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The programme opened on September 3 with \u201cGreece on Screen\u201d at the historic Hotel Excelsior, the main venue for the Venice Biennale\u2019s Market activities.<\/p>\n
Leonidas Christopoulos, CEO of the Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center \u2013 Creative Greece (EKKOMED), and Orestes Andreadakis, Artistic Director of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, presented Greece\u2019s strategy and vision for its film industry.<\/p>\n
Greece targets \u20ac750 million investment in audiovisual industry<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Christopoulos highlighted the merger of the former Greek Film Centre and the National Centre of Audiovisual Media and Communication (EKOME) into EKKOMED in 2024.<\/p>\n He said the unified organisation plans to invest \u20ac750 million in the audiovisual industry over the coming years, supported by new funding tools designed to strengthen domestic production, attract international projects and create jobs.<\/p>\n Greece has already hosted major international productions in recent years, including The Odyssey<\/em>, House of David<\/em> and Triangle of Sadness<\/em>.<\/p>\n But Christopoulos said the country now wants to move beyond its reputation as an attractive filming destination.<\/p>\n \u201cGreece no longer wants to be simply an excellent location for international productions. It wants to evolve into an international strategic partner \u2014 a country where ideas are developed, financed, produced and travel around the world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He invited international filmmakers to work with Greece under the slogan: \u201cLet\u2019s create your next story together.\u201d<\/p>\n Greek audiovisual sector expands rapidly<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n According to Christopoulos, Greece\u2019s audiovisual creative economy has undergone a major transformation.<\/p>\n Between 2013 and 2024, turnover in the sector increased by 137%, while employment grew by 147%.<\/p>\n The industry now generates an estimated \u20ac1.914 billion annual impact on Greece\u2019s GDP, supports 43,959 jobs and generates approximately \u20ac581 million in annual public revenue.<\/p>\n Christopoulos said audiovisual production creates economic activity well beyond the film set, benefiting transport, tourism, hotels, construction, technology and other services.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is not only cultural policy. It is also development policy,\u201d he said, adding that the sector also strengthens Greece\u2019s international profile and exports.<\/p>\n \u201cGreece on Screen 2026-2030\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Christopoulos presented \u201cGreece on Screen 2026-2030\u201d as the country\u2019s unified five-year strategy for the audiovisual sector, backed by approximately \u20ac750 million in public support.<\/p>\n The strategy focuses on four areas:<\/p>\n The programme includes a 40% Cash Rebate for international and domestic productions, \u20ac15 million for the development and production of Greek cinema, and new funding mechanisms for animation, XR, video games and music.<\/p>\n It also includes financial instruments and loan guarantees designed to make financing more accessible to audiovisual producers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Greece on Screen strategy seeks to turn creativity into one of the country\u2019s development advantages,\u201d Christopoulos said.<\/p>\n He identified international outreach as a central pillar, with Greece seeking more international co-productions, greater access for Greek projects to global markets and a stronger presence at major international industry events.<\/p>\n The strategy follows a dual approach: international productions coming in and Greek stories going out.<\/p>\n Greece also plans to invest in professional training, fellowships, a Creative Hub, artificial intelligence, virtual production and immersive media, while making greater use of the country\u2019s audiovisual heritage.<\/p>\n Christopoulos said the programme would use measurable targets covering production, employment, skills, co-productions, regional development, international presence and exports.<\/p>\n \u201cThe basic principle is that we do not measure only how much money was spent, but what result it created,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Greek mythology offers global storytelling potential<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Andreadakis focused on another major asset Greece can offer the international film industry: its vast tradition of mythology, literature and storytelling.<\/p>\n He argued that ancient Greek myths and texts do not simply belong to the past. They remain at the heart of modern storytelling and continue to influence cinema.<\/p>\n Using the story of Oedipus as an example, Andreadakis highlighted the enduring power of Greek mythology and its influence on theatre, literature, psychoanalysis and narrative theory.<\/p>\n He connected that tradition with Christopher Nolan\u2019s upcoming cinematic adaptation of The Odyssey<\/em>, saying the film has renewed public interest in Homer, Odysseus and ancient Greek literature.<\/p>\n \u201cThis summer, we saw tens of thousands of people discussing, debating and even strongly disagreeing about the fundamental meanings of the work of Homer and other ancient Greek writers,\u201d Andreadakis said.<\/p>\n He argued that Greece on Screen should communicate more than Greece\u2019s ability to provide locations for international productions.<\/p>\n Instead, Greece can offer filmmakers a vast catalogue of stories, characters, conflicts and narrative structures.<\/p>\n \u201cThe foundation of modern storytelling\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Andreadakis invited filmmakers to revisit the works of Sophocles, Euripides and Aeschylus, as well as the poetry of Homer and Sappho.<\/p>\n \u201cThese myths form the foundation of modern storytelling,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He also highlighted the political dimension of ancient Greek drama.<\/p>\n Works including Oedipus Rex<\/em>, Antigone<\/em> and the Oresteia<\/em> explore power, violence, justice and the abuse of authority, while Lysistrata<\/em> demonstrates how comedy could directly address politics and society.<\/p>\n Despite the enormous richness of this tradition, Andreadakis noted that filmmakers have adapted ancient Greek stories far less frequently than the works of Shakespeare or Chekhov.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can return to these stories, reread them, challenge them, reinvent them and use them to tell new stories about who we are today and what we want to become,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The discussion will continue at the 67th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, which will run from November 5 to 15 and will explore the origins of storytelling and the continuing relevance of classical Greek texts.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter three thousand years, the stories change, but the human need to tell and share stories remains the same,\u201d Andreadakis said.<\/p>\n Greece\u2019s presence at Venice therefore represents more than a promotional showcase for filming locations. Through its new funding strategy, growing production infrastructure and renewed emphasis on Greek stories and talent, the country is positioning itself as both a destination for international productions and a potential source of original stories for global audiences.<\/p>\n This version gives the story a stronger international film-industry angle, while keeping the key Greek cultural and economic messaging prominent.<\/p>\n\n