Greece is establishing cooperation “bridges” with the Indian Bollywood film industry in order to attract film producers.
In this context, efforts are being made to sign a memorandum of cooperation between the two countries, which will pave the way for successful systemic interaction between the two parties. “At the first stage, we are trying to open a channel of communication with producers from India and explore existing opportunities for developing further cooperation for the benefit of both countries,” said Deputy Minister of Culture Christos Dimas.
Dimas: “Increase in the state grant for contemporary culture by 4.3 million euros.”
Mr. Dimas clarifies that at this stage there is no specific proposal for areas that would be of interest to Indians, but he emphasizes that Greece, with its natural beauty and many varied landscapes, offers filmmakers options for outdoor filming.
The lure is also a tax refund of 40% of the basic production costs, an incentive that is one of the most attractive in all of Europe. Estimated, economic promotion will play a catalytic role in the location a producer chooses to shoot a film.
Although Greece does not yet have the world-class studios to house giant Hollywood-style productions, the infrastructure is still there to handle smaller scale projects.
Similar actions, as Mr. Dimas mentioned, are being taken in relation to other countries, such as China. According to the official, the government believes that Greece has the opportunity to become a pole of attraction in this sector as well. Of course, the scope of cooperation will also include other events, such as the organization of cultural and theatrical festivals and the organization of painting exhibitions.
Since the start of the funding program in April 2018 and to date, support has been provided for 188 audiovisual projects (short and feature films, feature series, documentary films, documentaries, etc.) for a total amount of 105,112,251 euros.
103 of these are domestic productions and received funding of €37,499,703, while 85 international/cross-border co-productions received funding of €67,612,548.
At the same time, the decision of the competent minister approved 84 investment projects, which are subject to the provisions of Chapter IV of Law 4487/2017 on financial support with grant incentives. Of these, 44 are domestic productions with an estimated public expenditure of €34,296,943 and 40 international/cross-border productions/co-productions with an estimated public expenditure of €64,460,039.
International/co-production includes collaborations with America, Canada, Australia, China, Korea, European and Balkan countries (Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Israel, Cyprus, Spain, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Turkey, Colombia, Estonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Serbia, Georgia and Albania).
Filming takes place throughout Greece in more than 200 locations: Attica, Peloponnese, Epirus, Sterea, Nisyros, Delos, Corfu, Crete, Kalavryta, Mykonos, Paros, Milos, Heraklion, Chalkidiki, Kos, Antiparos, Aegina, Corinth, Monemvasia , Nafplioni, Thessaloniki, Elis, Arcadia, Arachova, Kythira, Chania, Patras, Galaxidi, Thebes, Lamia, Zagorochoria, Meteora, Lefkada and so on.
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