The 3rd International Short Film Festival of Salamina proudly presents the members of its International Jury, a group of ...distinguished artists and professionals from the fields of cinema and theatre.
Bringing together filmmakers, actors, and creators with significant experience and artistic vision, the Jury reflects the international character of the Festival and the diversity of contemporary cinematic expression. Their role is to evaluate the films participating in the Official Competition and to recognize those works that stand out for their originality, cinematic language, and artistic impact.
Through their professional expertise and creative perspectives, the members of the Jury contribute to the artistic dialogue that lies at the heart of the Festival, celebrating filmmakers whose work enriches and expands the language of cinema.
Dionysis Lykiardopoulos
Jury President – Film and Theatre Director (Greece)
Throughout his career he has worked in several areas of audiovisual production, beginning as an assistant director and later working in camera operation and film editing. In recent years he has been working as a freelance filmmaker.
He has directed short films and documentaries that have participated in and received awards at major Greek film festivals, including the Drama International Short Film Festival and the Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People.
In addition to his work in cinema, he has directed theatre productions and has taught acting for the camera at the N.E.L.E. Piraeus and at the Theatre Workshop of the Municipality of Piraeus.
Sabri Pajaziti
Film and Theatre Director (Kosova)
His theatrical work includes productions such as “King Lear” by William Shakespeare and “No Exit” by Jean-Paul Sartre, as well as several children’s theatre performances.
He has directed a number of short films, including 112, Sneeze, Memories, Skenderi, First Day, Taff Day, and Birthday.
His films have been screened at international festivals including TIFF Albania, Maribor Film Festival (Slovenia), Ayvalik Film Festival (Turkey), AFW New York, London, Johvi (Estonia), FICNOVA Spain, and Salamina Greece.
He has received awards at Ebensee (2008), Klopenersee, Austria (2010), and Salamina Greece (2024).
He has also served as a jury member at international film festivals, including SEFF Sisak Croatia (2021) and Trenet Spraitenbach Switzerland (2025).
Sabri Pajaziti is the founder of the FerFILM Festival, established in 2013.
Ioanna Gavakou
Actress (Greece)
Ioanna Gavakou is a graduate of the National Theatre Drama School of Greece and the Department of Theatre Studies at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
She has collaborated with some of the most important directors of Greek theatre and cinema, including Karolos Koun, Michael Cacoyannis, Leonidas Trivizas, Minos Volanakis, Nikos Nikolaidis, Kostas Bakas, Kostas Tsianos, and Korais Damatis.
Throughout her career she has performed major roles such as Grusha in “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” by Bertolt Brecht, Cassandra in Euripides’ “The Trojan Women”, Clytemnestra in “Letter to Orestes” by Iakovos Kambanellis, and Alice in Strindberg’s “The Dance of Death”, among many others.
For several years she lived and worked in the United States, collaborating with professional theatre companies such as Scena Theater, the Washington Shakespeare Company, the Strawberry Festival, and the Producers Club II in New York.
Her performances received excellent reviews from major American media outlets including The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Review Magazine.
She has also appeared in Greek television series such as “Dikigoroi”, “Parea”, “Altana tis Pargas”, and “Min mou gyrnas tin plati”.
In Greek cinema she has played important roles in films such as “The Murderess” (based on Alexandros Papadiamantis) directed by Stella Arkeneti, where she played the title role, and “I, Giannoulis Halepas”, also directed by Stella Arkeneti, where she portrayed Eirini, the mother of the sculptor Giannoulis Halepas.
Rena Kotseli
Theatre Educator & Actress – Greece
Rena Kotseli was born in Athens and grew up in Salamina. She is a graduate of the Department of Theatre Studies at the University of Patras and has also completed further training in “Documentary: Theory and Practice” at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
She collaborates with the Theatre of Salamina, where she is actively involved in theatre education, organizing and leading creative drama and theatre play workshops for children, while also directing the Teen Theatre Workshop of the theatre.
