Strategic collaboration of the Athens Film Office with the Greek Film Centre

The goal is to attract film producers in Athens

Aiming at the promotion of Athens as a film destination and attracting audiovisual producers, the Athens Film Office (AFO) of the Municipality of Athens and the Greek Film Centre (GFC) are laying the foundations for a strategic partnership that will strengthen the city's position in the international Buy.

In the memorandum of cooperation signed last week, between the Athens Development and Destination Management Agency (ADDMA), as the implementing body of Athens Film Office) and the Hellenic Film Center (through the Hellenic Film Commission), the two sides agreed , inter alia, in the following joint actions:

- In the design and organization of training programs in collaboration with other private and public bodies of the Cinema.

- To expand a possible joint presence in international exhibitions and festivals.

- In promotional actions in international and domestic Media.

- In the planning of new actions aimed at expanding the film market and cultivating cinematic interest, especially in the new audience.

- In their cooperation for the simplification of the process of issuing filming licenses in areas under the jurisdiction of the Municipality of Athens.

The Athens Film Office, created by the Municipality of Athens in March 2020, is the Office for the Service and Attraction of Film Producers and its main responsibilities include facilitating audiovisual producers, as well as collaborating with other film institutions to promote it. city ​​abroad, through participation in film festivals and exhibitions.

"The cooperation of the Athens Film Office with the Hellenic Cinema Center, brings us closer to achieving our strategic goals: To strengthen the local economy and competitiveness, to upgrade the tourism product and to effectively promote Athens abroad. The memorandum of cooperation between ADDMA and GFC will be a valuable basis for the city to become a film destination abroad and will strengthen the modern and growing domestic industry of audiovisual producers ", emphasizes Melina Daskalaki, President of the athens Development and Destination Management Agency (ADDMA). 

The Hellenic Film Center, as the main body for the exercise of film policy, which aims at the protection and development of film production and Art in Greece, has been supporting the attraction and service of foreign producers in Greece for more than ten years through the Hellenic Film Commission.

In a statement, the Chairman of the Board of GFC Markos Holevas, points out: "Athens has proven to be a popular destination for foreign productions and the Municipality has responded with the creation of the respective Film Office. We consider it the obligation of GFC to cooperate with the Athens Film Office in order to coordinate the actions and actions that will highlight the potential of the city of Athens as a destination for film and audiovisual producers in general. At the same time, for the joint action, we will seek the training of artistic and technical staff of the audiovisual sector and the improvement, where possible, of the infrastructure. "It is a common expectation that Athens will acquire an overall picture of its urban landscape through the power of the moving image."

As part of the cooperation between the two organizations, a series of familiarization trips (FAM trips) will be launched within the next year with the aim of effectively promoting the city as a cinematic destination to the representatives of international audiovisual producers.