15/12/2005

Greek filmmakers, actors and most of the film industry unions have branded "inadequate" a new film law proposed by the Ministry of Culture that is to come to the country’s parliament for discussion in February. The, controversial as it is, law provides for the creation for the first time of a Greek Film Commission and a Greek audiovisual production office. It also provides for the preservation or the re-branding of the rest of the country’s cinema administration or institutional arms such as the Greek Film Centre, the Hellenic Screen and the Thessaloniki Film Festival.

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Those who favor the law argue the new organizational structure will help the much suffering Greek film industry while regenerate interest of foreign productions for Greek locations.
But during an ongoing public debate that the Ministry itself has initiated late last week the people involved in the film industry have objected to the law at its entity because the committee who drew it "failed to discuss the particulars of the law" with them, the ones who will be affected by the regulations.
The main opposition comes from the producers’ union (SAPOE) and the Greek directors union (EES) who say the law is "bureaucratic and undemocratic" as it provides for "appointed rather than elected administrators" in the related institutions.

The law was presented to the unions for consideration at the beginning of the month by deputy Culture Minister Petros Tatoulis who bore the core of the criticism. He has called on all those concerned to "bring back constructive counter-proposals" but kept mum on whether he would be willing to reconstruct the law.