Cyprus Comic Con Film Festival is back with its 2024 edition!

As an integral part of the convention, our in-house film festival takes center stage, dedicated to showcasing an array of genre short films from both local and international filmmakers. The Cyprus Comic Con Film Festival is a celebration of creativity, uniting filmmakers and animators with a diverse audience who share a passion for the art of storytelling on screen.

Get ready for a curated selection of screenings that span the realm of film genres within popular culture. Whether you’re a die-hard film fanatic or just dipping your toes into the cinematic universe, there’s something here for everyone. Moreover, within the Film Festival hall, prepare for an engaging lineup of panels and interviews featuring Special Guests, filmmakers, and other creative minds.

This year’s Film Festival promises an enriched experience, with even more screenings to explore compared to previous years with exclusive screenings of the 48 Hour Film Challenge, tailored for our local filmmakers, competition for short films ,prizes and panels!

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s in store:

  • 48 Hour Film Challenge: Challenge yourself and your friends to create a film in a weekend! (More information about this below)
  • Competitive Short & Animated Film Screenings: Dive into bite-sized stories that pack a punch.
  • Student Film Screenings: Discover the promising talents of emerging filmmakers.
  • Anime Episodes: Immerse yourself in captivating animated narratives from Japan!
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Saturday l 5th of October l 48 Hour Film Challenge 2024 Screenings + Audience Vote (20:00 - 21:00)

Cyprus Comic Con Film Festival's Official Selections 2024 (Competitive)

The Lost Relic – A Star Wars Story | 14’ | France | PG

Dir. Clément Labarre & Pierre Labarre

While the Rebellion celebrates its victory on the moon of Endor, the symbols of the imperial oppression are fading away. But one of them has survived…

Chosen’t | 7′ | Israel | PG13

Dir. Yotam Goren

In a fantastical world, where all good stories commence, a young girl is declared “The Chosen One” by the angels, destined to face challenges and confront monsters. Initially proud, her joy turns to obsession after experiencing failure and abandonment. A chance encounter with a sensitive monster challenges her perspective.

Missed Connection | 3’ |  United States | PG13

Dir. Alex Zitomer

Maxx needs to catch this flight in order to get to a job interview on time, but what happens when she picks a fight in the airport?

Pizza Man | 4′ |  United States | PG 

Dir. Nathan M Miller

A pizza man accidentally delivers a pizza to a super villain’s newly constructed fortress.

Pavlova | 10’ | Cyprus | PG

Dir. Andreas Papakyriakou & Artemis Evlogimenou

A quiet man at a patisserie tries to enjoy his dessert while having some strange encounters.

Light Karma | 8′ | Greece | PG13

Dir. Alexandros Evripidou

Two burglars, Makis and Stefanos, enter an apartment building, roam the stairwell and the floors, successively breaking in the apartments, until they are confronted with the consequences of their actions.

This Way Up | 3’ | United Kingdom | G

Dir. Andreas Lambis

A man wakes up on a deserted island, with only a note pad, a pen and a bottle in hand.

Welcome To The Party | 2’ | United Kingdom | PG13

Dir. Jack Downs

Welcome to the party follows a criminal having an encounter with Britain’s newest vigilante and facing the consequences.

Weapon X | 12’ | Australia | PG15

Dir. Anantha Krishna Raj

A federal agent tracks an elusive and animalistic target to a remote bar, where this target is forced to confront his tortured past and the potential future it has made for him.

Triggered 2.0 | 22’ | United States | R

Dir. Mario Ricardo Rodriguez, Marcus NellJamal Hamm

A diabolical madman known as The Director 2.0, with a vendetta against Wolverine, plots a way to take his powers and use him as a distraction as he enacts his ultimate means of destroying all superpowered beings.

Black Sanga: The Prototype | 14′ | Spain | PG

Dir. Carlos Berenguer Carrión

Black Sanga: The Prototype is an animated fantasy short film set in the magical world of Gaea. The titular protagonist, Black Sanga, and her companion, the talking sword Sphinx, will travel through a misty forest and encounter some friendly and not-so-friendly creatures along the way.

Blind Optimism | 13′ | United Kingdom | PG13

Dir. Jesse Lin

Alan was blinded as a child in a classic superhero origin story – as such, he believes that he’s going to become a superhero on his 18th birthday. When the time comes, and no superpowers develop, Alan has to face a very real future.

 Lunatic | 16’ | Netherlands | G

Dir.  Robin Noorde

Lunatic tackles urgent earthly issues, as seen by a lonely astronaut, called Antonio, who was left behind on the moon after his coming out.

