By Eugenio R. Bregman a Film Industry Watch contributor and Greek film industry insider.

Update:

A response by EKOMED has been made here.

Greece’s thriving film industry is at war with its own government-backed cultural agency. In an unprecedented petition, nearly 1,896 of the country’s top filmmakers, producers, and technicians — including Oscar nominee Yorgos Lanthimos and legendary director Costa-Gavras (that — have signed an open letter condemning what they call “systemic dysfunction, mismanagement, and broken promises” at the newly established Hellenic Center for Audiovisual Media and Creation (rebranded as EKOMED/Creative Greece).

Unless sweeping reforms are made by September 15, the industry warns, all options — including boycotts and public protest — are on the table.

FilmIndustryWatch.org has been raising red flags for months — and the pattern now emerging points to conduct that could warrant criminal investigation. At the Greek Film Center, state-subsidized evaluators — including Vasilios Kekatos — are alleged to have approved funding for their own projects, a blatant conflict of interest and a potential violation of both national and EU rules governing the use of public funds.

But the rot doesn’t stop there. Inside EKOMED and Creative Greece, the evidence points to more than mere mismanagement — it suggests a coordinated pattern of self-dealing, embezzlement risk, and political cronyism. Public money appears to have been funneled through a closed network of party-linked insiders , under the thin veneer of cultural support.

The core question now is no longer whether there was mismanagement — but whether fraud, abuse of office, and breach of fiduciary duty have occurred. Prosecutors should be looking hard. The smoke is thick. It’s time to find the fire.

The EKOMED board is stacked: four lawyers and a civil engineer — none with any serious background in intellectual property or the audiovisual sector they are meant to oversee. Their real qualification? Loyalty. All four lawyers are linked to the ruling New Democracy party, led by Kyriakos Mitsotakis — a regime whose tightening grip on Greece’s media and public funds now echoes Viktor Orbán’s Hungary more than any functioning democracy. Meanwhile, the head of Creative Greece, officially paid €20,000 a month according to the Government Gazette, has repeatedly failed to deliver even basic results. The pattern is clear: a political machine propping up loyalists while Greece’s filmmakers fight for survival.

Tensions Boil Over Between Greece’s Film Community

In Athens, the fragile relationship between Greece’s creative community and its newest cultural institution has snapped. For months — from May 2024 until February 20, 2025, when EKOMED effectively ground to a halt — a cold war had been brewing between Greece’s film and audiovisual industry and the newly minted Hellenic Center for Audiovisual Media and Creation (EKOMED), a creature of the Ministry of Culture. On paper, it was supposed to usher in a new era of opportunity. In reality, it stumbled out of the gate — crippled by dysfunction, trapped in bureaucracy, and bleeding credibility with every missed payment and broken promise. This week, that simmer turned to a full boil. In an extraordinary show of unity and scale, 1,896 artists and creators — including  names such as Yorgos Lanthimos, Costa-Gavras— released an open letter that reads like a collective vote of no-confidence in the institution’s leadership.

Their grievances? Long-standing ones, now laid bare: millions owed under the cash rebate system, backlogged approvals for pending projects (over 100+projects), and a funding pipeline riddled with delays. These aren’t isolated frustrations — they are systemic roadblocks that have been choking Greece’s resurgent film sector for more than a year.

And there’s more. The letter casts a harsh spotlight on the handling of European Union Structural Funds (NSRF) — a vital source of financing for almost all Greek productions, and many foreign ones as well. The signatories describe the fund as “inflexible” and “ill-suited” for the complex realities of modern audiovisual production.

Even sharper is the criticism of mismanagement within EKOMED itself: resources meant to promote Greek cinema abroad squandered; a new headquarters staffed, according to insiders, by officials lacking deep ties to the industry they are tasked to support.

Behind the Numbers: EKOMED’s Smoke and Mirrors as Greece’s Film Debt Crisis Deepens

The numbers sound impressive — at least on paper. According to EKOMED’s latest statement, the much-touted Greek cash rebate scheme has disbursed €148.4 million across 222 projects. Another 173 projects — both Greek and foreign — are locked into the system with legal repayment obligations north of €180 million.

