If you wanted to gauge how far the growing Greek TV industry has come in just a few short years, you’d have to look no further than last month in Lille, France, where Series Mania offered a splashy showcase for the Mediterranean nation’s sudden rise.
The prestigious French fest opened with Amazon Prime Video’s “Greek Salad,” director Cédric Klapisch’s follow-up to his beloved “Spanish Apartment” trilogy that chose Athens as the setting for its portrait of contemporary Europe at a crossroads. Meanwhile, a Greek series bowed in the festival’s international competition for the first time: Vasilis Kekatos’ “Milky Way.”
Directed by the short film Palme d’Or winner and inviting comparisons to “Euphoria” from festivalgoers, the envelope-pushing teen drama (pictured) is part of a bold new wave of Greek storytelling that reflects an industry striving to reach new heights. “We have amazing talents in Greece.
The prestigious French fest opened with Amazon Prime Video’s “Greek Salad,” director Cédric Klapisch’s follow-up to his beloved “Spanish Apartment” trilogy that chose Athens as the setting for its portrait of contemporary Europe at a crossroads. Meanwhile, a Greek series bowed in the festival’s international competition for the first time: Vasilis Kekatos’ “Milky Way.”
Directed by the short film Palme d’Or winner and inviting comparisons to “Euphoria” from festivalgoers, the envelope-pushing teen drama (pictured) is part of a bold new wave of Greek storytelling that reflects an industry striving to reach new heights. “We have amazing talents in Greece.
- 4/14/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
When “Silent Road” (pictured above), a Greek abduction thriller written by Melina Tsampani and Petros Kalkovalis, dropped its first episode on Mediaset Italia’s flagship Canale 5 station this summer, 1.4 million viewers tuned in, making it the second-highest rated show in its timeslot.
The series, which follows an affluent Athenian family after a school bus carrying their children is held hostage, set a new benchmark for the Greek television industry, which even in the era of globe-trotting drama has been slow to cross borders. Directed by Vardis Marinakis and produced by Athens-based Filmiki for Greek broadcaster Mega TV, “Silent Road” is being sold internationally by Beta Film.
Tsampani and Kalkovalis acknowledge that the industry is still “taking baby steps.” “Greek fiction has to find its place in a vast global market and to do so we have to invest in premium series,” the duo tells Variety.
Yet all signs suggest a shift is underway.
The series, which follows an affluent Athenian family after a school bus carrying their children is held hostage, set a new benchmark for the Greek television industry, which even in the era of globe-trotting drama has been slow to cross borders. Directed by Vardis Marinakis and produced by Athens-based Filmiki for Greek broadcaster Mega TV, “Silent Road” is being sold internationally by Beta Film.
Tsampani and Kalkovalis acknowledge that the industry is still “taking baby steps.” “Greek fiction has to find its place in a vast global market and to do so we have to invest in premium series,” the duo tells Variety.
Yet all signs suggest a shift is underway.
- 11/3/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
In anticipation of screening at Cannes’ MipTV market, Beta Film, which handles distribution, has provided Variety exclusive access to the international trailer for Greek abduction thriller “Silent Road.”
Written by Melina Tsampani and Petros Kalkovalis and directed by Vardis Marinakis, the series dissects the entangled lives of an affluent family in Athens after a school bus carrying their children is held hostage, the kids and bus drivers inside being abducted and held for ransom. A slight nod to the eerie legend, turning on the Pied Piper of Hamelin, the town must come to grips with the event while police dig into the crime, desperate to resolve the atrocity.
“While shaping the idea for ‘Silent Road,’ we wanted to use a fairytale in the narration, as a bridge that connects the world of adults to that of the children. The Pied Piper of Hamelin is a dark fairytale about trust and revenge.
Written by Melina Tsampani and Petros Kalkovalis and directed by Vardis Marinakis, the series dissects the entangled lives of an affluent family in Athens after a school bus carrying their children is held hostage, the kids and bus drivers inside being abducted and held for ransom. A slight nod to the eerie legend, turning on the Pied Piper of Hamelin, the town must come to grips with the event while police dig into the crime, desperate to resolve the atrocity.
