The foundations for a dynamic cooperation between the Development of Athens of the Municipality of Athens and the Region of Western Greece were laid during a working meeting held last Friday at Serafio, on the occasion of the establishment of a Film Office in the Region of Western Greece.

At the meeting, which was attended by the managing director of the Athens Development Company, Ioannis Georgios and the head of the Athens Film Office, Stathis Kalogeropoulos, it was decided to start cooperation between the two institutions, according to which the Athens Film Office will contribute with its valuable experience to the development of the corresponding office in the region of Western Greece, in order to promote the region as a destination for film and television productions.

In a statement after the meeting, Mr. George stressed: “We are very happy for this cooperation with the Region of Western Greece, which gives us the opportunity to transfer our experience from the successful operation of the Athens Film Office. It is a constant ambition of the Municipality’s Film Office to support the balanced development of the audiovisual production sector throughout the country, playing a leading role in the evolution of the ecosystem. The Office has managed projects worth hundreds of millions of euros whose filming has supported the city’s economy, providing hundreds of new jobs in the audiovisual sector. Our goal is to continue in the same direction in the coming years.”

On the part of the Region of Western Greece, the meeting was attended by the deputy regional governor Charalambos Bonanos, the Regional Advisor of Western Greece Giorgos Stamatis and the Film Officer, Theano Vourtsi, who presented their plans, stressing the importance of such cooperation for the development of the region as a film destination.

In a statement, Bonanos said: “Our priority is to introduce the Region of Western Greece in the map of regions selected by domestic and international audiovisual productions and by sharing good practices from successful Film Offices, such as the one of the Municipality of Athens. We are confident that very soon we will achieve this.”

It is noted that since the launch of the Athens Film Office in 2020, jobs in the audiovisual market have more than tripled, taking advantage of the very important incentives established by Creative Greece (formerly EKOME), which are an important parameter in the selection of the country as a film destination.