But don’t be fooled. Many of these “commitments” are little more than promissory notes on unfinished productions, including Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey, still in post.

And the €100 million debt figure quoted in Variety? Insiders told Kathimerini the true overdue sum is around €40 million — still a staggering number — owed to 35 completed, audited projects that have been left in limbo. “Yes, there were delays,” says EKOMEDE CEO Leonidas Christopoulos, insisting “the issue has been resolved” and payments are on the way. But for producers who’ve heard this song before, the reassurance rings hollow.

The cracks are widening. High-profile cases like Pablo Larraín’s Maria — with €350,000 unpaid, part of a €3.2 million backlog owed to Greek company Heretic — are now embarrassing the country abroad. Another €1.15 million in Heretic projects remain stuck in approval limbo.

EKOMED now scrambles to promise a full online accounting of its obligations, waving the flag of “transparency.” But this is a PR move — and everyone knows it. The industry doesn’t want another spreadsheet. It wants its money.

Warning Lights Are Flashing

And key questions remain unanswered. The new rebate law clearly states that “…funds will be disbursed only if the granting authority possesses the necessary resources.” In other words: there are no guarantees. What happens when a project spends years in production, only to find the money gone when the final paperwork lands?

And what about the Kafkaesque bureaucracy that continues to stall approvals and payments? Have those roadblocks been cleared — or simply buried under new layers of political fog?

Greece has the talent. It has the locations. It has the momentum to be a true global film hub. But unless EKOMED — and the government behind it — stop playing games and start paying their debts, the message to the world will be loud and clear: Greece is open for business — just don’t expect to get paid!

OPEKEPE and EKOMED: Two Agencies, One Rotten System

At first glance, the scandals engulfing Greece’s OPEKEPE (Agricultural Payments Agency) and EKOMED(Hellenic Center for Audiovisual Media and Creation) might seem worlds apart — one tied to EU agricultural subsidies, the other to the glamorous world of film and audiovisual production.

But scratch the surface, and a familiar pattern emerges — a pattern that reveals how Greece’s public agencies have become machines for channeling taxpayer and EU funds into the hands of well-connected insiders.

Both scandals revolve around the same toxic playbook:

Rigged approvals: At OPEKEPE, investigators uncovered phantom farms, fake land declarations, and payments to ghost entities.
At EKOMED, state-subsidized evaluators like Vasilios Kekatos allegedly greenlit their own film projects, while party-linked lawyers and civil engineers sat on boards controlling millions in cultural funds.

Political protection networks: Both agencies show signs of being wrapped in political cronyism. In OPEKEPE’s case, local political networks allegedly shielded fraud rings siphoning off EU agricultural money. At EKOMED and Creative Greece, key positions were reportedly handed to New Democracy party insiders — with no expertise in intellectual property or audiovisual production — enabling a closed system of approvals and payouts.

Opacity and mismanagement: Both OPEKEPE and EKOMEDE operated behind walls of bureaucratic fog — stonewalling journalists and stakeholders, delaying payments, and publishing incomplete or misleading financial data. Producers, farmers, and EU auditors alike were left chasing missing funds and unanswered questions.

Erosion of public trust: Perhaps most damaging of all: both scandals have shredded trust — not just in the agencies involved, but in Greece’s ability to manage EU and public money.
European partners are watching. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is probing OPEKEPE. Meanwhile, international film producers — from Hollywood to Berlin — are already backing away from EKOMED deals amid fears of non-payment.

The Bigger Picture

These are not isolated cases. They point to a deep systemic rot — a culture where public agencies become political fiefdoms, designed less to serve the public than to feed insiders and buy loyalty. From phantom farmland to ghost film funds, the scams vary — but the machinery is the same.

And unless Greece’s political leadership and judiciary confront this system head-on, the country risks far more than scandals. It risks its credibility across Europe — and its future as a trusted place to invest, to create, to build. As one EU official recently warned: “If the same networks are running agriculture, film, and culture — what sector will they poison next?”