“While shaping the idea for ‘Silent Road,’ we wanted to use a fairytale in the narration, as a bridge that connects the world of adults to that of the children. The Pied Piper of Hamelin is a dark fairytale about trust and revenge.
- 4/3/2022
- by Holly Jones
- Variety Film + TV
As the Thessaloniki Intl. Film Festival celebrates its 60th edition, what began as a small-scale celebration called Greek Cinema Week has evolved into a vital platform for filmmakers from Greece and around the region, finding a natural home in this historical crossroads that has at various points been under Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman rule.
“We are in the middle of southeastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, so I think Thessaloniki is the key town to introduce the huge neighborhood from the south bank of the Danube to the Adriatic, from the Black Sea until the Nile,” says festival artistic director Orestis Andreadakis.
For this year’s edition, which takes place from Oct. 31-Nov. 10, the fest unspools an ambitious slate of festival darlings, provocative premieres and Greek cinema classics.
Competition section Meet the Neighbors will launch with a focus on first and second features by emerging filmmakers from the region. And...
“We are in the middle of southeastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, so I think Thessaloniki is the key town to introduce the huge neighborhood from the south bank of the Danube to the Adriatic, from the Black Sea until the Nile,” says festival artistic director Orestis Andreadakis.
For this year’s edition, which takes place from Oct. 31-Nov. 10, the fest unspools an ambitious slate of festival darlings, provocative premieres and Greek cinema classics.
Competition section Meet the Neighbors will launch with a focus on first and second features by emerging filmmakers from the region. And...
- 10/30/2019
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Borne on the back of a juvenile performance of remarkable intelligence and spontaneity, Vardis Marinakis’ fine-boned “Zizotek” has an uncanny shimmer to its storytelling: It slips unnoticed from genre to genre like a quiet child moving between rooms trying not to disturb the adults. Starting out as a family drama of parental neglect and abandonment, it then becomes a woodsy survivalism tale and an odd-couple bonding narrative, before even those earthy elements fall away and we’re left with the delicate, skeleton-leaf framework of a myth, or a fairy tale — one of the dark kind that ends weirdly, rather than happily, ever after. Only the Greek director’s second feature, its effect is peculiar and moving and subtly bewitching, like a dream where you’re not sure at exactly which point you started dreaming.
A delicate balance between prosaic reality and the softer, subjective perception of a child is present from the outset,...
A delicate balance between prosaic reality and the softer, subjective perception of a child is present from the outset,...
- 7/26/2019
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
The 54th Karlovy Vary Film Festival on Tuesday unveiled the first titled in its 2019 lineup, featuring 10 world premieres in its competition section including the Hong Khaou’s drama Monsoon starring Crazy Rich Asians‘ Henry Golding and the lone U.S. feature, Martha Stephens’ black-and-white drama To the Stars starring Kara Hayward.
The fest, which runs June 28-July 6, also unveiled films set for its East of the West, Documentary and Out of Competition sections. The latter lineup includes the world premiere of Martin Krejčí’s The True Adventures of Wolfboy, a U.S. film starring starring Jaeden Martel, Eve Hewson and John Turturro, and the European premiere of Mystify: Michael Hutchence, a documentary about the life of the lead singer of Aussie rock band INXS.
The Documentary section includes the European premiere of Apollo 11, the Todd Douglas Miller
feature-length pic that launched in March in the U.S. tied to...
The fest, which runs June 28-July 6, also unveiled films set for its East of the West, Documentary and Out of Competition sections. The latter lineup includes the world premiere of Martin Krejčí’s The True Adventures of Wolfboy, a U.S. film starring starring Jaeden Martel, Eve Hewson and John Turturro, and the European premiere of Mystify: Michael Hutchence, a documentary about the life of the lead singer of Aussie rock band INXS.
The Documentary section includes the European premiere of Apollo 11, the Todd Douglas Miller
feature-length pic that launched in March in the U.S. tied to...
- 5/28/2019
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Selection includes Hong Khaou’s Monsoon, Jan-Ole Gerster’s Lara and Damjan Kozole’s Half-Sister.
