11th International Audio Drama Festival
24-28 March 2025

This is the UNOFFICIAL WEBSITE for the International Radio Drama Festival. The latest news is posted at the TOP of the page; older information is lower down.

Official stuff (entry forms, admin, etc) is on the OFFICIAL festival website: radiodramafestival.org.uk .

How does the festival work? 2025 2024 2023 2023 2022 2021
Detailed notes for this year (about 20 pages): 2025 full programme

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FRIDAY: AWARDS






Winners and Jury Chairs


Winners and Jury

WINNERS OF THE AWARDS
The awards ceremony took place on Fri 28 March.

SHORT FORM (up to 7 minutes)
1. Bot 13, by Khosro Rasouli, Iran
2. Once Upon a Time, by Stefano Giannotti, Italy
3. The Parrot, by Wederik de Backer, Belgium


LONG FORM: (8-60 minutes)
1. Joint Winners:
The Voices of a Shimmering Stream, by Pietr Skotnicki, Poland
Utopia More and more by Gabriele Heller, UK
2. Nothing Is, Says the Wise by Ulrike Haage, Germany
3. Joint third place:
I have dreamed of you so much, by Roxane Ca'Zorzi, Belgium
The Political Music Show, by Cristian Fierbinteanu, Belgium


DEACON AWARD: BEST YOUNG PRODUCER
My Brilliant friend, by Elena Ferrenc, adapted and produced by Melania Vesalu, Synchromesh, Romania.
The award was presented in absentia to Alex Maniu. The play was created as part of the 'Synchromesh' project in Timisoara, Romania, 2024.

Congratulations to all concerned.

NOTES ON THE WINNING DRAMAS

SHORT FORM

BOT 13
By Khosro Rasouli, Iran; in Persian. A patient awakens in a hospital bed, to discover that he has been in a coma for 20 years and that he is now on a spaceship fleeing earth, which has undergone worldwide disaster: flooding, storms and an avalance of microplastics. A brilliant twist at the end makes us doubt his reality.

ONCE UPON A TIME
By Stefano Giannotti. This is a micro-opera built on well-known fairy tales, built on an earlier work commissioned by the radio programme Wurfsendung on Deutschlandfunk Kultur in 2008. In this version, Cinderalla, once married, stops cleaning the stepsisters' house and starts washiing the Prince's castle; the Fisherman prefers to eat the Golden Fish; then the Pied Piper leads his rats to global war. They are presented seamlessly as a single story. It is hilarious.

THE PARROT
A witty piece by Wederik de Backer, in Dutch, of a parrot which can sing Ave Maria, cough like a chain-smoker, and say 'Heil Hitler'.

LONG FORM

THE VOICES OF A SHIMMERING STREAM
By Pietr Skotnicki, based on the experiences of his Polish-Jewish refugee family. This was part 3 of a story about a family expelled from Lithuania by the Soviets. It is set in the period 1933-1945. The author was the director and he also composed the music. The play is a tribute to his grandmother; the experiences related were disccovered only when she died recently and the house was being cleared. Numerous papers were discovered relating to these terrible events.

UTOPIA MORE AND MORE
By Gabriele Heller, in English. A 60m audio piece combining new and old ideas about 'Utopoia' with a dazzling musical soundtrack. This came from a colloaboration between musicians John Garner, John Pope, Tobias Illingworth and Gabriele.

NOTHING IS, SAYS THE WISE
By Ulrike Haage. This was a musical-biographical piece based on the later part of the life of the poet Masha kaleko. It draw on her poems, letters and lesser-known papers from her estate. The music uses piano, harmonium, celesta and vocals.

I HAVE DREAMED OF YOU SO MUCH
By Roxane Ca'Zorzi, Belgium, 51m. The other-wordly reunion of Ondine and her spiritual soulmate, the French poet Robert Desnos. Ondine writes a letter to the radio programme where he used to analyse dreams, 80 years earlier.

THE POLITICAL MUSIC SHOW
By Cristian Fierbinteanu, Belgium. A confrontation between politicians, experimental musicians, intellectuals and art critics. Two nice quotes from the production: A politician says "F*ck you and f*ck your opinions"; an art critic says "An article is way more interesting than a piece of art".