An Institution Under Siege

None of these concerns are new — they’ve been reported, whispered, and debated across the industry and media for months. Nor are the responses from EKOMED leadership unexpected: assurances have been issued, timelines promised, solutions “in progress.”

But something fundamental has shifted. The trust, however tentative, that once linked Greece’s creative professionals with the powers that be, has eroded — perhaps beyond repair.

Words will no longer suffice. Only concrete actions, delivered swiftly, can begin to rebuild that fractured relationship. The stakes are not just financial — they are existential for a sector that has, in recent years, punched far above its weight on the global stage.

The Ministry of Culture headed by archaeologist Lina Mendoni, a trusted Kyriakos Mitsotakis collaborator, and EKOMED — now ensconced in a gleaming new headquarters in Kolonaki, in the heart of Athens — face a long and treacherous road ahead. ( Lina Mendoni is no elected politician. You won’t find her name on any ballot from the 2023 elections. An archaeologist by trade, she slipped into government through the side door—as a technocratic appointee, not a public mandate. And here’s the kicker: because she wasn’t elected, she’s not covered by the law that shields ministers with parliamentary immunity. No cloak of protection. No legal firewall. In the chess game of power, that makes her both vulnerable… and expendable)  The signs of dysfunction keep piling up. In a glaring display of amateurism, EKOMED changed its phone numbers — despite legal provisions allowing them to keep the originals. For ten days, production companies trying to reach the agency were met with dead landlines and radio silence, left in the dark about whether the numbers would be restored or replaced. It was a small fiasco, but it spoke volumes: how can an industry reliant on precision and communication trust an institution that can’t even manage to keep its phones working?

For their part, the artists and producers have issued a clear ultimatum: a full course correction must be in place by September 15. If not, they warn, “all options for action remain on the table” — an ominous sign that this clash could escalate further.

SOURCES:

The Odyssey,’ ‘Maria’ Filming Location Greece Hits Troubled Waters Over Ongoing Delays With 40% Cash Rebate

https://variety.com/2025/film/global/the-odyssey-greece-delays-cash-rebate-1236400655:

The initiative “Cinema in Greece – Zero Visibility”, signed by 1896 professionals in the audiovisual sector, requests from the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Culture and the competent body EKKOMED, ​​an immediate solution to the financial problems that have arisen for their survival.

https://flix.gr/news/oratotis-miden-apanta-sto-ekkomed.html

https://www.news247.gr/politismos/cinema/i-ellada-stin-teleftaia-thesi-tis-evropis-i-apantisi-ston-ekkomed-gia-ta-xrei/

The post Greece is open for business — just don’t expect to get paid! first appeared on Film Industry Watch.

The Money’s Gone. The Industry’s Collapsing. And Nobody’s Talking.

For the past ten months, the complete shutdown of funding for film and television productions—whether already in progress or still in pre-production—by EKOME/Creative Greece has thrown the industry into a downward spiral. Add to that the endless delays in launching the new application platform for the Cash Back program, and what do we have? Chaos.

This platform was supposed to go live on October 1, 2024—officially. But here we are, creeping into February 2025, and nothing. And the kicker? The Ministry of Culture and Creative Greece have made it abundantly clear: they won’t approve or pay for anything—at least until June 2025.

The consequences? Dead projects. Abandoned productions. A mass exodus of international co-productions—Italy, Malta, Bulgaria are now the go-to locations. Greece? A joke. Films waiting for pre-approval? Films wrapped for over a year? There’s no money to pay for them. None. Zero.

And let’s talk about those big Hollywood productions.
Why did Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey shoot in Morocco and Malta?
Why is Mel Gibson’s The Passion sequel being filmed in Malta?
They could have been shot in Greece. They should have been shot in Greece.

But everyone in the business already knows: EKOME/Creative Greece doesn’t pay. And why isn’t the CEO Leonidas Christopoulos and his Board of Directors addressing this? Why aren’t they answering for the missing funds?

The truth is the treasury is empty. More than 150 million euros missing.

And let’s be real: you can’t have a film industry without money. Throwing a few 5,000 and 10,000 euro sponsorships at festivals while there’s a 150 million euro black hole is like tossing a bucket of water on a burning skyscraper.