The 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (June 28 - July 6) has unveiled the first competition titles in its Official Selection, East of the West and Documentary sections.
Scroll down for full line-ups
The 12-strong main competition will include 10 world premieres and two international premieres.
UK director Hong Khaou’s Monsoon, his follow up to his 2014 Sundance debut Lilting, is among the world premieres. Backed by BBC Films, Monsoon stars Henry Golding, best known for Crazy Rich Asians, as a man struggling with his return to...
The 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (June 28 - July 6) has unveiled the first competition titles in its Official Selection, East of the West and Documentary sections.
Scroll down for full line-ups
The 12-strong main competition will include 10 world premieres and two international premieres.
UK director Hong Khaou’s Monsoon, his follow up to his 2014 Sundance debut Lilting, is among the world premieres. Backed by BBC Films, Monsoon stars Henry Golding, best known for Crazy Rich Asians, as a man struggling with his return to...
- 5/28/2019
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
The eight day gala affair at the 12th Mumbai film Festival concluded last night with Fardeen Khan and Raima Sen hosting the event at Chandan Cinema. The Indian Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Manoj Kumar and International Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Oliver Stone. After receiving the award Manoj Kumar said, "Oliver Stone was Oliver Stone until he came to India, after landing here, he became a precious gem and priceless stone." In turn Oliver thanked Mumbai, the Festival and Manoj Kumar for his kind words and said, "India has great culture, you make great movies and I am honoured to accept this award." The Golden Gateway Award for the best film in the international competition category was presented to Turkish film Majority directed by Seren Yuce. The award was presented by director Girish Kasarvalli and Festival jury member Samira Makhmalbaf. The Silver Gateway Award Jury Grand Prize...
- 10/29/2010
- by Bollywood Hungama News Network
- BollywoodHungama
The eight-day gala affair at the 12th Mumbai Film Festival concluded Thursday night in a grand way with active participation from Bollywood and presence of legends like Manoj Kumar and Hollywood filmmaker Oliver Stone.The closing ceremony of the fest witnessed an award ceremony that was attended by Yash Chopra, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Sudhir Mishra, Madhur Bhandarkar, Arunoday Singh, Satish Kaushik, Prem Chopra, Hrishita Bhatt, Rituparno Sengupta, Rajshree Ojha and Aamir Bashir among others. The event was hosted by Fardeen Khan and Raima Sen.The lifetime achievement awards were bestowed on two veterans Manoj Kumar and Oliver Stone, who received standing ovations by the audience.After receiving the award Manoj said: .I.m happy to receive this award. I must salute all for wonderfully handling this festival. I want to tell the organisers that anytime they need me, I will always be there for them..The other lifetime achievement award winner,...
- 10/28/2010
- Filmicafe
I’m not quite sure what they’re putting in the water in Greece but there’s definitely something going on. The country has never really been at the forefront of filmmaking but over the last year, there have been an assortment of excellent titles coming out of the Balkan Peninsula.
First there’s Vardis Marinakis’ Black Field (check out our preview and interview with Marinakis) Giorgos Lanthimos’ Dogtooth (review) and yesterday we got word of Athina Rachel Tsangari's Attenberg. Today we have Yiannis Economidis’s Mahairovgaltis.
It’s the story of Nick, a man who lives in the country; a man who lives for the here and now. When his father dies, he’s urged to leave small town life behind and head to Athens where his uncle offers him food, board and an easy job but Nick's life takes a sharp turn once he arrives in the metropolis.
First there’s Vardis Marinakis’ Black Field (check out our preview and interview with Marinakis) Giorgos Lanthimos’ Dogtooth (review) and yesterday we got word of Athina Rachel Tsangari's Attenberg. Today we have Yiannis Economidis’s Mahairovgaltis.
It’s the story of Nick, a man who lives in the country; a man who lives for the here and now. When his father dies, he’s urged to leave small town life behind and head to Athens where his uncle offers him food, board and an easy job but Nick's life takes a sharp turn once he arrives in the metropolis.
- 8/3/2010
- QuietEarth.us
Are we witnessing the rise of Greek cinema? With Dogtooth still winning raves on the fest circuit and directors like Tale 52's Alexis Alexiou pushing the boundaries of Greek cinema it certainly appears as though we may be.
