His congratulations Christoforo Papacaliati for its inclusion “Maestro” in his film library Netflix prime minister said Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The Prime Minister attended and spoke at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival event, where a discussion was also held between producers and executives of audiovisual production companies. The group consisted of Ferdinand Dona (Germany), Sam Hoyle (Sky Studios), Peter Nadermann (Germany), Richard Pommera (N9ne Studio), Veronica Vitali (NETFLIX), Boban Jevtic (Firefly Productions) and Julien Leroux (Paper Entertainment).

The Prime Minister said that the Thessaloniki International Film Festival is the cornerstone of the modern Greek film industry. “And it shows how strong this industry is today. Thanks to the much greater visibility of Greek talents in international markets, more joint projects and more foreign films made in Greece,” he said and added that last year alone we had 200 productions in our country, including more than 20 Greek feature films and over 20 TV and film projects from major Hollywood studios.

He noted that “From the very beginning, we presented a clear strategy, which was essentially based on three pillars, aimed at supporting and developing the audiovisual industry, which continues to build on the success achieved in recent years.”

“We know that we can do more to ensure that the Greek film industry receives the investment and funding it deserves. And ensure that the regulatory framework is simplified to free up time for manufacturers to do what they do best. That is, telling stories that we all love to watch and hear. However, until today, no major platform has hosted our stories, the stories of Greek authors. But that all changed this week when Netflix announced it had acquired the worldwide rights to the Greek drama series Maestro. Congratulations, Mr Papakaliati. You make us all proud. We hope that this is just the beginning and that they will acquire platforms and, why not, continue to produce more Greek films and series themselves in the future,” the Prime Minister said.

“I would like to begin by thanking everyone present for participating in a discussion that I am sure will be extremely educational and showcase the current state of film and television in the world.

When you look at the quality of the work that they have helped to promote – with productions like The Assassination, Doctor Who, Tehran, War and Peace, The Borgias – there is no doubt that the discussion paints a very significant picture, which I’m sure he doesn’t want to lose.

It is a personal honor and pleasure for me to be here today at the Thessaloniki Film Festival. Thanks to everyone for organizing this event. I have been briefed on the significant progress that has been made in recent years. And it is significant that I am here today, among the most talented and creative minds of our country and the world.

As you know, Thessaloniki International Film Festival is the cornerstone of the modern Greek film industry and, as you noted, the line between cinema and television is becoming more and more indistinguishable.

And it proves how powerful this industry is today. Thanks to the much greater visibility of Greek talent in international markets, more collaborations and more foreign films made in Greece. Some of them were filmed here in Thessaloniki, dear mayor, dear governor of the region. And, as far as I understand, more interesting announcements will surely follow in the coming days.

Last year alone, we had 200 productions in our country, including more than 20 Greek feature films and more than 20 television and film productions from major Hollywood studios. This year’s Palme d’Or, Triangle of Sorrows, was co-produced by the Greek production company Heretic and filmed primarily on the island of Evia.

At the same time, Evi Kaloghiropoulou’s short film “On the Throne of Xerxes” won the Canal+ award in its category at Cannes Critics’ Week. As one film industry magazine noted, “Despite the effects of COVID-19 and the financial crisis of the late 2000s, the Greek film industry has emerged as a force to be reckoned with on the global stage.”

Of course, not everyone has the talent to be part of the creative process. But we in the government understand that making a film is not just a creative activity. It is also an economic enterprise of national importance – the industry directly or indirectly employs more than 100,000 people and certainly has a broader economic impact in many sectors and regions.

From the very first moment, we have presented a clear strategy based on three pillars, aimed at supporting and developing the audiovisual industry, which continues to build on the success achieved in recent years.

In all sectors of the economy, our goal has always been to create the best conditions for business and investment. This, of course, applies to your industry as well. So the first pillar of our strategy revolves around providing incentives as our country now offers one of the most competitive programs in the EU and has further simplified the application and certification processes.

I’m sure many of you are aware of the incentive program we offer. We didn’t reinvent the wheel. We looked at what other countries are doing and tried to make it a little better. We therefore have a 40% cash discount on eligible costs incurred by production in Greece for all audiovisual works. Over 140 million euros were distributed last year. This can be combined with a 30% tax incentive on eligible costs.

We have added to these incentives the right to tariffs for participants who do not reside in Greece, in the case of producers with eligible costs in excess of 8 million – and up to 50% of eligible costs. While there is also the Hellenic Development Bank, which can guarantee bank loans of up to 900,000 euros for the audiovisual sector, and the Entrepreneurship 360 program, a special state aid program to support audiovisual studios.

Our second pillar is infrastructure. We are aware of the lack of sufficient sound stages (recording studios) which is a problem and for this reason we know that we need a more modern infrastructure that will allow Greece to become the important power in the audio-visual sector that we need to be. There is a lot of interest in this type of investment. And some of them will take place not far from where we are now, in Thessaloniki. And, of course, I should mention that businesses interested in such investments can also take advantage of extremely low loans from the EU Recovery and Resilience Fund. These loans have an interest rate of less than 1%, which is extremely competitive given the current interest rate environment. .

And, of course, the last pillar of our strategy is human capital. Without the right people and especially the right skills, this industry cannot grow.

So the proper professional development of the film crew, the right content creation workshops through programs like the Hellenic Film Center’s “Film Industry Incubation”, and the development of a national school of audiovisual media are exactly the tools we want to use. to improve skills, especially for the young talented people we have to offer our services to the audiovisual industry.

A hundred and fifty kilometers east of here, in the city of Drama, famous for its International Short Film Festival, a new audiovisual cluster is being planned, as well as a film school to stimulate and promote startups. new talents.

On top of all this, we are moving towards a simpler and more efficient regulatory framework. The Minister referred to this. We are constantly trying to simplify the process so that you can develop your business in Greece. And that includes a more streamlined licensing process, developing a network of local cinemas, and reforming the industry’s institutional framework.

We know we can do more to ensure that the Greek film industry receives the investment and funding it deserves. And ensure that the regulatory framework is simplified to free up time for manufacturers to do what they do best. That is, telling stories that we all love to watch and hear.

However, until today, no major platform has hosted our stories, the stories of Greek authors. But that all changed this week when Netflix announced it had acquired the worldwide rights to the Greek drama series Maestro. Congratulations, Mr Papakaliati. You make us all proud.

We hope that this is just the beginning and that the platforms will acquire and – why not – continue to produce more Greek films and series themselves in the future. We are of course very proud of our beautiful landscapes and landscapes. Greece is a country where there are not many film productions that offer unique landscapes. For example, the city of Thessaloniki surprised many when it was first shown on screens. But, of course, we are especially proud of our extremely talented people, and our job is to make them stand out with the strategy I just described.

After all, the art of storytelling, which underlies this amazing event, is deeply rooted in Greek culture. Theatrical art originated in Greece. They were born right below the Acropolis, in Athens, when the ancient Greeks first experimented with theater not only as entertainment but also as a form of self-reflection.

The discussion we will have today and of course the Thessaloniki International Film Festival show that this tradition is very much alive in Greece today. It is dynamic and enriched with new ideas. And despite the fact that two millennia have passed, its future continues to be exciting. Thank you for your attention”.