In more than two decades of operation, Cyprus Film Days festival has evolved from a local screening event into a hub connecting filmmakers from Europe and the Middle East.
Since 2020, the festival has run a professional network, ‘Dot.on.the.Map,’ helping to launch productions and foster international collaborations.
Danae Stylianou, a filmmaker who heads the festival’s industry platform, speaks about her ‘dot on the map’ philosophy – the counterintuitive belief that Cyprus’s limitations (its small size and peripheral location) might actually be its greatest strengths.
As Cyprus Film Days gets ready for its 23rd edition this April (04-12), Stylianou reflects on how the festival has become an incubator for cross-cultural cinema and a lifeline for an industry determined to tell local stories on their own terms.
Cyprus Film Days has evolved significantly in recent years to provide much-needed support to a struggling film industry. In your view, what is the festival’s biggest success and how can it still develop?
The Cyprus Film Days International Festival, jointly organised by the Department of Contemporary Culture at the Deputy Ministry of Culture and the Rialto Theatre, celebrates its 23rd edition this year under the artistic direction of Argyro Nicolaou and Marios Lizidis. The festival began in 2001 with the aim of offering Cyprus’s cinephile audience the opportunity to experience quality, independent cinema. In 2011, the festival introduced its first competitive section, followed by a national competition programme featuring Cypriot filmmakers in 2015.
Currently, the festival has evolved beyond traditional screenings to offer filmmaking workshops for both professionals and non-professionals, as well as the “Film Days for Children and Young People” section with screenings and workshops for young filmmakers under the artistic direction of Athena Xenidou. Additionally, since 2020, the Dot.on.the.Map Industry Days platform for film professionals has been operating.
Each year, the festival hosts numerous film industry professionals during its ten-day run who participate as trainers, visiting filmmakers accompanying their films, and in the activities of the Dot.on.the.Map Industry Days.
Through the integration of the Dot.on.the.Map Industry Days production, training and networking platform, the festival has expanded considerably over the past six years, creating and maintaining communication bridges with Europe and the Middle East, providing fertile ground for creative, artistic and economic synergies in the film sector. By bringing together producers, directors, screenwriters, sales representatives, distributors, trainers, funding programme representatives, festivals, and other industry specialists, the platform promotes intercultural dialogue and co-production opportunities, positioning Cyprus on the map of the international film landscape.
Last year, we hosted over 150 professionals from 20 countries across Europe, the Middle East and, of course, Cyprus. We hope that in the future, it will continue to attract the interest of an increasing number of film professionals.
Birth of Dot.on.the.Map
Dot.on.the.Map was launched in 2020. What was your vision when you first started this platform?
The initiative was first launched during the pandemic in 2020, which forced us to conduct the first two editions online. Those first two years were exploratory for us, as well as an opportunity to identify what innovative element our organisation would bring to the international film festival market scene. Over time, we defined the identity of this event as a meeting point between Europe and the Middle East, with particular emphasis on talents from the Mediterranean region.
Certainly, the organisers’ vision was and continues to be the evolution of this initiative into a dynamic platform for establishing artistic and economic collaborations, as well as the development of film art and industry in Cyprus, and its upgrading as a connection point for professionals in the nearby region with the international arena.
Additionally, Dot.on.the.Map Industry Days promotes Cyprus as an ideal filming location. Our excellent relations and geographical proximity to Middle Eastern countries make us a particularly attractive location for European producers who show interest in co-productions from the broader Middle Eastern region through the European territory of Cyprus. All of the above contribute to the greater outward-looking approach of Cypriot cinema.
Supporting filmmakers
How does Dot.on.the.Map Industry Days undertake to support filmmakers?
Dot.on.the.Map promotes lifelong learning and audiovisual education for film professionals, while accreditation for local professionals is offered completely free of charge by the organisers. This means that a film professional based in Cyprus has the opportunity to participate in the event without financial burden, and to take advantage of the networking and educational opportunities offered.
The educational dimension of the event – under the title Cinema Talks – offers a multifaceted programme of educational activities, which this year will focus thematically on co-production opportunities, funding strategies, and the important role of film festivals for the industry. Women’s creativity in cinema will also be highlighted, while issues of gender equality and inclusion of diversity in the sector will be discussed, following an exchange of views on possible solutions and support policies for women professionals. The aim is to broaden the knowledge of already active professionals, as well as to deepen reflection on issues concerning the film community.
An additional advantage of participation for a Cypriot producer is the fact that they are provided with the opportunity to meet other producers from Europe and the Middle East in their own country, without having to travel outside Cyprus, and potentially enter into a co-production agreement. As a member of the European family, Cyprus offers co-production opportunities as a minority co-producer, through the relevant programme of the Deputy Ministry of Culture. Additionally, the Cyprus Film Commission – Invest Cyprus – one of our major sponsors whom we warmly thank – implements the audiovisual industry promotion scheme, which attracts the interest of foreign investors as economic incentives are provided for this purpose.
Our production team invests time in creating contacts with these producers and finding professionals who have a genuine interest in our country and the region. Specialists in film development, producers, financiers, sales agents, representatives of television channels, film and television platforms, as well as distributors, festival representatives, and film funding bodies participate in the event.
Dot cultivates the relationships that the Cyprus Cinema Office at the Deputy Ministry of Culture has maintained for many years with European institutions and organisations involved in cinema. Dot.on.the.Map develops each year by establishing new partnerships with bodies and organisations. As part of our educational activities, representatives of these organisations come to Cyprus, and Cypriot professionals can not only be informed by them but also connect with them in private meetings. In the past, we have hosted representatives from Eurimages, the SEE Cinema Network, EAVE, film funding bodies such as Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, while this year we are pleased to welcome representatives from the British Film Institute, the European Producers Club, Lab Femmes de Cinema, and at least five film festivals from the Mediterranean. Each year, our list of supporters and partners grows.