Diminished Reality | 5’ | Canada | PG

Dir. Charles Castonguay, Le Zoo Cinema

In the augmented reality game ‘Real Life Dragon Hunter’, Tammy’s digital obsession strains her friendship with Rachel, who tries to pull her back to reality.

Howl if You Love Me | 8′ | United States | PG 

Dir. John R. Dilworth

Boy has girl. Boy loses girl. Boy wins girl back, but girl is a werewolf.

I’m Leaving | 9′ | Russia | PG13

Dir. Vladimir Kornienko

Our days, Moscow. Two geek friends, Denis (33) and Alekha (133), live in an apartment close to the city center. One day, after reading the news and feeling thoroughly disappointed in his neighbors, Alekha decides to leave. However, before his departure, he must pack his things and talk to his friend… oh, and also ensure not to kill the planet with a teleporter.

 Decommissioned | 14’ | Australia | PG13

Dirs. Casey Golden, Beau Golden, Adam Barnard

When Unit 76411 is decommissioned and his ship destroyed, he finds himself on the run in an interplanetary pursuit with no one but himself to help him to safety.

Embrace | 2’  |  France | PG

Dir. Axel Zeltser

Mélanie walks past the same alley every day without noticing the strange metal bucket there.

Icebreaker | 7’ | Germany | PG13

Dir. Thomas Bauer

A young man resorts to trickery while trying to hit on a young woman, but she handles it in an unexpected way.

The Stranded | 13’ | Spain | PG13

Dir. Sergi Páez

The last survivor of a space base agonizingly awaits for her rescue, while a creature lurks in the dark.

MOTHERWITCH | Exclusive Sneak Preview | 10’| Cyprus / North Macedonia / USA| PG – 15

(Non-Competitive)
Dir. Minos Papas
An exclusive Sneak preview of the feature film MOTHERWITCH, starring Margarita Zachariou, Miltos Yerolemou, Jason Hughes, Dane Katsameni, and Athos Antoniou.

When Eleni, a painter living in a mountain village in 19th century Cyprus, finds out her three children have been killed, she tries to resurrect them by painting their portrait with the blood of an innocent child in her paint. But instead, Eleni summons the evil Kalikantzari, and she must find a way to banish them and break the curse.

Award Ceremony for the winners of the 48 Hour Film Challenge & The Competitive side of our film festival including Best National Film, Best International Film and Best Pop Culture Film!

For Filmmakers

Participate in the 48 Hour Film Challenge

Experience the rush of rapid filmmaking as your team takes on the 48 Hour Film Challenge. Over the span of a single weekend, participants will craft a short film from scratch. From scripting to shooting, editing, and sound design—every element must be meticulously executed within the confines of a 48-hour timeframe. The most outstanding entries will not only earn acclaim but also valuable rewards. The top 3 films will secure cash prizes while the top 10 submissions, will be granted the opportunity to showcase their film during a dedicated screening at the CCC Film Festival on Saturday.

Showcase Your Work at the Con!

We’re opening our doors to filmmakers worldwide, welcoming submissions that span the globe. While our reach extends internationally, our commitment to our local community is unwavering. Based in Cyprus, we provide a platform for local cinematic talents to shine brightly.

No matter where you’re from, your short film or animation has a place on our stage. Our aim is to connect your work with our eager attendees, fostering a dynamic exchange of storytelling and creativity.

48 Hour Film Challenge

Genre Drawing
Friday 23rd of August at 18:30

Start
Friday 23rd of August at 20:30

End
Sunday 25th of August at 20:30

1st Place

€500

2nd Place    l     3rd Place 

  €300                  €200

      All Completed Submissions Will be Screened at CCC Film Festival

  1. A member of the competing team must attend the genre pulling to check in their team on the 23rd of August at 6:30pm at the Directors Guild of Cyprus at Othellou 27, Nicosia 1016, Cyprus
  2. Submissions must be uploaded by each team by Sunday, September 25th at 9:00 p.m. (Some time can be allowed to go extra to compensate for upload times) via the 48 hour film section on our FilmFreeway Page

    If technical problems arise, upload to wetransfer.com and send it to film@cypruscomiccon.org

I. Times and Dates

  • The CCC 48 Hour Film Challenge Competition (“Competition”) is open to teams of anyone interested in partaking.
  • The CCC 48 Hour Film Challenge Competition takes place August 23 – 25 starting on Friday, August 23nd at 8:30pm for time and concluding on Sunday, August 25th at 8:30pm. This is the “Cyprus Comic Con 48 Film ChallengeTime Period.” .
  •  Only works that meet the deadline will be eligible to win the competition.
  •  Teams providing late submissions are advised to email film@cypruscomiccon.org with an explanation of reasons for the late submission.

