (2019)

Directed by: Panayotis Kravvaris

Synopsis: (trigger warning: hate speech) A young lonely student moves into a cheap terrace room in downtown Athens. Marie, a young African woman lives in the same building, and in the eyes of the young man she represents everything he hates: she’s lazy, vulgar, stupid, foreigner. The more reasons he finds to hate her, the more attracted he gets to her confident and carefree manners. When Marie finds herself in a dangerous situation, the young man faces the dilemma whether to act or remain an observer.A young lonely student moves into a cheap terrace room in downtown Athens. Marie, a young African woman lives in the same building, and in the eyes of the young man she represents everything he hates: she’s lazy, vulgar, stupid, foreigner. The more reasons he finds to hate her, the more attracted he gets to her confident and carefree manners. When Marie finds herself in a dangerous situation, the young man faces the dilemma whether to act or remain an observer.

Trailer: YouTube

Genre: Fiction
Country of Origin: Greece
Country of Filming: Greece
Language: Greek

Pivot (2020)

Directed by: Tarona

Synopsis: A slow burn, visually meditative, research on the notion of Black performances in white spaces. Observations of how Black bodies are mainly portrayed in the visual landscapes (film and photography), show they mostly appear in performative states. They always appear to be in movement and / or doing something; they are never sitting still, standing in rest – as we see in countless films in which white bodies are present. The philosophy of this film defies this notion and general expectation; by coming into pause, into rest, into stillness – and therefore – into resistance.

Genre: Visual Arts
Country of Origin: Netherlands
Country of Filming: Netherlands

The world through adolescent eyes

Program for youngsters, featuring a selection of films that look at the world through a lens of sensitivity. These trigger-free stories allows us to introduce challenging topics in accessible, sweet and funny ways (Suitable for 13+)

For viewers in Greece:

For viewers outside of Greece:

Overload (5')

quite easy (12')

Trick or Treat (16')

I Never Picked Cotton (4')

The Music Video (14')

Teen Horses (20')

Overload (2019)

Directed by: Joe Blandamer

Synopsis: People seek to achieve self-worth and be able to care for their loved ones, but disappointment and exhaustion could be so frustrating that they have to do their best to not give up. The creation of this film is inspired by several abuse and murder cases of Chinese oversea students. This film aims to raise the concern on the wellbeing of overseas students under globalization and transnational environments.

Genre: Fiction, Visual Arts
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Country of Filming: United Kingdom
Language: English

quite easy (2019)

Directed by: Konstantin Schumann

Synopsis: The short movie “quite easy” depicts a crucial night in the live of Max, who is gay but in the closet.
Max awakes from a nightmare, in which he had lunch with his family and a girl was holding his hand so strong, that he couldn’t remove it. His friend Mark wants him to get off with Marie, who is at the party they’re going to join. Marie tries to make out with Max but he leaves. Instead he follows a young man to the dancefloor. They get closer and end up in Max’ bedroom.
The story ends when Max is dining with his family again, they still don’t know anything.

Genre: Fiction
Country of Origin: Germany
Country of Filming: Germany
Language: German

Trick or Treat (2020)

Directed by: Morten Evelid

Synopsis: Magda, 11, is a fresh black metal-fan. She is not like the other girls, something she will notice. When Halloween comes, she has no one to go trick or treating with. She lives with her Polish father and her 16-year-old big sister. When her sister goes to an illegal party, Magda is left alone, and has a bad encounter with some girls from school. But during the evening she meets Nils Olav who she is in love with and who is also a metal-fan. The two hit it off, and Magda gets the confidence to ignore the pretty girls.

Trailer: Self-Hosted

Genre: Fiction
Country of Origin: Norway
Country of Filming: Norway
Language: Norwegian

I Never Picked Cotton (2019)

Directed by: Hanna Adams, Cole Bacani, Max Edmeier , Dariel Filomeno, Alexandra Gottlieb , NamQuyen “Q” Le, Yolanda Morgan, Victoria Perez, Benjamin Ragasa , Josie Stocks, John Stover, Jinghan Tian

Synopsis: Yolanda Morgan recalls her experiences with racism and the impact it has had on her. Produced in USC’s CTAN 470 Documentary Animation Production class by 12 student directors.

