The lost girl. Credit: Netflix
Greece has become one of Europe’s friendliest production hubs in recent years, helped by the way the country has handled filming during the pandemic and the way local businesses have supported projects to big budget featuring Greek locations or co-producing award-winning feature films. major industry awards. Greece has also attracted film projects thanks to an increased 40% cash incentive.
The Hellenic Film Commission (HFC) is a branch of the Greek Cinema Center (GFC) supervised by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports and subsidized by the state. The main objective of the Hellenic Film Commission is to promote and develop Greece as a filming destination for international film and television productions.
International projects and collaborations
HFC has collaborated with the production and creative teams of international productions on all scales – from high-profile feature films and arthouse films to television series and reality shows.
HFC recently collaborated with the film’s production and creative team The return directed by Roberto Pasolini which brings together Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche, in a realistic story of the return of Ulysses after the war. Filming is scheduled for May 2023 on the island of Corfu and the Peloponnese, and includes filming on archaeological sites.
Amazon Studios thriller Killer heat, which stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley and Richard Madden Production begins in May on the island of Crete and in Athens, the country’s capital. It is directed by Philippe Lacote and produced by Brad Weston.
Other recent high-profile filmings include:
Triangle of Sadnésby Ruben Östlund, Jack Ryan season 3 (Paramount), Glass onion: a mystery at daggers drawn by Rian Johnson (Netflix), Tehran TV series supported by Apple TV, filmed in Athens and which doubles as Tehran, My big Greek wedding 3 written and directed by Nia Vardalos, haunted heart by Fernando Trueba, Crimes of the future by David Kronenberg and The lost girl by Maggie Gyllenhaal and more.
Greece as a filming location
The country offers incredibly diverse locations and landscapes, some of which can double for other countries; beautiful light and a Mediterranean climate. Greece has the longest coastline in the Mediterranean basin and is the 11thth the longest coastline in the world at 13,676 km (8,498 mi) in length. It includes the mainland, the Peloponnese and thousands of islands, of which 227 are inhabited.
The capital Athens, with its archaeological sites (the Acropolis being the most important), as well as Corfu, Crete, the Peloponnese, Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes and Spetses are among the most popular filming locations.
Nisyros, a small island in the Dodecanese with a volcano suitable for cinema, is also beginning to be regularly requested for filming. The Central Macedonia region of Greece and the city of Thessaloniki have also attracted big-budget international productions.
All archaeological sites in the country are subject to availability for filming. They fall under the jurisdiction of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports and are not prohibited as long as the scenes filming at these sites are not offensive to the monuments. and their authenticity.
Greece’s tax incentives and financing opportunities
The financing tools administered by EKOME are: 40% cash back and 30% tax relief. A major selling point for the cash rebate program is for big-budget productions, where eligible expenses above €8 million that take place in Greece can include non-resident labor invoices.
Greece offers 40% cash back for feature films (minimum eligible spend amount €100,000), documentaries, animated films and short films (minimum €60,000), TV series (minimum €15 000 € – 25,000 € per episode), digital games (minimum 30,000 €).
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