Forty percent. That’s the magic number when you compare Greece and Malta. Both playing the same game, both dangling that lucrative rebate, hoping to lure the big productions, the Hollywood dollars, the European auteurs. But numbers on paper don’t tell the whole story—what matters is how fast and how clean that money flows.

Here’s where Malta shakes things up. They open the gates. Feature films, TV dramas, animation—sure. But they go further. Reality shows, game shows, the unscripted circus of modern entertainment. Greece? Not interested. They keep it classical, highbrow, no room for the unscripted chaos of reality TV.

The price of entry. In Greece, you need to lay down €200,000 for a feature film before you even step into the ring. Malta? They cut that number in half—€100,000. The message is clear: smaller productions, indies, risk-takers—come here. We’ve got space for you.

And the result? Greece is bleeding talent. The dreamers, the creators, the visionaries—they’re all leaving.

They’re taking their stories to Malta, to Bulgaria, to Italy—anywhere but here. Because you can’t build an industry on broken promises.

While Malta rolls out the red carpet, Greece lets its own filmmakers rot in limbo. And with every delay, with every unanswered call, the world takes notice.

The studios? They’ve moved on. The investors? Gone. And the local industry? Dismantled, piece by piece, by bureaucratic indifference.

This isn’t just a crisis. This is cultural suicide.

And yet – silence.

Greek Film Industry Further reading:

The post Greece’s Film Industry Collapse: Missing Millions, Broken Promises, and a Deafening Silence first appeared on Film Industry Watch.

As wildfires scorch Los Angeles, leaving entire neighborhoods in ruin and the global film industry bracing for aftershocks, across the Atlantic, Greece presents its own brand of chaos. The state-run EKOMMED-Creative Greece, in a move as audacious as it is absurd, has just announced its financial co-sponsorship of the 2027 European Film Awards. The news lands like a bitter joke among film industry insiders—a press release dressed in grandeur while the foundation rots beneath.

Here’s the harsh reality: Creative Greece is broke. Its coffers are empty, unable to pay producers for completed TV shows and films, let alone provide the necessary pre-approvals for the 100-plus projects languishing in limbo. Yet, somehow, they have the gall to promise a glittering event for 2027, one they claim will be broadcast by the state network ERT and the European Broadcasting Union. Never mind that since May 2024, the platform for new project submissions has been shut down, a quiet admission that there’s no money for 2024 or 2025. But 2027? Wow! Miraculously, the funds will appear. Like magic.

By then, Leonidas Christopoulos, the ineffectual president of Creative Greece, will likely be long gone, as will the right-wing government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis. They’ll leave behind a legacy of empty promises and a film industry they turned into a hollow shell.

Standing beside Christopoulos in this farcical press announcement is Harris Doukas, the mayor of Athens. Once hailed as a progressive leader, Doukas now presides over a capital drowning in garbage, earning its reputation as one of Europe’s filthiest cities. And yet, here he is, beaming with delusion. He welcomes an event he claims will attract more productions to Athens, championed by the city’s so-called Film Office . But he’s blind to the obvious: serious producers won’t gamble their time or resources on a country that offers no financial stability, no infrastructure, and no guarantee of support. The reality on the ground is grim—Athens isn’t a hub for filmmaking; it’s a mirage.

This isn’t just incompetence; it’s theater. A performance designed to distract from the dysfunction beneath. But as the flames of mismanagement burn brighter, even this illusion is beginning to crumble.

MORE THAN A SHEER COINCIDENCE?

In the shadowy depths of Greek cinema politics, where ambition and influence collide, a tangled web of alliances and secretive deals is beginning to unravel. The stage was set when veteran  film critic, and EFA member, Panagiotis Timogiannakis posted on his Facebook on January 8, 2025 at 11:09 am local time) revealing exclusive details about Spiros Taraviras—an Athens-based director—who allegedly played a key role in securing Athens as the host city for the 2027 European Film Awards (EFA).

