Oscar nominated producer Aaron Ryder said Greece has all the hallmarks of a cinema production destination during an interview with Kathimerini newspaper on location at Costa Navarino in the Peloponnese where he was advising on an international film workshop.
“I am more and more convinced that Greece can become a destination for cinema. In fact, we have a major $100 million project I’d love to bring here. The economic incentives in Greece are now very attractive, while the climate is much milder here compared to, say, Hungary,” he says, referring to the cash rebate offered via the National Center of Audiovisual Media and Communication.
“You also have to bear in mind that there are places in Europe, such as Serbia, where people are more hesitant to work because of its stance towards the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Ryder adds.
But location is so often key to a film’s success, as was the case with “Mud,” a 2012 film that he produced himself, which was not only a gem, but also reintroduced the movie-going public to the incredible talent of Matthew McConaughey. “It really was one of the few films I have done that were shot exactly where it had to be shot,” he said of “Mud.” “It was in Arkansas, near the place where the director Jeff Nichols grew up, and it was ideal for the atmosphere we wanted to convey in the story we were telling.”