Galery

1

Tax incentives, including reduced VAT and less bureaucratic requirements associated with shooting authorization for a shorter period of time, are the main demands of the major Hollywood  film studios and producer companies in order to choose Greece for a film shooting location.

To date, in order for producers to be able to shoot film scenes of archaeological sites, they had to submit the script to the Central Archaeological Council, wait for the council members to read it, set a date for a meeting and authorize the shooting of scenes. Moreover, the cost of using the monuments is too high. A typical example is that of a professional shooting of scenes at the Acropolis which costs € 10,000.

According to the Sunday edition of the Ethnos newspaper, quite a few of the most famous film personalities, including popular artists from Hollywood, have expressed the wish to participate in film shooting in Greece, filmakers Richard Linklater, Kostas Gavras, Jeremy Irons, Ethan Hawke and Sarah Jessica Parker being just some of them.

A Face-to-Face Meeting between Irons and Stournaras

According to the article, an important step in this direction was made ​​by Jeremy Irons, well known for his friendly attitude towards Greece. Last September, during his visit to the country and while having lunch with Minister of Tourism Olga Kefaloyani, the Oscar-winning actor emphasized that preferences should be given to cinematographers choosing Greece for a film shooting location. Then, according to the information available, minister Kefaloyani said:  "The topic discussed is not within my competence, you need to speak with the Minister of Finance" and pointed to Yiannis Stournaras who was having lunch nearby.

The actor did not miss the opportunity and asked Kefaloyani to introduce him to the then Minister of Finance. The two men discussed the topic and Stournaras showed agreement with the arguments of Irons and promised to consider the issues raised.

The same requests were also made by Richard Linklater, director of the film "Before Midnight", in which the main role was played by Ethan Hawke. The film was shot last summer in the Mani region and has achieved good financial results worldwide. The director, when asked about filming in Greece, described the country as a real paradise.

Sara Jessica Parker: “I hope "Sex & the City" 3 will be shot in Greece.

Sarah JessicaParkeron the island ofAegina, www.protothema.gr

Another big star, Sarah Jessica Parker, who chose Greece for her vacation, remained thrilled. Last October, she spoke with the Minister of Tourism for an hour and a half in New York and expressed the wish for the third part of "Sex and the City" to be filmed in Greece.

The Minister of Tourism has begun discussions with other ministers such as Konstantinos Tasoulas, the Minister of Culture, with whom they agreed to start joint actions for the promotion of Greek tourism and cultural heritage.

Contacts continued with the head and the Managing Director of the Greek Film Centre Petros Markaris and Grigoris Karandinakis respectively, with the President of the Hellenic Film Academy, Vassilis Katsoufis, as well as with the President of the Producers’ Union, Andreas Tsilifonis.

The first step taken in that direction was a bill introduced to the Parliament by the Minister of Tourism concerning the activities in support of Greek tourism.