16/03/2007

“Less is more" is the new motto behind the Greek Film Centre’s latest effort to revive the hurting national film industry.

"We need more films to be made to bolster Greek Cinema," explained GFC President Yorgos Papalios in a statement. "And the only way to do it is to divide the money we have between more filmmakers."

In other words, the GFC’s funding plan for 2007 is to equally divide the €2m budget of its most prestigious programme, Horizons, among eight films instead of the original five. This is likely not to go down well with some of the productions, who have drawn up their initial budgets counting on a more generous handout.

Papalios, himself a former producer, has said before that private sector investors should step in to help the film industry. An expected amendment to the film law regarding production tax returns and the VAT, currently in discussion, could make this possible.

The only question was and remains how soon this will happen. Minister of Culture Yorgos Voulgarakis announced that the upcoming Conference on the Film Industry will be “the turning point” and that he is committed to incorporating the Conference’s conclusions into the new law. No less than 19 professional bodies all connected directly or indirectly to the film industry have said that they will participate.

"I feel as if we were in a tunnel right now", said the head of the Greek Directors’ Association, Haris Papadopoulos. “I just hope that the Conference will help us get out of that tunnel.”

The eight films to be funded by the Horizons programme are:

Treli Kardia (lit. “Crazy Heart”) – Dennis Iliadis
De tha ginis Ellinas pote (lit. "You’ll Never Become Greek") – Philippos Tsitos
Fevgontas (lit. "Leaving") – Lakis Papstathis
O Diachiristis (lit. "The Super") – Pericles Hoursoglou Ta Prota mou Vaftissia (lit. "My First Christening") – Olga Malea
O Annivas pro ton pylon (lit. "Hannibal Before the Gates") – Elissavet Chronopoulou
Lonsdale – Christos Dimas
Apnia (lit. “Apnea”) – Aris Bafaloukas (feature debut)