Greece

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, an adaptation of Homer’s epic poem for Universal Pictures, is landing in Greece to shoot this year. Nolan’s eighth century BC-set epic, which tells the story of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and his dangerous journey home after the Trojan War, will access the country’s 40% tax rebate for international film and TV productions. It has also secured permits from the Greek ministry of culture to film at several key historical sites in the Peloponnese region, including Nestor’s Cave, Methoni Castle and Acrocorinth, a monolithic rock overlooking the ancient city of Corinth.

Strict preservation conditions are in place to protect the sites, but the willingness to facilitate Nolan’s project is a sign of Greece’s efforts to build on its ever-growing reputation as an international shooting destination.

Hellenic Film Commission’s Stavroula Geronimaki says the availability of Chlemoutsi Castle for filming is just one indication that in Greece “archaeological sites and world heritage monuments are the natural setting for historical period films”.

The territory launched its support system, which covers up to 40% of qualifying expenditures, along with 30% tax relief, in 2018. The Greek government pressed pause on the support in May 2024 to work on clearing a funding backlog and set a fresh budget before rejigging the entities responsible for allocating the support.

It reopened its doors in February with $112.4m (€105m) allocated for 2025 and is now administered by Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center — Creative Greece (HFAC — Creative Greece), created in April 2024 through the merger of the Greek Film Centre (GFC), which has long supported local productions, and Ekome, the agency that ran the parallel cash rebate and tax relief schemes to attract international productions to Greece. The total state subsidy cannot exceed $8.6m (€8m) for any one project.

The deal to bring Nolan’s latest to Greece was the result of conversations with Universal Pictures, Syncopy Inc and Hellenic Film Commission, a directorate of HFAC — Creative Greece.

Experienced UK producer Christine Langan landed in the territory to film Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s debut feature Hot Milk, an adaptation of Deborah Levy’s Spain-set novel of the same name, starring Fiona Shaw, Emma Mackey and Vicky Krieps. 

Langan opted for Greece after securing Greek tax credits and extensive pre-production meetings with local co-production powerhouse Heretic. “We were looking for a beneficial tax credit and coastal locations, and we looked at many different countries,” says Langan. “We had been recommended different production services and production companies and settled on Heretic. They offered us a recce, and we felt we were going to be able to achieve all we wanted in Greece without any creative compromise.”

Hot Milk shot in Greece, including Athens, through July and August for 25 days. Special measures were put in place to cope with the high temperatures, and the production deployed experienced local crew when required. 

“A lot of what we needed was set at night, so we were on split days and then nights,” says Langan. “The funny thing was that Greek people themselves changed their timetable to cope with heat and came out at night. It made for a good atmosphere.”

Lenkiewicz’s debut for Bonnie Productions, Film4 and Hanway Films is not the only Deborah Levy adaptation to visit in the past two years. Swimming Home, written and directed by fellow UK debut filmmaker Justin Anderson, also shot here. The UK-Netherlands-Greece co‑production was produced by Andy Starke of Anti-Worlds, Emily Morgan of Quiddity Films and Greece’s Heretic. Co-producers were Paula Linhares and Marcos Tellechea of Brazil’s Reagent Media and Leontine Petit and Erik Glijnis of Dutch outfit Lemming Film.

Morgan says the positive draw of Greece’s popular 40% tax rebate for international film and TV productions, coupled with the availability of fantastic crew, facilities and locations, helped pull it together.

Heretic was also on hand to bring The Return, Uberto Pasolini’s telling of the final chapters of Homer’s Odyssey, to the big screen. The Italy-Greece-UK-France co-production filmed for four weeks on location on the island of Corfu and on mainland Greece before moving to Italy for six weeks. Pasolini also shot at Chlemoutsi Castle in the Peloponnese, a medieval structure built by the Franks in 1220 in the northern part of the Ilia region, which boasts breathtaking views across the plain of Elis to the Ionian Sea. Nolan is set to film there for his Homer adaptation.