Trailer: Self-Hosted

Genre: Documentary
Country of Origin: United States
Country of Filming: United States
Language: English

The Music Video (2020)

Directed by: Camille Poirier

Synopsis: (In Collaboration with Athens Children Film Festival) In order to be in her older brohter’s music video, Clara, a 13y.o. tomboy, agrees to undergo a radical change of style. She soon notices that this transformation changes her brother’s friends’ behaviour towards her.

Genre: Canada
Country of Origin: Canada
Country of Filming: French

Teen Horses (2019)

Directed by: Valérie Leroy

Synopsis: (In Collaboration with Athens Children Film Festival) After her parents break up, fourteen-year-old Tania arrives in a new high school in the middle of the year. Tania, who has grown up in Finland, feels totally uprooted by this shift. Especially because in Finland she was a member of a very united team who practiced a rather peculiar sport: hobby horsing. In France, she only manages to attract the attention of the losers in her class, a plump girl and her pimply friend, both of whom are harassed by the other students, and a lonely and obsessive boy. What if these three were her new team?

Trailer: vimeo

Genre: France
Country of Origin: France
Country of Filming: French

Videos

Positively Different Short Film Festival 2020

Positively Different 2020 Aftermovie

Positively Different 2020 Trailer

Positively Different 2020 Teaser

Photos

Pre-festival screening: Exile Room - 10th of January 2020

Meet the Team

Organisers

Volunteers

Jury Committee

Maria Giovanna Vagenas

After having studied Philosophy in Genova and comparative literature in Vienna, she did a post graduate in Cinema Studies at La Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris. She has been working for more than a decade for the Viennale as program consultant, curating special programs and retrospectives. She collaborates with the Berlinale, IFFR Rotterdam, the Italian Film Festival in Annecy and is a programmer for the FFDUL of Lugano. She has been a project reader for the Doha Film Institute. Besides some academic publications for the Presses de la Sorbonne Nouvelle, she has been a film critic for the daily South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) for several years. She presently writes for Senses of Cinema and Schermaglie.it

Yannis Kantea-Papadopoulos

He was born in Athens in 1994. Since he can remember, he has watched movies and listened to music, with the necessary breaks for the games of PAO and Liverpool. He started writing for cinema on Toutestein and Reel.gr, while maintaining a radio show on Poplie Radio and making his first attempts behind the camera directing and participating in short films. Before graduating from Panteion University’s Department of Political Science and History, he was a member of the production team of the Zagoriwood Film Festival. In recent years he has been writing for cinema in Athinorama, while collaborating with other publications. He has also collaborated with the Thessaloniki Film Festival and the Drama Short Film Festival. He is a member of the Hellenic Film Academy and the Panhellenic Association of Film Critics.

Konstantinos Aivaliotis

Konstantinos Aivaliotis holds a PhD in Social Anthropology with a special research interest in Visual Anthropology and Multimedia Ethnography, Documentary and Ethnographic Cinema and Film Festivals as cultural organizations and the role of the film industry in education. He is a graduate of the Department of Social Policy and Social Anthropology at Panteion University (Specialization in Social Anthropology) and holds two postgraduate degrees in Educational Anthropology (Rouen University, France) and Visual Anthropology (England, Goldsmiths College, 2008). Member of the program team at the Athens International Film Festival – “Premiere Nights”, while in the period 2017-2020 he was the Promotion Director at the Hellenic Film Center, and today he is the Director and founding member of ETHNOFEST and the festival of the same name.

Venue

Trianon, 21 Kodrigktonos, Athina 104 34, Greece

TRIANON is not a building where a business struggles to survive.
TRIANON is countless individuals who are struggling to support entrepreneurship in art

Having hosted everybody who is passionate about art.
Having relentlessly supported young Greek filmmakers.
Having resisted the decline of downtown Athens.
Believing every moment that “PATISION Lives”.

More info at: TRIANON.GR