The Center for Social Innovation – CSI (csicy.com), as the official representative of the European Union for the Diversity Charter Cyprus and with the support of numerous organisations and institutions, is organising the Film Festival on Diversity from 17 to 25 May 2025, across various locations in Cyprus.

The Festival’s overarching aim is to highlight the importance of tolerance, acceptance, peaceful intercultural coexistence and interaction, social solidarity, and inclusion, through high-quality films that provoke social reflection.

This year’s edition specifically aims to contribute to cultural decentralisation and promote multi-level collaborations. The programme includes screenings and parallel events in partnership with cultural venues, embassies of other countries, festivals, schools, shelters for unaccompanied refugee minors, bars, international student collectives, and more.

The Diversity Film Festival is the evolution of the annual Disability Film Festival, which was successfully organised by CSI for three consecutive years (2021–2023) with the support of several institutions. From now on, the newly renamed Diversity Film Festival will function as a parallel festival under the umbrella of the Diversity Forum, which will be held by CSI on 22 May 2025 at the “Melina Mercouri” Cultural Centre, co-funded by the EU projects DIGFINLIT and TALENT.

Entrance to all screeningso is free.

Festival Programme

• Saturday 17/5 – Festival Opening – ARTos House (64 Ayion Omoloyiton St., 1080 Nicosia)
– 19:00: “Music for Films” live performance by Andri Irakleous & Kyriakos Charalambous
– 19:20: Festival presentation by Vaggelis Gettos, Head of Arts & Culture, CSI
– 19:30: Official opening by the Mayor of Nicosia, Mr. Charalambos Prountzos
– 19:40: Welcome speech by Maria Patsea, Project Manager of DIGFINLIT (CSI)
– 19:50: Screening: Africa Star, by Adonis Florides
– 21:50: Wine & bites break
– 22:00: Screening: Rosemarie, by Adonis Florides

• Sunday 18/5 – Amygdalia Cultural Arts Centre (8 G. Digenis St., Pera Oreinis 2650)
– 19:00: Screening: De Profundis, by Vaggelis Gettos, Vasiliki Kypraiou & Haris Panayiotou
– Storytelling session by Elenitsa Georgiou

• Wednesday 21/5 – French Institute of Cyprus (59 Strovolos Avenue, 2018 Nicosia)
– 18:00: Screening: How to Tell a Secret, by Shaun Dunne & Anna Rodgers
– 19:40: Wine & bites break
– 20:00: Screening: Divertimento, by Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar

• Thursday 22/5 – Kaskanter (6 Olympias St., Lympia 2566)
– 20:00–23:00: Looping short film screenings:
o 12.800, by Andreas Papakyriakou
o Pavlova, by Andreas Papakyriakou & Artemis Evlogimenou
o Nail Clippings: World Without Sun, by Artemis Evlogimenou
o C’est Celestial, by Artemis Evlogimenou (in collaboration with composer Marina Elderton)

• Saturday 24/5 – CSI (62 Riga Fereou St., 1010 Nicosia)
– 19:30: Screening: Billy Elliot, by Stephen Daldry

• Sunday 25/5 – FEMME Fest – Nicosia Municipal Garden (Kinyras St., Nicosia)
– 18:00: Panel Discussion – Women in Cinema and Audiovisual Arts in Cyprus
o Marina Makri, actress
o Christina Christofia, actress
o Eleni Kallinikou, actress
o Adonis Florides, director
o Moderated by Vaggelis Gettos, Head of Arts & Culture, CSI

Throughout the Festival, screenings for children will also take place in collaboration with schools and the Hope for Children CRC Policy Center.

Supporters: Embassy of France in Cyprus & French Institute of Cyprus, Embassy of Ireland in Cyprus, FEMME Fest, Hope For Children CRC Policy Center, AMP Filmworks, ARTos House, EU projects DIGFINLIT & TALENT, Erasmus Student Network (ESN) Cyprus, Ideogramma, Kaskanter, Amygdalia Arts Centre.

Info: info@csicy.com & vaggelis.gettos@csicy.com, 22 610713