High-end TV series that shot in Greece include Amazon MGM Studios and The Wonder Project’s House Of David, which filmed in the prefecture of Attica and the Peloponnese, in co-operation with Nomadic Pictures, Argonauts Productions from Greece, Kingdom Story Company and Lionsgate Television. Psychological thriller series Malice, directed by Mike Barker and starring David Duchovny for Prime Video, filmed on the island of Paros and Antiparos in Cyclades, Athens and Piraeus.

With its Mediterranean climate, diverse locations and landscapes, Greece offers everything from snow-capped Mount Olympus to a volcano on Nisyros, the Minoan palace of Knossos on Crete to the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights in Rhodes. There is even a desert on Lemnos, while many Greek locations can double for other countries.

The Mediterranean climate, diverse locations and landscapes help lure international productions. Greece offers everything from snow-capped Mount Olympus to a volcano on Nisyros, the Minoan palace of Knossos on Crete to the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights in Rhodes. 

There is even a desert on Lemnos, while many Greek locations can double for other countries. Hellenic Film Commission, a directorate of the Greek Film Centre, supports international audiovisual productions by connecting producers with the local industry and the regional film offices, providing guidance on filming permits, incentives and locations. It also offers location-scouting financial support for projects looking to shoot in Greece. Ask early to avoid disappointment.

Many of Greece’s most popular and picturesque filming locations are just a few hours’ drive from the capital Athens. Many islands have their own airports and are easy to reach from the mainland by both sea and air. Greece is a four-hour flight from London and 10 hours from New York.

Greece offers so much variety — from medieval old towns to Minoan palaces; snow-capped Mount Olympus to the volcano on Nisyros; the picture-perfect Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea to the forests and lakes of the mainland. There is even a desert on the island of Lemnos, while the striking mountainous region in northern Greece is particularly popular with action movies and thrillers. 

Aside from historical and natural locations, there are many modern sites open to filming. Highlights include the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens, which houses the national opera, national library and Stavros Niarchos Park. Upscale neighbourhoods can also stand in for Italy or France, and nothing is too far from a pristine beach. 

Producers are strongly advised to apply at the competent authorities of the Ministry of Culture and Sports at least one month prior to filming. Additionally, the expertise of Greek producers and location managers is needed to handle these permits.

"Lesser-known islands such as Kythnos, Serifos, Koufonisia, Karpathos, Skopelos, and Alonisos are particularly production-friendly and eager to support film crews," says Need-A-Fixer. Greece’s low living costs mean more room in your budget for production needs. "With low crime rates and political stability, Greece is one of the safest countries for filming. Your crew and equipment will be secure, allowing you to focus on creating stunning content," they add. 

Filmiki cite the great climate conditions (255 sunny days per year) alongside experienced multilingual film professionals and crews, and a variety in multicultural and multilingual casting as selling points for filming in Greece.

The Greek Film Centre offers production support and access to Kapa Studios in Athens, and a network of service companies throughout the country. Kapa Studios has the capacity of 10 soundstages (ranging 400-1,600 square metres), while Nu Boyana Film Studios has a branch in Thessaloniki. 

Just three hours by car from the Bulgarian capital Sofia, Thessaloniki is ideally located to move equipment from the original Nu Boyana facility, and an international airport makes it easy to bring talent into the country. The growing number of productions shooting across Greece means there are good local crews available to work on projects of all sizes.

Most of Greece’s most popular and picturesque filming locations are just a few hours’ drive from capital city Athens. Many of the islands have their own airports and are easy to reach from the mainland by both sea and air. Greece is a four-hour flight from London and 10 hours from New York.

First contact: Neoklis Mantas, director, Hellenic Film Commission: n.mantas@ekkomed.gr

Greece is a member of the European Union and a participant in the Schengen Agreement. Its currency is the euro.