The recent Variety article, which reported significant payment delays to foreign productions by EKKOMED (Hellenic Center for Cinema, Audiovisual Media and Creation – Creative Greece), caused concern in the international film community. The issue gained attention during the recent Cannes Film Festival.

Responding to the negative publicity, the Hellenic Directors’ Guild (HDG) issued a statement calling the crisis “artificial” and sought to restore the reputation of Greek audiovisual production while supporting the work of Greek institutional bodies. “We believe that EKKOMED should be allowed to fulfill its institutional role with transparency, meritocracy, and continuous support from the state,” the statement says, among other things.

It’s worth noting that after the publication of the Variety article, EKKOMED released its own statement a few days later.

The issue of Greece’s financial credibility in audiovisual production is especially important, as the country has in recent years sought to position itself as an attractive destination for international film and TV projects, through the cash rebate mechanism and other state-provided incentives.

Full statement:

Following the recent article in Variety and its reproduction by some Greek media outlets, regarding the alleged disruption within EKKOMED, the Hellenic Directors’ Guild feels it is necessary to publicly share its position:

It is true that for decades—and especially intensely since the onset of the 2010 economic crisis—the audiovisual sector and its creators have been severely tested, as the Hellenic Film Center (HFC) struggled to support them due to insufficient funding from the state.

In 2017, a new institution was established: EKOME, which recently, following a legislative initiative and without substantial opposition from the audiovisual sector, merged with the HFC to create a unified body providing not only financial but also broader support for film and television productions: EKKOMED. This is a creative “civil union” of the two institutions, which the HDG supported while also emphasizing the need to overcome past dysfunctions. The body is now led by a person who, objectively, has experience in the field, knowledge of public administration, and maintains the necessary balance in leading the new organization.

Such a merger of two top-tier institutions, while necessary, is operationally complex and procedurally time-consuming. Nevertheless, funding approvals are already being granted, financial support is being provided, European awards are arriving in Athens, and most importantly, the new organization’s budget has significantly increased compared to the modest budgets of the former HFC.

We believe that the recent reports reflect an artificial crisis, not the actual operational conditions of the new body, which is already repaying a large portion of previous debts. We therefore believe EKKOMED should be allowed to perform its institutional role with transparency, meritocracy, and continuous support from the state.

EKKOMED represents the only hope for both veteran and new creators in a complex local and international audiovisual landscape. Seriousness and responsible support from everyone in the Greek film industry are essential.