ijems|scientificarticle
TangibleBenefitsandPeople’sBonding
inInternationalFilmProduction:
TheCaseofFilmsShotinCrete
katerinakomi
UniversityofCrete,Greece
yasunari2001@yahoo.com
panayiotamini
UniversityofCrete,Greece
InstituteforMediterraneanStudies– forth,Greece
mini@uoc.gr
nikostsagarakis
UniversityofCrete,Greece
nikostsag@hotmail.com
Sincethelate1940smorethanfortyforeignfilmshavebeenpar-
tiallyorfullyshotontheGreekislandofCrete.Thisarticlefocuses
onfiveofthesefilms:JulesDassin’sCeluiquidoitmourir(1957),
EllaLemhagen’sTsatsiki,morsanochpolisen(1999),Costa-Gavras’s
Edenàl’Ouest(2009),ÇaganIrmak’sDedeminİnsanları(2011),and
HosseinAmini’sTheTwoFacesofJanuary(2014).Thearticleexam-
inestheeffectsoftheseproductionsonCretans,theirforeignpro-
ducersandfilmmakers,andtheiraudiencesaroundtheworld.As
theresearchshows,theseproductionshadmanymaterialbenefits
forlocalsandforeignproducersalikeandwereequallyimportant
inbringingpeoplefromdifferentbackgroundstogetherandcreat-
ingtransnationalbonds.Moreover,havingbeenmadewithinan
internationalcontext,mostofthesefilmstoldstoriesofmutual
respectandtolerance,thusbecomingcrucialinpromotinginter-
nationalsolidarityandadvancingtransnationalcinemaasapow-
erfulvehicleforsocialawareness.
KeyWords:filmlocations,transnationalcinema,Europeancinema,
filmcoproductions,internationalcooperation
introduction
Inlate2010s,undertheinitiativeofthenationalHellenicFilmOf-
fice,numerousadministrativeregionsinGreecelaunchedlocalFilm
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[106]
KaterinaKomi,PanayiotaMini,andNikosTsagarakis
Officestopromotetheirterritoriesasdesirableshootinglocations
andtoassistforeignfilmmakershopingtofilmthere.Theenthusi-
asmwithwhichtheGreekmediacoveredthisnewsstemmedfrom
whatobservationandscholarlyanalyseshaveshown:international
filmproductionshaveapositiveimpactonthehostcountry’sfor-
eignexchangeinflow,jobcreation,andfilmindustry(Athanasiadis
etal.2014,16–17);andthroughtheirdistribution,suchfilmscon-
tributetotheworldwidepopularityofaplaceanditsvalueasa
touristdestination(Beeton2006;HudsonandRitchie2006).For
example, Braveheart(MelGibson,1995)andThe Lord of the Rings
trilogy(PeterJackson,2001–2003)broughtasignificantincreasein
visitornumberstoScotlandandNewZealand,respectively(Seaton
andHay1998,230;McArthur2003,131;Croy2004).InGreece,pro-
ductionssuchasNeveronSunday(JulesDassin,1960),AlexisZorbas
(MichaelCacoyannis,1964),Captain Corelli’s Mandolin(JohnMad-
den,2001),and MammaMia!(PhyllidaLloyd,2008)havelikewisere-
sultedinariseinthenumberoftourists(HudsonandRitchie2006;
Moira,Mylonopoulos,andKontoudaki2009,11–12;Assadourian
2011,24;Giannouklidi2017).
Thebenefitsof‘film-inducedtourism’notwithstanding,through-
outthepost-SecondWorldWarperiod,foreignproductionsinGre-
ecehavebeenprofitableforthenationaleconomy.Accordingtoa
1964officialreport,everyinternationalproductionshotinGreece
broughtaboutus$1.000.000foreignexchangeinflow(€7.217.764to-
day’scurrency,inflationrateconsidered)(Ipoepitropi1964,9–10);in
the2010sitwasestimatedthatalargeforeignproduction(€25mil-
lionexpenditureinGreece)canincreasetheGreekGrossDomestic
Productby€39million(Athanasiadisetal.2014,21).
