For a country of 11 million that’s spent much of the past decade lurching from one economic crisis to the next, you’d be hard-pressed to suggest the Greek film industry isn’t punching above its weight.
The industry is scrambling to keep up. A host of training programs have been introduced to shore up the country’s stretched-thin crew base. Meanwhile, plans are underway to expand Kapa Studios, which played host to David Cronenberg’s 2022 Cannes competition title “Crimes of the Future” and Disney+’s Giannis Antetokounmpo biopic “Rise” at its state-of-the-art facilities located a 10-minute drive from Athens International Airport.
“There’s a lot of activity. Lots of people are working. The sector is thriving,” he says. “But at the same time, crews are not readily available. The rates are driving upward. It’s increasingly more and more difficult to secure availability for people when you are trying to produce local content.” Last year, the Greek Film Center had a budget of just under €5 million to support domestic production, a figure that falls far short of what industry insiders say is necessary to grow the local talent pool. While splashy Hollywood productions arriving in Greece are quick to grab headlines, “if you don’t invest in your national cinematography, you don’t have a future,” says Markos Holevas, president of the film center’s board of directors.