YOUNG PRODUCER AWARD

MY BRILLIANT FRIEND
A 60m adaptation by Melania Vesalu based on the first two novels of 'My Brilliant Friend' by Elena Ferrante.

The story is set in Naples during the 1950s. It's about the friendship between Elena Greco (Lenu) and Raffaella Cerullo (Lila). The novel opens in 2010 with Elena, now in her sixties, learning of Lila's disappearance. It prompts her to begin writing their shared history from childhood.

The narrative follows their early life, describing their intellectual rivalry. Elena is quite bright and continues her education beyond elementary school. Lila, her 'brilliant friend', has to abandon her education to work in the family shoe shop.

Lila attempts to persuade her father and brother to produce shoes she has designed, whereas Elena goes to high school, and is sponsored for a summer vacation in Ischia. Whilst there she reconnects with her childhood crush, Nino.

Lila's beauty and intelligence attracts men, including Marcello, the son of a powerful local family. To escape an unwanted marriage to him, Lila agrees to marry Stefano, the son of a local grocer. But after marriage she finds his true nature leaves much to be desired.

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PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT
Click on the thumbnails for clearer pictures:


Listening to the plays


Jury sessions


Doctor Who event and more listening

More listening and some dancing from St. Vincent for a memorable end to the Friday session.
Sorry for the small number of pictures; I took lots more; then my phone died and they were lost.

ABOUT THIS EVENT
The UK International Audio Drama Festival 2025 is back. A unique chance to hear wonderful audio drama lasting from 1 minute to 1 hour. A whole range of languages but English translations provided . A rare chance to hear work from other cultures and other countries. Everyone welcome to join the jury discussion at the end of the day and even to join the jury and make awards. Thanks to our sponsors: ALCS, Arts Council England, Canterbury BID and Nigel and Alison Deacon.

Location: Canterbury Cathedral Lodge, 24-28 March 2025. We look forward to welcoming producers and audience alike for an exciting and stimulating week of listening and discussion.

ONLINE LISTENING SESSIONS
The UK International Audio Drama Festival 2025 will be available for real-time collective online listening in our new hybrid festival format

Listening to audio drama with others is a rare treat! After the success of last year's online festival, we are offering those who cannot make the journey to Canterbury, the opportunity to enjoy the spirit of the festival but online. Hosted, collective zoom sessions will bring the festival to you where you are and enable you to share the joy with others around the world. We hope also to enable remote participation in the jury sessions too.

Here's part of an interview on Indie AF where Mel Nock and Nicholas McInerny talk about the festival.

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WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE LANGUAGES?

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ADDITIONAL FESTIVAL EVENT: DOCTOR WHO
An extra event has been arranged for the Thursday 27 March - a 'Doctor Who' special, with Nick Briggs, voice of The Daleks and director Ken Bentley of Big Finish Productions. Venue: St. Dunstan's Church Hall, 80 London Rd, Canterbury; 6pm. Free admission; will be an interesting evening. Click on the thumbnail below to see the full-size advert. Hope to see you there.

20 Mar 25

UK INTERNATIONAL AUDIO DRAMA FESTIVAL, CANTERBURY
This takes place in a few days: 24-28 March, Canterbury. A flavour of the event can be seen in this youtube video done a couple of years ago by one of our participants:

Festival video

17 Mar 25


SCHEDULE SUMMARY
24-28 Mar:-Time,Title, country, language, length in minutes.

MONDAY
1000 Poliovuoski, Finnish, L, 52
The Most Dramatic Season Yet, USA, English, 18
Laika, Dutch, L, 18
Cher Stockholmes, Romanian, L, 12
Window of Contempt, Beneath the Surface, I am the First, Italian, S, 5,5,3
The Day the Music Died, Georgian,S, 7 **LUNCH 1300-1400
1400 Ihr Weg/Traversees,German/French, L, 53
Together with Gloria,1, Uganda, English & Rukonjo, L, 24
A Romance in the Air, USA, English, L, 22
RAZBOI/That War, Romanian, S, 3
Winter Olympics, UK, English, S, 5 [session ends at 5pm.]

