Hi there!
I hope you don’t mind me contacting you. My name is Diana Posner and I'm casting an international travel show about expats moving abroad. We'd love to film in Greece and wanted to know if you could help us find expats who have moved there within the last 15 months or have been there for 3-4 years, but recently moved into a new home. The show documents their move to a new country and will place the country in fabulous light. The expats on the show would also receive monetary compensation if they are filmed. They must also speak English fluently and can be buyers or renters for their homes. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thanks!

News flash according to Variety Magazine:

Actor, producer and director Billy Zane is to produce and direct a co-production with Greek partners of a script he wrote on the island of Paros.

Zane said the project -- working title "Photismos," which means illumination -- would reflect his Greek heritage. He expects to start shooting on Paros early next year and is about the relationship between a young man and his uncle and will touch on "philosophy, theology, Pythagoras' theories, geometry….and Frisbees".

The budget for the movie is in the region of $2 million and Zane is currently in negotiations with producers in Greece before finalizing financial and production details.

I just discovered a cool IMAX film called “Greece: Secrets of the Past”. It’s a professional, to the tune of $4 million, combination of aerial and close-up video along with digital re-creation of how the scenes appeared in ancient times. The result is visually stunning as well as educational. Ideal for know before you go.

Get your own DVD here:     

According to Greek island wedding specialists 2009 is shaping up to be their best year ever despite a predicted downturn in general tourism.  They say this is due to the success of Mama Mia which recently beat out Titanic as the highest grossing British film ever at the UK box office.

We just watched this farcical musical for the second time and really enjoyed the comedy and the Greek island scenery set to Abba music.  Evidently brides-to-be want their weddings to also be full of fun in the sand and surf with romantic dinners and dance parties.  The island named in the movie does not exist so just about any Greek island will do, including our Paros.  Santorini is the most popular wedding site as well as the most expensive.

The next cinema due out to hype the Greece travel market is My Life in Ruins starring Nia Vardalos of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  This one involves the trials and tribulations of a travel agent escorting a group around Greece who falls in love with the bus driver--I home the flick is better than the story line.  The many producers include our neighboring Antiparos homeowners, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.

The modern grandmother of Greek island romance is Shirley Valentine.  That classic can be blamed for many Brits and others moving home and hearth to the islands.  So why don't you view it and start packing your bags.  We would love to share our piece of Paros paradise.

Cheers,

Here is a link to a fun video for Lacta Chocolate. It was filmed on Paros this summer. I actually drove through one of their filming sets on my way to the Villa Randiana one morning.

If you are young enough to see the whole video let me know if I am in it or not. Most likely I am on the cutting room floor as I am too old to be handsome and too young to have an interesting face.

Enjoy: http://www.loveatfirstsite.gr/en/

Warning: It is quite large so very slow loading.

The keynote speaker for the Thessaloniki Film Festival was none other than Hollywood actor, director, producer, John Malkovich. He shared the stage with Greek-American writer and journalist Nicholas Gage, the author of "Eleni", a book later turned into a motion picture staring Malkovich. (ANA)

We recommend both the book and the movie Eleni for anyone interested in modern Greek history or the power of immigration. Being John Malkovich was a riveting exploration of ordinary people entering the mind of a celebrity.

Both Malkovich and Gage have many other works. You can find them by clicking one of the Amazon links and doing a search.

If your interested in Greek filmmaking, see our Filmmaking Workshop page.