When people think of Greece, they think of whitewashed islands soaking up the sun for 300 days of sunny weather, dotted along the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean: the perfect vacation getaway for millions of tourists looking for a piece of paradise.
But Greece has quickly become a paradise for filmmakers, not just tourists, with Hollywood and many foreign production companies exploring its rich and diverse landscape for cast, crew and sets, while taking advantage of generous tax incentives and support services offered.
Moreover, with an architectural landscape that spans all periods of human history, Greece provides the perfect film set, a production designer’s dream, offering unrivaled values and production possibilities.
As well as quickly becoming the omphalos of the film world, Greek cinema has also seen a boom in recent years, giving rise to notable directors and films, especially after the financial crisis, in a genre often referred to as the “wave”. strange” Greek.
The production of Greek films is rich, with several award-winning international awards, the main one being Theodoros Angelopoulos’ film An Eternity and a Day (1998, Palme d’or – 51st Cannes International Film Festival) and more recently, Dogtooth (2009 ), Oscar nominee. by Yorgos Lanthimos, which won the Un Certain Regard Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Until 2017, the few foreign films shot in Greece highlighted the country’s familiar “touristy” aesthetic, in places like Hydra, Rhodes, Mykonos, Kefalonia, Crete and Athens: Boy on a Dolphin (1957), Zorba the Greek (1964), For Your Eyes Only (1984), Le Grand Bleu (1988). Among the most recent productions, it is worth mentioning Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (2001).
Since 2015, film production has evolved in Greece with the creation of the National Center for Audiovisual Media and Communication (EKOME), which operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Digital Governance.
EKOME manages, among other things, the incentives of the “horizontal” rebate (reimbursement of costs): initially 25% (with law 4448/2017) of eligible film production expenses, then 35% (law 4563/2018) and finally 40 % (Law 4704/2020), which is still valid today.
The rebate incentives have seen a total of 176 projects funded over the past four years, 94 national and 82 cross-border (usually co-productions) or foreign, with a total budget of €252 million. EKOME estimates that they were filmed in 140 locations across Greece.
In 2021 alone, ten very big films or series with a budget between 8 and 20 million euros were shot in Greece. For the first time, we saw many productions financed by major American studios (Disney, Paramount), many of which were broadcast on popular streaming platforms Netflix, Apple TV and Amazon.
So why should we film in Greece?
Greece is for many reasons an ideal destination for audiovisual works:
- Generous investment incentives: for film facilities, studio infrastructure and production, through to investment law, cash rebate and tax relief scheme;
- Modernized licensing process: 15 Film Offices located in 13 regions of Greece;
- Experienced Professionals, Industry Experts and Modern Venues: Highly skilled filmmakers and industry experts (EKK and EKOME) provide ongoing guidance and support;
- Production value at a competitive cost: Excellent teams, high quality equipment and rental services, competitive wages;
- Incomparable natural and architectural beauty: Unique locations and natural light all year round;
- Safe and welcoming environment for international productions: Greece is one of the safest destinations in Europe for tourism, work and the production of audiovisual works.
Recent foreign productions toured in Greece
Greece has now become the country of choice for international film investments. The creation of investment laws and the continuous improvement of the legislative framework of the drawback, combined with the technical-material infrastructure, the security and the natural beauty of the country, are strong incentives for international film productions.
Films shot and being shot in Greece: The Lost Daughter (2021) by Maggie Gyllenhaal, Triangle of Sadness (2022) by Ruben Östlund, We smile for the photo (2020) by François Uzan, Born to be Murdered (2021) by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) by Rian Johnson, Tin Soldiers (2022) by Odette Schwegler, The Bricklayer (2022) by Renny Harlin, Rise (2022) by Akin Omotoso, Crimes of the Future (2022 ) by David Cronenberg, The Enforcer by Richard Hughes (2022), My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 by Nia Vardalos (2022), Les Cyclades by Caroline Bonmarchand (2022), The Petitson by Nely Reguera (2022), Mediterraneo: Le droit de the sea by Marcel Barrena (2022), The Expendables 4 by Scott Waugh (2022) and the Australian film Voices in Deep by Jason Raftopoulos, which is in post-production.
Speaking to the Hellenic Film Commission, David Cronenberg noted his reasoning for filming in Greece: “When I first wrote the script for Crimes of The Future two decades ago, its location was ambiguous. But as the film came to fruition, we started exploring the possibility of shooting in Greece. Looking at the unique buildings and exteriors of Athens and its surroundings, the incredible textures of an ancient city, the hypnotic presence of an ancient sea, my vision for the film suddenly came to fruition. I fully embraced the gifts Athens presented to me, and now it seems like the movie couldn’t have been set anywhere else. And among those Athenian gifts were the passionate and diligent Greek cast and crew, who were great to work with. They went out of their way to make us feel welcome, and their hard work contributed to every frame in the final photo.
The Greek production company Argonauts SA, which had cooperated with Robert Lantos, the film’s producer, has again participated in the project in the past as a minority co-producer and production services company. Robert Lantos said of the experience of filming in Greece: “Of course it turns out that the Greek technicians and crew are very high level. We had a wonderful mix of Canadians and Greeks on the team! It was a great experience for all of our crew, and I think the Greek crew enjoyed the experience as well!
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, The Lost Daughter director Maggie Gyllenhaal explained how she found herself filming in Greece: “One day, out of nowhere, I said, ‘What about Greece?’ In Greece I can be a stranger looking inside and the way [Leda] is a stranger watching. And even though I don’t understand what shopping in the supermarket is like there, neither does she, and so it’s fine,” says Gyllenhaal. “And as soon as I said Greece, there was no stopping us. We were in Greece three weeks later.
Australian director Jason Raftopoulos perfectly summed up his decision to shoot Voices in Deep in the Greek capital: “For centuries, Athens has been a place where the lives of millions have intersected. It is a city that has been both conqueror and conquered, a place of great enlightenment and great oppression, a meeting place of religions, ideas and sexual ambiguity. It is for these reasons that I chose Athens as a setting to explore ideas of time, despair, identity and freedom.
* Constantinos Yiannakodimos is Press Adviser, Office of Public Diplomacy, Consulate General of Greece in Sydney. This article first appeared in Filmink.
When people think of Greece, they think of whitewashed islands soaking up the sun for 300 days of sunny weather, dotted along the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean: the perfect vacation getaway for millions of tourists looking for a piece of paradise.
But Greece has quickly become a paradise for filmmakers, not just tourists, with Hollywood and many foreign production companies exploring its rich and diverse landscape for cast, crew and sets, while taking advantage of generous tax incentives and support services offered.
Moreover, with an architectural landscape that spans all periods of human history, Greece provides the perfect film set, a production designer’s dream, offering unrivaled values and production possibilities.
As well as quickly becoming the omphalos of the film world, Greek cinema has also seen a boom in recent years, giving rise to notable directors and films, especially after the financial crisis, in a genre often referred to as the “wave”. strange” Greek.
The production of Greek films is rich, with several award-winning international awards, the main one being Theodoros Angelopoulos’ film An Eternity and a Day (1998, Palme d’or – 51st Cannes International Film Festival) and more recently, Dogtooth (2009 ), Oscar nominee. by Yorgos Lanthimos, which won the Un Certain Regard Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Until 2017, the few foreign films shot in Greece highlighted the country’s familiar “touristy” aesthetic, in places like Hydra, Rhodes, Mykonos, Kefalonia, Crete and Athens: Boy on a Dolphin (1957), Zorba the Greek (1964), For Your Eyes Only (1984), Le Grand Bleu (1988). Among the most recent productions, it is worth mentioning Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (2001).
Since 2015, film production has evolved in Greece with the creation of the National Center for Audiovisual Media and Communication (EKOME), which operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Digital Governance.
EKOME manages, among other things, the incentives of the “horizontal” rebate (reimbursement of costs): initially 25% (with law 4448/2017) of eligible film production expenses, then 35% (law 4563/2018) and finally 40 % (Law 4704/2020), which is still valid today.
The rebate incentives have seen a total of 176 projects funded over the past four years, 94 national and 82 cross-border (usually co-productions) or foreign, with a total budget of €252 million. EKOME estimates that they were filmed in 140 locations across Greece.