TUESDAY
1000 I need a woman, Spanish, L, 18
Nothing is, says the wise, German, L, 59
My Synthetic Thoughts,UK, English, L, 14
'Horspiel' for the Viewer, Georgian, L, 53
First Squeak to First Word, USA, language N/A, S, 3
BOT 13, Iran, Persian, S, 6
An Old Friend, Iran, Farsi, S, 3
Hasti, Iran, Persian, S, 5 **LUNCH 1300-1400
1400 The End, Armenia, Russian, L, 12
A million years after, Serbian, L, 55m
The Tale of the Two Spoons, Italy, English, L, 15
A Mermaid's Song, Romanian, L, 54
Do You Have A Moment?, USA, English, S,2
The Grey Zone, Danish, S, 7 [ends 5pm]

WEDNESDAY
0930 Lagertha,1, Uganda, English, L, 14
Onda and Storia, Belgium, French & English, L, 60
The Glad Giver, UK, English, L, 32
Urban Paths: Mespoul Street, France, French, L, 15
Lovesick Suite:Time of War, S.Africa, English & Tswana & Zulu, L, 9
Pseudo Human Resources, New Zealand, English, S, 5
Your Results May Vary, USA, English, S, 7
Mute, Iran, Persian, S, 7
Dimo Duck, USA, English, S, 5
My Brilliant Friend, Romanian, L, 60 [session ends 1.30pm] **LATE LUNCH

THURSDAY
1000 Two Points of View, Israel, Hebrew, L, 21
I have dreamed of you so much, Belgium, French, L, 51
The Fearless Hunter, Uganda, English & Ugandan, L, 20
Herriec, the man who wanted to write, France, French, L, 44
A Little Drape of Heaven, USA, English, L, 29
Ripe Time, Still Life with Bottle & Vase, USA, English, S, 1m & 4m
What your government is doing to combat CC, USA, English, 2 **LUNCH 1300-1400
1400 Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Georgian, S, 12
Utopia - More and More, England/Germany, English, L. 60
Icaro, Texas, USA, English, L, 60
A Parrot, Belgium, Dutch, S, 7
Lump, UK, English, S, 6
Once Upon A Time, Italy, Italian, S, 7 [session ends at 5pm]

FRIDAY
9.30 The Voices of a Shimmering Stream, Poland,
Polish,Russian,German,L,55
The Three Wise Guys, USA, English, L, 40
The Political Music Show, Belgium, English and some French, L, 27
Significant Roadside Area, Australia, English, L, 19
Serial Killer, UK, English, S, 3
Lumi and the Daffodils, USA, English, S, 6
The Sound of Silence, Iran, Persian, S, 7
A Forced Bloom, Iran, Persian, S, 7
Pappy Don and Den Vincy Massive, UK, English, L, 23
The Consonant professional, USA, English, S, 7
Haunted, UK, English, S, 7
Red Waves, Iran, Persian, L, 18 [session ends at 1.30pm] **LATE LUNCH

If you need a single-sheet version of the above for easy reference, it's here - apologies in advance for any inadvertent typos.

14 Mar 25

FESTIVAL BEGINS 24 March

14 Mar 25

BEST EUROPEAN DRAMA - ADAs
I'm pleased to report that Marta's play "The Sister of Job" has reached the last 3 which means she is again a finalist for 'Best European Drama' in the Audio Drama Awards on 30 March.

18 Feb 25

FESTIVAL CHAIRS THIS YEAR

Say hello this year's festival chairs: Nigel Deacon and Helen Rowe.

Nigel is a long-standing friend of the festival and one of the sponsors of our Deacon award. He has a vast personal collection of UK audio dramas and a deep appreciation for radio.

Helen has worked as a producer & arts development leader for decades. She’s been involved in radio in a wide range of contexts and has a personal commitment to it as an art form.

We know that Nigel and Helen will bring an exciting energy and passion to this year’s event.

Keen to learn if you made it to our festival short list? We’ll be announcing that very soon - so watch this space.

17 Feb 25

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUBMISSIONS!
We have 134 entries from 24 countries in 23 languages. A huge thank you to everyone who has shared their work.

Our team has been hard at work cataloguing and responding to all your applications. The next step is for our jury to start listening to all the amazing audio dramas we have received.

We'll be announcing the short list in a few weeks, so stay tuned.

28 Jan 25

SUBMISSIONS UPDATE
You have two weeks left to apply for the 2025 UK International Audio Drama Festival: 24-28 Mar, in Canterbury.

We are looking for: