We live our lives through stories. We make sense of the world through the stories we share. Some of these stories enable us to forge connections, while others enable us to realise our diversity. Some stories help us realise our desire to live together and some stories demand that we attend to social issues that may be outside our individual experience but cause us to question the meaning of being human and what it means to share our planet with others. Each story we tell, hear, and share defines what sort of a “we” we are.

With that in mind, four Laboratories from three Greek Universities (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University of the Aegean, and Ionian University) have collaborated to organise the biannual International Digital Storytelling Festival (DST-Zakynthos) in Zakynthos between the biannual International DST conferences.

Prior to the International Storytelling Festival (DST-Zakynthos), two national DST festivals have taken place in Greece: “When 01 meets narration: Digital stories” at the Greek Film Archive (9-10/12/2017, Athens) & “When 01 meets the Storytelling: Discussions and digital stories” (17-18/3/2018, Zakynthos).

The Greek island of Zakynthos (Zante) is one of the seven Ionian islands and constitutes a spot in time and space where the convergence of diverse sociocultural narratives takes place. Ugo Foscolo (national poet of Italy), Andreas Kalvos, Dionysios Solomos (national poet of Greece), and Andreas Vesalius are amongst the island's most notable cultural figures.

The 1st International Digital Storytelling Festival celebrates the power of stories and the art of digital storytelling. We, as members of the Digital Storytelling community worldwide, have been story workers for almost four decades. The members of this community have been working around the world to foster social justice and raise awareness of issues of concern, in the hope of contributing to a world characterised by respect and equality for all, regardless of gender, race, religion or belief, age, or ability.

DST-Zakynthos is expected to constitute a space where diverse community-driven digital stories can be communicated to the broader community, shared, and critically reflected upon by experts (artists, scientists, medical doctors, etc.) and by the Festival participants (DST creators or not). With the aim of raising discussions about important themes affecting us all, we invite digital storytellers to take part in this festival and to submit stories in relation to the following themes:

• Culture
• Education
• Environment
• Health
• Science and Research
• Society

Ten digital stories will be selected for each theme to be screened during the Festival. These stories will be selected by the relevant Festival Committee (an international team including Digital Storytelling experts, Theme experts, and Artists) using the principles of inclusion regarding age, gender, geographical region, and language. Moreover, the relevant Festival Committee for each theme will select a representative focal digital story to be screened at the end of the festival to attract attention to a global issue in relation to the theme. This story will also be granted the Festival Award for this theme. During the Festival, the screening of these stories will be accompanied by a theme-focussed discussion panel.

All the submitted stories conforming to the Conditions of Submission (see below) will be shown during the Festival.

Conditions of Submission

• Digital Stories are characterised by the creator’s truth. They are first-person narratives, usually created in a Digital Storytelling Workshop, crucially differing from a video clip or a short film.Every story has its own value.
• Each storyteller can contribute one or two digital stories.
• Each storyteller can contribute only one story per theme.
• We accept any digital story created within an acknowledged institution, organization, etc., or an independently-created digital story.
• Each submission must include the digital story subtitled in English (see the festival website for technical specifications) and the completion of an entry form (available at the festival website).
• Payment of the handling fees (15 euros per DST).

Detailed information about the procedures for entering the 1st International DST Festival (DST-Zakynthos 2024) may be found at https://dstfestival.org, while queries may be sent to info@dstfestival.org.

Venue

The 1^st International Digital Storytelling Festival We, The Story (DST-Zakynthos 2024) will be hosted by the "Foskolos" multi-purpose hall (https://cinefoskolos.gr) and the Municipal Theatre of Zakynthos.

Important dates

Submissions: 01 March 2024 - 15 May 2024
Decision to contributors: 30 May 2024
Registration of attendance : 30 May 2024 – 30 June 2024

Organised by:
– Zakynthos Club For UNESCO
– Laboratory of New Technologies in Communication, Education and the Mass Media, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
– Mathematics, History, Philosophy and Didactics of Mathematics Laboratory, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
– Learning Technology and Educational Engineering Laboratory, University of the Aegean
– Interactive Arts Laboratory, Ionian University

Co-Organised by:
– Region of Ionian Islands
– Université Paris 8
– MICA - Université Bordeaux – Montaigne
– University of Lapland
– Chaire UNESCO ITEN
– MSc Global Health-Disaster Medicine, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
– EU Jean Monnet Chair in Humanitarian Medicine and Response in Action (2020-2024)
– The Greek Film Archive Foundation (Tainiothiki Tis Ellados)
– StoryCenter (USA)
– Pilgrim Projects (UK)