And on the list of Greek directors to keep an eye open for on the first circuit, you may now add Vardis Marinakis, the director of Black Field (Μαύρο Λιβάδι). Due for release in mid-February the film is openly courting comparisons to The Crying Game, albeit a spin on those themes in a period setting crossing religious as well as gender boundaries.
1654, Ottoman Empire, Greece. A Turkish Warrior arrives heavily wounded in a remote Christian female monastery and is nursed by Anthi, a young Greek nun who has taken the oath of silence. They fall in love without realizing it. Anthi doesn't dare to reveal to the Turkish Warrior her dark secret.
And on the list of Greek directors to keep an eye open for on the first circuit, you may now add Vardis Marinakis, the director of Black Field (Μαύρο Λιβάδι). Due for release in mid-February the film is openly courting comparisons to The Crying Game, albeit a spin on those themes in a period setting crossing religious as well as gender boundaries.
1654, Ottoman Empire, Greece. A Turkish Warrior arrives heavily wounded in a remote Christian female monastery and is nursed by Anthi, a young Greek nun who has taken the oath of silence. They fall in love without realizing it. Anthi doesn't dare to reveal to the Turkish Warrior her dark secret.
- 1/29/2010
- Screen Anarchy
After reading Joseph Proimakis’ interview with director Vardis Marinakis and checking out the promo trailer, I was pretty excited so see what Black Field (“Mavro livadi”) would have to offer. A cross gender love story set to the backdrop of the Ottoman Empire? This is definitely not your average romance, or period war film for that matter.
The full synopsis, in case you’ve missed it:
1654, Ottoman Empire, Greece. A Turkish Warrior arrives heavily wounded in a remote christian female monastery and is nursed by Anthi, a young Greek nun who has taken the oath of silence. They fall in love without realising it. Anthi doesnt dare to reveal to the Turkish Warrior her dark secret. She is a boy. A cross gender love story. "The crying game" set in the Balkans of 17th century. A visual film about two people that fall in a dead end love.
The film...
The full synopsis, in case you’ve missed it:
1654, Ottoman Empire, Greece. A Turkish Warrior arrives heavily wounded in a remote christian female monastery and is nursed by Anthi, a young Greek nun who has taken the oath of silence. They fall in love without realising it. Anthi doesnt dare to reveal to the Turkish Warrior her dark secret. She is a boy. A cross gender love story. "The crying game" set in the Balkans of 17th century. A visual film about two people that fall in a dead end love.
The film...
- 1/29/2010
- QuietEarth.us
Year: 2010
Director: Vardis Marinakis
Writer: Vardis Marinakis
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Joseph Proimakis
Back in 1453, the rising Ottoman empire overtook the Byzantines and, as they had done on numerous other nations they' d invaded, they set a military occupation over what later came to be the Greek nation. The occupation lasted for almost four centuries, until the Turks were overthrown by the Greek revolution that broke out in 1821.
One of the reasons the Turks stayed in charge for so long, was a drafting method they implemented to renew their military forces, while reducing the youth population of the various occupied nations. It was known as devshirme, or children-gathering, and the main idea was to take away male children at a very young age and raise them as Turkish soldiers, undergoing a very rough and strict military training, part of which was the conversion to Islam and the programming of hatred towards their mother-nations.
Director: Vardis Marinakis
Writer: Vardis Marinakis
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Joseph Proimakis
Back in 1453, the rising Ottoman empire overtook the Byzantines and, as they had done on numerous other nations they' d invaded, they set a military occupation over what later came to be the Greek nation. The occupation lasted for almost four centuries, until the Turks were overthrown by the Greek revolution that broke out in 1821.
One of the reasons the Turks stayed in charge for so long, was a drafting method they implemented to renew their military forces, while reducing the youth population of the various occupied nations. It was known as devshirme, or children-gathering, and the main idea was to take away male children at a very young age and raise them as Turkish soldiers, undergoing a very rough and strict military training, part of which was the conversion to Islam and the programming of hatred towards their mother-nations.
- 11/6/2009
- QuietEarth.us
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.