Taraviras wasn’t just a behind-the-scenes operator; he served on a committee, in August 2024,  handpicked by none other than Minister of Culture Iason Fotilas, the same Fotilas whose ministry approved Murderess (Fonissa), a Tanweer production, as Greece’s official entry for the Best International Picture Oscar. A connection? A coincidence? Or something more deliberate lurking behind the curtain?

But this is only the surface of a much deeper, darker story.

According to industry sources who wish to remain anonymous —hallmarks of a system shrouded in secrecy—Taraviras initially pitched the EFA event directly to Tanweer, attempting to link it to the company behind Murderess. When the proposal failed, despite Tanweer reportedly funding Taraviras’ “negotiations” across Europe, the narrative shifted. Enter, months later, Minister Fotilas, stepping in after the Oscars fiasco like a deus ex machina. Suddenly, the EFA event shifted from a private venture to a state-sponsored spectacle. The ruling party’s golden boys were positioned to amass millions and run, bolstered by the official seal of the Ministry of Culture and the unwavering support of the state-controlled broadcaster, ERT.

The ethical concerns here are undeniable. How can a director, serving on a committee appointed by the Minister of Modern Culture, engage in negotiations with a company whose production he actively influenced during the selection process—without disclosing such a clear conflict of interest to Ministry officials? The situation becomes even more alarming when we learn that this same committee member, who cast a vote for the Oscars submission, had previously worked for the nominee company, earning a fee of thousands of euros before the voting took place. Shouldn’t he have stepped aside from the entire process? Is this a case of diplomacy or outright duplicity? A conflict of interest or blatant misconduct?

The 2027 EFA event may glitter on the surface, but beneath lies the unmistakable stench of a system built on favors, influence, and backroom deals. This is not just about cinema and art—it’s about politics, control, and the bonfire of the vanities…

SOURCES:

https://www.radiotvlink.com/en/cinema/15783

The post Politics, Power & the Bonfire of Vanities: The 2027 (!) European Film Academy Event in Athens first appeared on Film Industry Watch.

(By Hector Alejandro Morales, Film Industry Watch contributor and Greek industry insider)

Μετά τη δημοσίευση του άρθρου «Κατηγορίες για Διαφθορά και Παρακμή στο Ελληνικό Κέντρο Κινηματογράφου» από το filmindustrywatch.org, το οποίο αποκάλυψε τις πρακτικές τύπου καρτέλ πίσω από τις κρατικές επιδοτήσεις στην Ελλάδα, αυξάνεται το κύμα δυσαρέσκειας για την κατάσταση της ελληνικής κινηματογραφικής βιομηχανίας και τους μηχανισμούς χρηματοδότησης της. Μετά το φιάσκο (της υποβολής εθνικής συμμετοχής) στα Όσκαρ Καλύτερης Διεθνούς Ταινίας, το Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού (Ιάσων Φωτήλας και Λίνα Μενδώνη) και ο Πρωθυπουργός Κυριάκος Μητσοτάκης απέτυχαν να τηρήσουν τις υποσχέσεις τους για αλλαγές. Τα βασικά σημεία που αναδεικνύουν τη συνεχιζόμενη έλλειψη προόδου και τις δομικές αναποτελεσματικότητες:

Αλλαγές Ηγεσίας με Ελάχιστο Αντίκτυπο

Οι αλλαγές ηγεσίας φαίνονται περισσότερο συμβολικές παρά ουσιαστικές, καθώς ο νέος διευθύνων σύμβουλος, Λεωνίδας Χριστόπουλος, συνεχίζει την ίδια αναποτελεσματική ατζέντα. Το Διοικητικό Συμβούλιο της Creative Greece αποτελείται από έναν πολιτικό μηχανικό και τέσσερις δικηγόρους—κανένας από τους οποίους δεν έχει καμία σχέση με την οπτικοακουστική παραγωγή—και όλοι είναι συνδεδεμένοι με το κυβερνών δεξιό κόμμα, τη Νέα Δημοκρατία.

