Wishmore, the Los Angeles-based production company of Greek and international films by Christos V. Konstantakopoulos, just entered into a multi-year cooperation agreement with the American FilmNation Entertainment, for the development and production of new Greek-American films and series.
The two companies have been collaborating successfully over the past five years on the production of various projects, including the critically acclaimed films “The Founder” with Michael Keaton and “The Different Mr. Copperfield” by Armando Iannucci, with Dev Patel in the leading role.
Although Greek cinema is making its first steps into the highly competitive and rapidly growing world of internet television and film streaming, the collaboration between Wishmore and FilmNation can potentially open the door for many up and coming Greek artists.
Wishmore, which is a sister company of the Faliro House Productions, founded and located in Greece and also owned by Konstantakopoulos, enters the global field of both filmmaking and tv production with multiple projects already under development. Their new partner, FilmNation Entertainment, is a synonym of success in the USA, as it has produced multiple award-winning series and films, including Emmy winner HBO series “I Know This Much is True” with Mark Ruffalo, and Oscar winning hits, such as “Arrival” by Denis Villeneuve, “The King's Speech” with Colin Firth and “The Imitation Game” with Benedict Cumberbatch.
According to K Magazine, FilmNation is hoping to “unlock the doors” for their Greek producer partners for abroad opportunities, and give Greek cinematographers and filmmakers the chance to showcase their talent and work to an international audience.
Similarly, for Wishmore, the ultimate goal is the creation of TV series with a strong Greek element, whether it is Greek actors, landscapes, history or literature, in an attempt to educate the world about the significant influence that Greece has always had on numerous cultures across the globe.
Although the decision for a partnership between the two companies was agreed a long time ago, the production of films and series started just recently, during the coronavirus outbreak. Konstantakopoulos told the American Deadline that “in a sense the timing of the pandemic favors the penetration of a new, large part of the public into film watching and streaming.”
With millions of people around the world not being able to go to work or to school, video streaming services have significantly increased the number of their subscribers, as more people stay at home now, with much more free time to spend.
“The FilmNation family has been an excellent partner in our film journey. We are excited that our collaboration is expanding into the influential world of television and we look forward to exploring new ways, reaching out and inspiring global audiences” Konstantakopoulos added.
The agreement between FilmNation and Wishmore also gives the latter the freedom and flexibility to work with multiple movie and series distributors (e.g. Netflix) and have access to a number of different buyers, local and international. “This strategy will ensure a greater creative freedom for us to make more authentic Greece-related series” Konstantakopoulos mentioned.
Wishmore emphasizes that it is looking to create quality content for a larger audience of adult viewers, with focus on both entertainment and education. They are hoping to showcase the extremely wide range of cinematic actions of Greek filmmakers, that aim to further develop the dynamics of Greece in the film and television industry.
Wishmore and FilmNation are already developing three TV series, based on original screenplays by Greek authors. The upcoming projects will explore a variety of different film genres, including science fiction, police-style thriller and horror, and all of them will have a strong Greek element in both content and language, or part of the shooting is going to take place in Greek territory.
The first project is rumored to be a science fiction and mystery series and will start shooting in early 2021.
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