This year, we initiated a collaboration with the Creative Europe MEDIA Desk Greece, while we also expanded our collaboration with the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Centre (EKKOMED), which will offer an award this year for the first time as part of our Co-production Forum. The support offered by the European Programmes and Cultural Relations Organisation, Creative Europe Desk Cyprus, is also invaluable.
Selection criteria for projects
What are the criteria and the process behind selecting projects for the Dot.on.the.Map Meeting Point co-production forum?
The basic submission criteria are that film project proposals must involve feature-length fiction, be in the development and funding stage, and geographically originate from the Mediterranean region. The proposals should be a production or co-production with a Mediterranean country, or contain plot elements that connect them to these regions. There are other more practical criteria for which one can be informed from our website.
Each year, the number of submissions increases sharply, having quadrupled compared to the first year. I consider this a great success of the programme, as it proves that producers value this platform and consider it equal to other European events. In such a short period of time, we have managed to attract the interest of important producers and directors from Europe and the Middle East, as well as emerging talents. Previously, there was also the criterion that it had to be the first or second film of the director, but we abolished this condition because we realised – after many messages we received – that the opportunity to participate in DOT is equally important and valuable for a more mature director and producer.
Special importance in the selection process is given to proposals with increased chances of implementation, which combine production quality with artistic value. Additionally, for us, it is important to select film projects that include in their goals or prospects the finding of co-production mainly with Cyprus but also with the surrounding region.
Success stories
What are some success stories of Dot.on.the.Map?
We are particularly proud of the fact that this year, three films that participated in previous years as film projects in the Dot.on.the.Map co-production forum will be competing in our Festival. Ghost Trail directed by Jonathan Millet from France, Seeking Haven for Mr Rambo directed by Khaled Mansour from Egypt, and the Cypriot film Smaragda, directed by Emilios Avraam will compete for the major awards of the festival.
In total, at least 30% of the film projects that have been presented in our co-production forum since its first edition in 2020 have proceeded to production or co-production or have been completed. Additionally, I consider the increasing participation and interest of Cypriot professionals a success because it proves that they consider the programme important for their professional development and appreciate the opportunities offered for their connection with other professionals.
First and foremost, the Dot.on.the.Map Industry Days platform was created to support the domestic film industry, which despite the challenges it faces manages to triumph with distinctions and participations in film festivals and important events abroad. Film students and young graduates are also important to us, whom we try to involve in every way. This year, we have two film students in our production team, and I consider it extremely important to involve young, emerging creators at all stages of the organisation.
Challenges facing Cypriot cinema
What are the main challenges facing the Cypriot film industry, and how do Cyprus Film Days and Dot.on.the.Map attempt to address them?
Although the domestic industry is evolving and developing, infused with new blood of filmmakers, the small size of the country remains an obstacle for productions. At this moment, in my opinion, it is absolutely necessary to offer training programmes to young people, to develop specialisations in the sector. There is often a shortage of crews and adequately trained professionals. Certainly, through the actions of film festivals and the activities of Dot.on.the.Map, opportunities are offered for our professionals, but it remains important to formulate a state policy for their support and training.
Balancing your roles as a filmmaker and head of an industry platform must be demanding. How do these roles inform and influence each other?
I would say it is quite a big challenge for me to balance my work as a documentary producer and director, and at the same time as the head of Dot. Mainly in terms of time commitment. Nevertheless, I feel that I am contributing to the film community of Cyprus, and in a way to future creators as well, so this is already a good enough reason to try.
I have learned a lot through my role as the head of the platform, which is certainly useful in my own practice. I find the process extremely interesting both in terms of curating the co-production forum and the programme, as well as producing the event. I am given the opportunity to travel to film festivals abroad and bring this knowledge to our own event.
I have also realised that sometimes what we consider as our disadvantages can turn out to be our greatest virtues. For example, our limited resources force us to organise a smaller-scale event. But I can now say with certainty that this is precisely our strong point. The foreign professionals who come to Cyprus place great value on precisely this opportunity: to find themselves in a friendly environment, to get to know the Cypriot film scene that is largely unknown to them, and not to face once again a chaotic and impersonal festival but an event that welcomes them with appreciation and familiarity. Moreover, many of them, especially representatives of institutional organisations, appreciate the fact that they are offering knowledge to an emerging industry, and this is something that particularly interests Europe.
Future plans
Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for Dot.on.the.Map Industry Days?
I have tried through my role as the head of Dot.on.the.Map Industry Days to draw inspiration from the name of the event – a dot on the map – and to turn it into our strong point. For the future, I would like us to remain accessible, maintaining our small size, and giving absolute importance to proximity, friendship, respect, and trust, values that this allows us to cultivate. At the same time, I would like us to continue to contribute to an outward-looking approach for Cypriot cinema, which I believe it absolutely needs.
I hope that, by broadening cinematic horizons, Dot.on.the.Map will continue to be that common space where the cultural heritage, identity, and traditions of the broader geographical area to which we belong will find ways to meet and be highlighted through the medium of film.
Accreditation for Dot.on.the.Map Industry Days is exclusively addressed to film professionals with active involvement. Applications for accreditation from film professionals are accepted at the following link: http://access.cyprusfilmdays.com until Wednesday, 2 April 2025.
