Hellenic Film Commission the Directorate of the Greek Film Centre responsible for International Audiovisual Productions, participated in this year’s annual FOCUS – The Meeting Place for International Production that took place in London’s Business Design Center, on the 5th and 6th of December 2023.
During the two-day event, the presentation of the shooting process for the movie “The Return” stood out as a case study, showcasing the best practices in attracting and realizing national productions in our country.
The presentation speakers were Stavroula Geronimaki, Acting Director of the HFC, producer James Clayton (UK), and Konstantinos Kontovrakis, co-founder of Heretic and co-producer of the film. “The Return”, revisiting the story of Homer’s Odyssey, utilized Greece’s Cash Rebate Tax incentive. Location scouting took place in the Peloponnese and in Corfu and was financially supported by the Location Scouting Support program of the HFC. The contribution of both the Hellenic Film Commission and the Ionian Film Office was pivotal for a smooth filming process in both public and archaeological spaces. The film was directed by Umberto Pasolini, starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliet Binoche.