In 2021 alone, ten very big films or series with a budget between 8 and 20 million euros were shot in Greece. For the first time, we saw many productions financed by major American studios (Disney, Paramount), many of which were broadcast on popular streaming platforms Netflix, Apple TV and Amazon.
So why should we film in Greece?
Greece is for many reasons an ideal destination for audiovisual works:
- Generous investment incentives: for film facilities, studio infrastructure and production, through to investment law, cash rebate and tax relief scheme;
- Modernized licensing process: 15 Film Offices located in 13 regions of Greece;
- Experienced Professionals, Industry Experts and Modern Venues: Highly skilled filmmakers and industry experts (EKK and EKOME) provide ongoing guidance and support;
- Production value at a competitive cost: Excellent teams, high quality equipment and rental services, competitive wages;
- Incomparable natural and architectural beauty: Unique locations and natural light all year round;
- Safe and welcoming environment for international productions: Greece is one of the safest destinations in Europe for tourism, work and the production of audiovisual works.
Recent foreign productions toured in Greece
Greece has now become the country of choice for international film investments. The creation of investment laws and the continuous improvement of the legislative framework of the drawback, combined with the technical-material infrastructure, the security and the natural beauty of the country, are strong incentives for international film productions.
Films shot and being shot in Greece: The Lost Daughter (2021) by Maggie Gyllenhaal, Triangle of Sadness (2022) by Ruben Östlund, We smile for the photo (2020) by François Uzan, Born to be Murdered (2021) by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) by Rian Johnson, Tin Soldiers (2022) by Odette Schwegler, The Bricklayer (2022) by Renny Harlin, Rise (2022) by Akin Omotoso, Crimes of the Future (2022 ) by David Cronenberg, The Enforcer by Richard Hughes (2022), My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 by Nia Vardalos (2022), Les Cyclades by Caroline Bonmarchand (2022), The Petitson by Nely Reguera (2022), Mediterraneo: Le droit de the sea by Marcel Barrena (2022), The Expendables 4 by Scott Waugh (2022) and the Australian film Voices in Deep by Jason Raftopoulos, which is in post-production.
Speaking to the Hellenic Film Commission, David Cronenberg noted his reasoning for filming in Greece: “When I first wrote the script for Crimes of The Future two decades ago, its location was ambiguous. But as the film came to fruition, we started exploring the possibility of shooting in Greece. Looking at the unique buildings and exteriors of Athens and its surroundings, the incredible textures of an ancient city, the hypnotic presence of an ancient sea, my vision for the film suddenly came to fruition. I fully embraced the gifts Athens presented to me, and now it seems like the movie couldn’t have been set anywhere else. And among those Athenian gifts were the passionate and diligent Greek cast and crew, who were great to work with. They went out of their way to make us feel welcome, and their hard work contributed to every frame in the final photo.
The Greek production company Argonauts SA, which had cooperated with Robert Lantos, the film’s producer, has again participated in the project in the past as a minority co-producer and production services company. Robert Lantos said of the experience of filming in Greece: “Of course it turns out that the Greek technicians and crew are very high level. We had a wonderful mix of Canadians and Greeks on the team! It was a great experience for all of our crew, and I think the Greek crew enjoyed the experience as well!
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, The Lost Daughter director Maggie Gyllenhaal explained how she found herself filming in Greece: “One day, out of nowhere, I said, ‘What about Greece?’ In Greece I can be a stranger looking inside and the way [Leda] is a stranger watching. And even though I don’t understand what shopping in the supermarket is like there, neither does she, and so it’s fine,” says Gyllenhaal. “And as soon as I said Greece, there was no stopping us. We were in Greece three weeks later.
Australian director Jason Raftopoulos perfectly summed up his decision to shoot Voices in Deep in the Greek capital: “For centuries, Athens has been a place where the lives of millions have intersected. It is a city that has been both conqueror and conquered, a place of great enlightenment and great oppression, a meeting place of religions, ideas and sexual ambiguity. It is for these reasons that I chose Athens as a setting to explore ideas of time, despair, identity and freedom.
* Constantinos Yiannakodimos is Press Adviser, Office of Public Diplomacy, Consulate General of Greece in Sydney. This article first appeared in Filmink.