Ο διευθύνων σύμβουλος Λεωνίδας Χριστόπουλος λαμβάνει τον εντυπωσιακό ετήσιο μισθό των 240.000 ευρώ, ενώ το υπόλοιπο διοικητικό συμβούλιο κερδίζει συνολικά 200.000 ευρώ ετησίως. Παρά τις πολυάριθμες ανακοινώσεις για φιλόδοξα σχέδια υποστήριξης ταινιών μεγάλου μήκους, βιντεοπαιχνιδιών και κινουμένων σχεδίων, ο Χριστόπουλος δεν έχει παραδώσει απτά αποτελέσματα. Η Creative Greece και η πρωτοβουλία Cash Back έχουν χάσει κάθε αξιοπιστία. Παρά τις υποσχέσεις ότι 110 εκατομμύρια ευρώ θα είναι διαθέσιμα το 2025 για την πρωτοβουλία Cash Back, επικρατεί πλήρης σιωπή σχετικά με τις προεγκρίσεις και τις πληρωμές για τα ολοκληρωμένα έργα. (Η Creative Greece απασχολεί πάνω από 180 εργαζόμενους, εκ των οποίων περίπου 70 εργάζονται για την πρωτοβουλία Cash Back, το πρώην ΕΚΟΜΕ– νυν ΕΚΚΟΜΕΔ/Creative Greece.

100+ Έργα σε Εκκρεμότητα

Περισσότερα από 100 έργα παραμένουν σε εκκρεμότητα στο πλαίσιο του προγράμματος Cash Back (το οποίο έχει μετονομαστεί σε Creative Greece), λόγω συστημικών αναποτελεσματικοτήτων στις διαδικασίες προέγκρισης και πληρωμής. Αυτό το αδιέξοδο εμποδίζει τη δημιουργικότητα και την πρόοδο του κλάδου, ιδιαίτερα για ανεξάρτητους και ανερχόμενους δημιουργούς. Με τους τρέχοντες ρυθμούς, φαίνεται εξαιρετικά απίθανο το Διοικητικό Συμβούλιο να εγκρίνει ή να χρηματοδοτήσει οποιοδήποτε έργο έως το τέλος Ιανουαρίου 2025, πόσο μάλλον να αντιμετωπίσει την εκκρεμότητα των πάνω από 100 αιτήσεων.

Καθυστερήσεις Χρηματοδότησης και Πλατφόρμας

Η αναστολή της χρηματοδότησης και οι καθυστερήσεις στην έναρξη της νέας πλατφόρμας αιτήσεων για το πρόγραμμα Cash Back έχουν επιδεινώσει περαιτέρω την κατάσταση. Ενώ η πλατφόρμα είχε αρχικά προγραμματιστεί να τεθεί σε λειτουργία την 1η Οκτωβρίου 2024, με βάση το ΦΕΚ, η έναρξη έχει πλέον αναβληθεί για τα τέλη Ιανουαρίου 2025. Αυτή η καθυστέρηση έχει παραλύσει τις κρίσιμες εξελίξεις στον κλάδο, με αποτέλεσμα οι περισσότερες συμπαραγωγές να επιλέγουν γειτονικές χώρες όπως η Ιταλία, η Μάλτα και η Βουλγαρία για γυρίσματα.

Προβλήματα στο Φεστιβάλ Ταινιών Μικρού Μήκους Δράμας

Το Φεστιβάλ Ταινιών Μικρού Μήκους Δράμας δέχεται επίσης έντονη κριτική για την εξάρτησή του από κρατικά επιδοτούμενες ταινίες του Ελληνικού Κέντρου Κινηματογράφου. Παρά την παραγωγή άνω των 400 ταινιών μικρού μήκους ετησίως, το φεστιβάλ συνεχίζει να προβάλλει τις ίδιες κρατικοδίαιτες ταινίες, προκαλώντας ανησυχίες για τη συμπερίληψη και τη διαδικασία επιλογής βάσει αξίας. Η εμμονική εμπλοκή των ίδιων προσώπων στο προσκήνιο και το παρασκήνιο διατηρεί μια νοοτροπία αποκλεισμού, ενώ η πρόσφατη προκήρυξη για νέο καλλιτεχνικό διευθυντή του φεστιβάλ δεν έχει εμπνεύσει ουδεμία εμπιστοσύνη.