II. Creative Work 

ALL CREATIVE WORK MUST BE DONE WITHIN THE “Cyprus Comic Con 48 Film ChallengeTime Period”. “Creative work” is defined as:

  • Writing the script
  • Rehearsing
  • Costume/Set Design
  • Shooting
  • Editing
  • Sound Design
  • Rendering
  • Exporting media in a form for submission

III. Pre-Competition Work

The only work to begin prior to the “Cyprus Comic Con 48 Film Challenge Time Period” is:

  • Organizing Crew
  • Organizing Cast
  • Securing Equipment
  • Scouting/Securing Locations

IV. Sources of Footage

  • All footage must be shot within the “Cyprus Comic Con 48 Film Challenge Time Period.”
  • No stock footage or footage shot or created at another time may be used.
  • Animation and special effects are permitted.
  • NOTE: Stock footage is permissible as part of a post-production effect or on a background monitor, i.e., a television, as long as the team has rights to the stock footage and the stock footage is placed over or under footage that is shot within the Challenge Time Period. Allowable stock footage includes bullets, fires, explosions, chromakeyed backgrounds, etc. Stock footage that plays a significant role in the story is not allowed.
  • Still photographs are permitted, provided that the team has the rights to them. The photos do not need to have been created during the Challenge Time Period.

VKickoff

A member of the competing team must attend the lot pulling at the 23rd of August at 6:30pm to check in their team at the Directors Guild of Cyprus at Οθέλλου 27, Nicosia 1016, Cyprus

VII. Content Requirements

  • Each participating group will be assigned required elements that must appear in its film, such as a Genre, a Character, a Prop and/or a Line of Dialogue.
  • The required Character and Prop must be seen on-screen.
  • The required Line of Dialogue must be used verbatim. It may be spoken, sung and/or written. It may be in any language but will need to be translated and/or subtitled to clearly demonstrate its use.
  • In order for a film to qualify for the competition, each team’s film must be in the genre assigned to it and must contain all required elements within the official time limit and prior to the credits. The Film 48 organizers have sole discretion to determine if an entry meets all the eligibility requirements.

VII. Team Size

  • Each team must have a minimum of 1 member to be eligible to compete in the CCC 48 Hour Film Challenge Competition. A maximum of ten members will also be enforced. All members must be listed on the competition registration form before the start of the competition.

VIII. Camera Use

  • Any type of video, animation or film camera may be used. There is no limit to the number of cameras.

IXMusic 

  • Participating groups may work with a composer and/or musicians to write and record original music for the films. It is permissible for a participating group to use pre-recorded music, assuming they have copyright clearance to include it. In the absence of a composer, we recommend using free public domain music.  Use of original music will be taken into account during judging.

X. Total Running Time

  • The finished film must be a minimum of two (2) minutes in duration, and within a maximum of seven (7) minutes in duration, not including end credits. (In other words, the official running time begins after the required slates and ends prior to the end credits.

  XI.  Submission Requirements  

  • Submissions must be uploaded by each team to the submission site by Sunday,  August 25th at 9:00 p.m. local time either via the 48 hour film section in our Film Freeway Section: https://filmfreeway.com/CyprusComicConFilmFest or if technical problems arise, through https://wetransfer.com/ transfer of the mp4 to film@cypruscomiccon.org.
  • If your film is very dark, it may be difficult to see during the screening.
  • All films received on the evening of the deadline will be screened, presuming they do not violate any of the submission criteria.  However, only those films submitted prior to or at the deadline will be eligible for winning in the Competition.

XII. Original Content

  • To be eligible for the competition, Entries must be the original work of those persons comprising the Entrant; must not infringe third-parties’ rights; must be suitable for publication (i.e., may not contain obscene, pornographic or indecent material); must not contain defamatory statements about any person, company, organization or entity; must  not invade privacy or other rights of any person, company or entity; must  not in any other way violate applicable laws and regulations; and must not contain any copyrighted elements (other than as owned one or more members of the participating group Entrant). Entries containing prohibited or inappropriate content as determined by CCC 48 Hour Film Challenge organizers in their sole discretion, will be disqualified. CCC 48 Hour Film Challenge reserves the right to make the final determination as to which entries are eligible.

XII. About AI Submissions

You may use AI (Artificial Intelligence) in the creation of your film, subject to the following guidelines:

  1. Aspects of your film can be done with assistance of AI but cannot be fully AI generated from start to finish.
  2. You may only use AI in ways that are legal in your jurisdiction.
  3. You may not use AI to create any part of your entry prior to the Official Time Period.
  4. You must have the rights to all work including work created with AI. In other words, any AI generated material that uses copyrighted material for which the filmmaker does not have a release is not permitted. (As an example, using a screenshot from the movie Pulp Fiction to create a new image is prohibited.)