Her theatrical experience includes both stage performance and creative work in scenography and costume design. She worked as set and costume designer for the Theatre Group of the Department of Theatre Studies in the performance Heliopetra by Octavio Paz, directed by Maria-Sarra Karpouzi.
As a performer, she has appeared in productions such as Euripides’ “Medea”, where she participated as Leader of the Chorus, and Tennessee Williams’ one-act play “The Lady of Larkspur Lotion” (known in Greek as “I Lady Fthierozol”), in the role of Mrs. Hardwicke-Moore, in a production directed by Stefanos Karidakis at the Theatre of Salamina.
She has also performed in Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire”, in the role of Stella.
Through her work in theatre education and performance, she contributes to the promotion of theatrical culture and artistic expression among younger generations.
Stefanos Karidakis
Theatre Director – Actor – Writer (Greece)
Stefanos Karidakis is a Greek theatre director, actor, writer, and cultural organizer. He is the founder and Artistic Director of the Theatre of Salamina, where he develops theatrical productions, educational workshops, and international cultural collaborations. His work often explores the dialogue between classical heritage and contemporary artistic expression. Karidakis has directed numerous theatre productions and has been involved in cultural initiatives connecting Greece with other countries, particularly in the Mediterranean region. His productions and artistic projects have been presented in Greece and abroad, while he also works in the fields of theatre education and cultural exchange. Through his work he seeks to promote theatre as a living form of dialogue, creativity, and cultural connection.
Actress (Greece)
She has collaborated with some of the most important directors of Greek theatre and cinema, including Karolos Koun, Michael Cacoyannis, Leonidas Trivizas, Minos Volanakis, Nikos Nikolaidis, Kostas Bakas, Kostas Tsianos, and Korais Damatis.
Throughout her career she has performed major roles such as Grusha in “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” by Bertolt Brecht, Cassandra in Euripides’ “The Trojan Women”, Clytemnestra in “Letter to Orestes” by Iakovos Kambanellis, and Alice in Strindberg’s “The Dance of Death”, among many others.
For several years she lived and worked in the United States, collaborating with professional theatre companies such as Scena Theater, the Washington Shakespeare Company, the Strawberry Festival, and the Producers Club II in New York.
Her performances received excellent reviews from major American media outlets including The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Review Magazine.
She has also appeared in Greek television series such as “Dikigoroi”, “Parea”, “Altana tis Pargas”, and “Min mou gyrnas tin plati”.
In Greek cinema she has played important roles in films such as “The Murderess” (based on Alexandros Papadiamantis) directed by Stella Arkeneti, where she played the title role, and “I, Giannoulis Halepas”, also directed by Stella Arkeneti, where she portrayed Eirini, the mother of the sculptor Giannoulis Halepas.
Rena Kotseli
Theatre Educator & Actress – Greece
She collaborates with the Theatre of Salamina, where she is actively involved in theatre education, organizing and leading creative drama and theatre play workshops for children, while also directing the Teen Theatre Workshop of the theatre.
Her theatrical experience includes both stage performance and creative work in scenography and costume design. She worked as set and costume designer for the Theatre Group of the Department of Theatre Studies in the performance Heliopetra by Octavio Paz, directed by Maria-Sarra Karpouzi.
As a performer, she has appeared in productions such as Euripides’ “Medea”, where she participated as Leader of the Chorus, and Tennessee Williams’ one-act play “The Lady of Larkspur Lotion” (known in Greek as “I Lady Fthierozol”), in the role of Mrs. Hardwicke-Moore, in a production directed by Stefanos Karidakis at the Theatre of Salamina.
She has also performed in Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire”, in the role of Stella.
Through her work in theatre education and performance, she contributes to the promotion of theatrical culture and artistic expression among younger generations.
Stefanos Karidakis
Theatre Director – Actor – Writer (Greece)
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