The Greek producer tells us about her company's diverse slate and how it combines marketing and financing to create and expand their network

Before launching asterisk* in 2017 as a one-stop production consulting company for international producers, collaborating on 500+ projects with 75 companies from 20 countries, Vicky Miha worked on projects including the seminal Greek Weird Wave film, Yorgos Lanthimos’ Dogtooth [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Yorgos Lanthimos
film profile]. Her filmography includes Stelios Kammitsis' romantic drama The Man with the Answers and Gregoris Rentis' hybrid documentary Dogwatch [+see also:
film review
film profile], which world-premiered at Visions du Reel last year. She has been selected as the Greek representative in the European Film Promotion’s Producers on the Move programme at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Cineuropa: What is it that attracts you to a project?
Vicky Miha: After taking a break for a couple of years for family reasons, me and my company are becoming more and more selective with the projects we develop. These days, we are looking for three main elements: distinct stories that can stand out in the market, projects with international potential, and directors and writers we love to work with. All three elements are equally important, because it takes a long time to make a film and we want to be both committed and satisfied in our day-to-day lives. 

Through the consulting arm of asterisk* we have worked on 500 projects from over 20 countries, so we are exposed to a lot of ideas, trends and topics. Knowing when a story stands out has become almost instinctive for us, and when we spot such projects we are always eager to embark on them. This “zoom-out” vision of the international market is of high value to us. Finally, we have started developing a handful of producer-driven projects, such as the TV series Gates of Eden, with an international outlook and the intention to be majority-financed outside of Greece.

Could you tell us about the projects you are currently working on?
We are developing and financing a versatile slate, both as majority and minority producers. We believe a lot in producing the first children film to be coming out of Greece, Nico Finds A Treasure, which was also featured at ACE Producers and is a national co-production with Anemon, and an international one with the Netherlands and Germany. We are also developing our first genre film, Asphalt by Minos Nikolakakis, which was selected at TIFF Writers Studio and Filmmaker Lab and pitched at this year’s Connecting Cottbus. 

Our first attempt at episodic story-telling, Gates of Eden, is a co-production with Italy and Belgium. On the other hand, Apathy by Alexandros Avranas is an intense drama set in Sweden, to be produced through a multi-national co-production, while we are also minority co-producing Blue Blood by Latvian helmer Juris Kursietis and Man vs Flock by Tamara Kotevska, co-director of Honeyland [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ljubomir Stefanov, Tamara K…
interview: Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir S…
film profile] which was nominated for Oscars in two categories. All of them are in the final stages of financing. 

Finally, The Finger Thief by Harry Patramanis is one of our newest projects, intended to be what we call an "action arthouse film," and we are eager to introduce it in the industry. 

Next to production, asterisk* also acts as a financing and marketing agency. How do you combine these activities?
We believe that working in parallel on packaging projects is a great asset for our production activities. We are exposed to the industry on a daily basis and we have acquired extensive know-how, which we are now channelling towards our own productions, but also as executive producers on projects developed locally and internationally. Most importantly, the company builds bridges, forges partnerships and expands beyond the Greek borders every single day. We are privileged to have worked with a large network of 120 companies (production and sales) in Europe and beyond. This is our most valuable asset, next to the writers and directors who we are honoured to work with. 

What do you expect from Producers on the Move?
My expectations are always the same: to meet like-minded producers who could become future partners. Producing can be a lonely job, so sharing ideas, challenges and solutions is always refreshing. Most importantly, our priority is to work with people we like, and such initiatives give us the opportunity to connect and choose co-producers who could eventually become friends. In this industry, where sanity can easily get lost, having a close community of friends is the most important thing one can wish for. So this is my expectation as well as my hope for Producers on the Move.