Country Focus: Greece
by Cineuropa
Articles, interviews, news, analysis on the Greek audiovisual sector.
Country profile: Greece
Greek debuts show dire need for co-productions
A report on the Greek debuts that were screened at the 56th Thessaloniki International Film Festival
Five projects for the Franco-Greek co-production support fund
The fund managed by the CNC and the GFC has accepted projects by Ryhana Obermer, Rinio Dragasaki, Sepideh Farsi, Tanos Anastopoulos and Angelos Frantzis
Thessaloniki Film Festival acquires new leadership
Headed by veteran DoP Giorgos Arvanitis, the festival’s new governing committee serves to replace a long-stagnating governing body
Greek Film Centre acquires new leadership
Dismissed Eurimages rep Alexis Grivas has been reinstated as head of the GFC board, amidst serious allegations by former member Yiannis Glezos
Greek Film Centre in administrative turmoil
Following the GFC’s sudden dismissal of Eurimages rep Alexis Grivas, the new Culture Minister has demanded the board members’ resignations, which the vice-president has rejected
The Hellenic Film Academy reveals study on local industry
A lack of tax incentives and extensive red tape have been highlighted as the country’s main problems, which the Ministry of Culture vows to face head on
Six projects for the Franco-Greek Fund
The first selection for the co-production support fund led by the CNC and the GFC includes the upcoming films by the Coulin sisters and Elina Psykou
Festival charmer Heretic expands to sales agency
The Athens-based production house aims to cater to the needs of South-Eastern Europe; Ioanna Stais of Eye on Films will spearhead the effort
Greek Directors’ Guild takes aim at the Hellenic Film Academy
The guild headed by Harris Papadopoulos backs him for the Greek Film Centre’s chair, while the indie producers’ union cries foul play
Election of new Greek Film Centre head causes industry stir
The Hellenic Film Academy has voiced its concerns over the GFC’s governing-board decisions and has joined film professionals in rallying against the election of the new director
Acclaimed writer Petros Markaris to head Greek Film Centre
Heavy on union representation, the new board includes fresh blood in the shape of Dogtooth editor Yorgos Mavropsaridis and marketing exec Elpida Skindilia
Yiannis Smaragdis tapped as new Thessaloniki fest president
God Loves Caviar director will fill the seat vacated by Thessaloniki mayor Yiannis Boutaris, who is prepping for re-election campaign.
Greek feature-film and documentary guilds launch Creators Under Threat
Guild heads unite to protest over the Ministry of Finance’s unpaid dues that threaten European funding for unfinished projects
Hellenic Film Academy elects Vasilis Katsoufis as new president
Head of Stefi Productions elected HFA president without competition, in election process that fails to gather member participation.
Adonis Lykouresis named head of Greek Film Centre
The award-winning director is joined by new board members Phoebe Angelopoulou (widow of late Theo Angelopoulos) and writer Petros Markaris.
Hellenic Film Academy heads take stabs at Culture Ministry
Former and present HFA presidents put blame on Culture Ministry for Greek Film Center president’s resignation and the institute’s standstill
Greece's first crowd-sourced movie a reality
Going back to ancient Greece to revamp the myth of Antigone, Stathis Athanasiou hopes to push local filmmaking towards the future
Thessaloniki market doubles its numbers in spite of tough year
With more than double the numbers in visiting professionals and participating projects compared to last year’s make-or-break edition, the market section of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, aptly entitled Agora, is not only back on track to previous years’ perfomances, but is doing even better. Showcasing up to 200 titles, Agora’s main bulk of selections is concentrated in the actual market, while a great portion is also sheltered under the Crossroads co-production forum as well...
International Film Guide 2012: Greece
A survey of the film culture and output in Greece published by the International Film Guide.
Greece - International Film Guide Survey 2010
A survey of the film culture and output in Greece published by the International Film Guide.
Domestic market share drops while admissions soar in 2009
A spectacular 30% rise in general admissions offset a 7% drop in market share for homegrown titles in 2009. Greek films brought in 1.7 million viewers, a drop of 200,000 from 2008, for 12.6% of the 13.5 million admissions registered in 2009. Major distributors saw a dramatic rise in their year-end totals, thanks to the teen-oriented fare that dominated the market. Apocalyptic actioner 2012 rose to the top spot with 477,500 tickets, followed by Angels and Demons (414,000) and 2008 left-over...
Greece takes the helm of Observatory for 2010
The European Audiovisual Observatory has announced that Greece will hold its Presidency for 2010. Greece is represented in the Observatory’s governing body, the Executive Council, by Mr Rodolfos Moronis, Executive Director of the Hellenic Audiovisual Institute (IOM). Moronis was elected President of the Observatory for 2010 at the Executive Council’s meeting in Brussels on the 4th of November last year. "We need the Observatory’s facts and figures more than ever in order to make sense of the...
Boulmetis elected president of Hellenic Film Academy
Greek filmmaker Tassos Boulmetis was elected the first president of the newly founded Hellenic Film Academy (HFA). Since there were no other candidates, the honorary post was practically handed out to the director of A Touch of Spice, the first in a series of films that re-ignited local moviegoers’ interest in Greek cinema. In his first, exclusive interview as HFA president, for Cineuropa.org and Greek film blog Movies for the Masses, Boulmetis laid out the demanding tasks ahead of him, his...
Guilds Association attacks Hellenic Film Academy
A vicious attack against the Hellenic Film Academy (HFA) was staged yesterday by the Association of Film Guilds, claiming the Academy is merely part of a greater conspiracy, set in motion to remove guilds from talks with the State on the present and future state of cinema in Greece. Mainly headed by the Hellenic Union of Composers and Songwriters and the Greek Directors’ Guild, the Guilds’ Association was formed in 2007 by representatives from most of the country’s film guilds, in order to...
New Greek film showcase arises from the mist
Previously known as Filmmakers in the Mist and now renamed to FOG (Filmmakers of Greece), the rogue group of filmmakers that decided to boycott the Greek State Awards by keeping their films away from this year’s 50th anniversary of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival [see news], has come back to inaugurate a week of screenings devoted solely to new Greek films, aptly titled Fog Films. Though the recent change in government did spread a breath of optimism in the group’s ranks, FOG do...
Greece - International Film Guide Survey
The number of multiplexes continued to increase in Greece over the last year. However, there was no increase in cinema attendance. One of the main reasons, besides the influence of TV and DVDs, is the way films have been distributed over the last few years. Read the survey published by the International Film Guide: Survey - Greece
Market share rises amidst dropping admissions
Though 2008 ended with a substantial drop of 18% in general admissions, local films managed to stand their ground, thus achieving a slight rise in market share, from last year’s 16.2% to this year’s 19.6%. Out of a total of 9.7 million tickets sold, 1.9 million were for homegrown titles. Mamma Mia!, a US/UK co-production, soared on top of the yearly box office with 625,000 admissions, cashing in on its special charm over local audiences as it was mostly shot in the island of Skiathos. It was...
Arthouse stir in local cinema
What has been dubbed the springtime of Greek cinema has strengthened private funding of local films and encouraged Greek distributors to take risks on local product that would have otherwise relied heavily on state distribution so as to avoid dying an unscreened, straight-to-DVD death, at best. Costas Zapas and his new film Minor Freedoms, a Zentropa Entertainments presentation of a Minus Pictures production, seem to have been favored the most this year. With his third film, the director has...