Ένα Σύστημα σε Βαθιά Κρίση

Η διαρκής αδιαφορία για την πραγματική αξία και το ταλέντο, η χρηματοδότηση των μετριοτήτων και των διαπλεκόμενων, υπογραμμίζει ένα βαθύτερο πολιτιστικό και θεσμικό πρόβλημα, όπου οι ευκαιρίες είναι αποσυνδεδεμένες από τις ευρύτερες δυνατότητες του κλάδου. Είναι επιτακτική η ανάγκη για τολμηρές μεταρρυθμίσεις, διαφανείς διαδικασίες χρηματοδότησης και μια ανανεωμένη δέσμευση για αξιοκρατία, ώστε να αποκατασταθεί η εμπιστοσύνη και να ξεκλειδωθεί το πραγματικό δυναμικό της ελληνικής κινηματογραφικής βιομηχανίας.

English version:

FURTHER READING:

https://pasok.gr/ti-symbainei-sto-ekkomed

The post Συνεχίζεται το τέλμα στον ελληνικό κινηματογράφο! first appeared on Film Industry Watch.

Following our publication of the article “Corruption and Decadence in the Greek Film Center”, which exposed the cartel-like operations behind state subsidies in Greece, there is a growing wave of frustration with the state of the Greek film industry and its funding mechanisms. After the Best International Picture Oscars fiasco, the Ministry of Culture (Iason Fotilas and Lina Mendoni) and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis failed to fulfill their promises for change. Several key points highlight the ongoing lack of progress and structural inefficiencies:

1. Leadership Changes with Minimal Impact
   Leadership transitions appear more symbolic than substantive, as the new CEO, Leonidas Christopoulos, continues the same ineffective agenda. The Board of Directors of Creative Greece comprises one civil engineer and four lawyers—none of whom have any connection to audiovisual production—and all are affiliated with the ruling right-wing party, New Democracy.
   CEO Leonidas Christopoulos earns an impressive €240,000 annually, while the rest of the board collectively takes home €200,000 per year. Despite numerous press releases boasting grand ambitions to support feature films, video games, and animation, Christopoulos has failed to deliver tangible results. Creative Greece and the Cash Back initiative have lost all credibility. Despite promises that €110 million will be available in 2025 for the Cash Back initiative, there is complete silence on pre-approvals and payment for completed projects. (Creative Greece has over 180 employees, with around 70 of them working on the Cash Back initiative.)
   
   
2. 100+ Stalled Projects
   Over 100 projects remain in limbo under the Hellenic Cash Back program (now rebranded as Creative Greece), stalled due to systemic inefficiencies in pre-approval and payment processes. This backlog hampers creativity and industry momentum, particularly for independent and emerging filmmakers. Given the current pace, it seems highly unlikely that the Board of Directors will approve or fund any projects by the end of January, let alone address the backlog of 100 stalled applications.
   
   
3. Funding and Platform Delays
   The suspension of funding and delays in launching the new applications platform for the Cash Back program have further aggravated the situation. Originally set to go live on October 1st, the platform’s launch has now been pushed to late January 2025, stalling critical developments across the sector. Meanwhile, most co-productions are choosing neighboring countries like Italy, Malta, and Bulgaria for filming.
   
   
4. Drama Short Film Festival Issues
   The Drama Short Film Festival continues to showcase predominantly state-subsidized films from the Greek Film Center, despite the production of over 400 short films annually. This raises serious concerns about inclusion and merit-based selection. The persistent involvement of the same decision-makers reflects entrenched gatekeeping. The recent call for a new festival director has done little to inspire confidence.

The pervasive disregard for genuine merit highlights a deeper cultural and institutional problem, where opportunities are disconnected from the industry’s broader potential. Urgent reforms are needed to address these systemic failures and restore trust in the Greek film industry.

Further reading:

https://www.lifo.gr/now/entertainment/festibal-dramas-apohorei-o-thanasis-neofotistos-apo-epikefalis-toy-spoydastikoy

https://pasok.gr/ti-symbainei-sto-ekkomed

The post Decadence & Dysfunction: A Call for Greek Film Reform first appeared on Film Industry Watch.