Thesefindingshelpusformulatemoredetailedquestions:What
aretheprecisematerialbenefitsofinternationalfilmproductions
forlocalcommunities,filmcompanies,crews,andorganisations
(e.g.,gainsfromemployment,accommodationrentals,andbusi-
nessactivity)?Whatarethebenefitsforforeignproducersandfilm-
makerswhochooseaGreekplaceasashootinglocation?Whatare
someofthenon-economiceffects,intermsoftheresidents’and
filmmakers’experiencesandrelationships?Howdoesinternational
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TangibleBenefitsandPeople’sBondinginInternationalFilmProduction
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productions’multiculturalcharacterrelatetothefilms’narratives?
Thisresearchaddressesthesequestionsbyusingfilmsshotonthe
islandofCreteasacasestudy.Cretehasattractedmanyforeignfilm
crewsthroughoutthepost-SecondWorldWarperiod,thusallowing
ustoobservedataoverarangeofyears.Inparticular,sincethelate
1940smorethanfortyforeignfeatures,shortfilms,anddocumen-
tarieshavebeenpartiallyorfullyshotinCrete.Thisarticlefocuses
onfivefeature-lengthforeigndramaswhichwerecriticallyand/or
commerciallysuccessful: Celui qui doit mourir(JulesDassin,1957),
Tsatsiki, morsan och polisen(Tsatsiki, Mum and the Policeman,Ella
Lemhagen,1999),Edenàl’Ouest(EdenisWest,Costa-Gavras,2009),
Dedeminİnsanları(MyGrandfather’sPeople,ÇaganIrmak,2011),and
TheTwoFacesofJanuary(HosseinAmini,2014).
methodology
Inexaminingtheseproductions,thisstudyadoptsHudsonand
Ritchie’s(2006)approachtoCaptainCorelli’sMandolin,shotonthe
islandofKefalonia,whileexpandingonKomi’sresearch(2019)on
WaltDisney’s The Moon-Spinners(JamesNeilson,1964),filmedin
Crete’sEloundaregion.Thisarticleusesthecasestudymethodol-
ogy(withCreteasafilminglocationforforeignfilms)because,in
HudsonandRitchie’s(2006,262)words,‘caseresearchisspecifi-
callywelcomeinnewsituationswherelittleisknownaboutthe
phenomenon,’asitoffers‘depthandcomprehensiveness’forunder-
standingit,enabling‘inductiveandrichdescription.’Alsofollowing
HudsonandRitchie,thestudyutilisesa‘multi-methodapproach’
(2006,262).Thearticlereliesonprimarysourcessuchasarchival
materialandthelocal,national,andinternationalpressofthetime
ofthefilms’creations,thusbringingtolightdataonwages,pro-
ductionplans,filmingprocedures,andfilmcosts.Itdrawsonsec-
ondarysources,includingfilmhistorystudiesandfilmbusiness
analysesthathelptosituatethemakingofthefilmswithintheir
productionframework.Moreover,itmakesuseofinformationde-
rivedfromoralandwritteninterviewsthattheresearchteamcon-
ductedbetweenOctober2020andJune2021withparticipantsin
theseproductions,includingCretanswhoworkedorplayedinthe
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[108]
KaterinaKomi,PanayiotaMini,andNikosTsagarakis
films,localentrepreneurs,Cretanfilmcompaniesthatcollaborated
withtheforeignfirms,andfilmpersonnelandtalent.Theseinter-
viewsprovedinvaluablenotonlyfordiscussingnumericaldataand
businessactivitiesbutalsoforrevealingnon-materialbenefitssuch
astheparticipants’acquisitionofworkexperienceaswellastheir
attitudes,feelings,andmemoriesofthefilmmaking.
Analysinginformationofthesesourcesshowedthatinterna-
tionalfilmprojectshavenumerousbenefitsforlocaleconomies
andforeignproducersalike.Theyofferlocalpeoplejobsandvo-
cationalexperienceandrevitalizelocaleconomies.Theyhelpfor-
eignfilmmakerstomakelucrativedealswhileensuringadiverse
naturallandscapeandauthenticarchitecturefortheirfilms.Inter-
nationalproductionshavealsoprovenvaluableinbringingpeo-
plefromdifferentbackgroundstogetherandcreatingtransnational
bonds.Moreover,havingbeenmadewithinatransnationalcontext,
mostofthesefilmstellstoriesemphasizingmutualrespectandtol-
erance,thusbecomingcrucialinpromotinginternationalsolidarity.
choosingcreteasfilmlocation
Celui qui doit mourirwasshotinCrete,althoughitsplotisnotset
there.Twentyminutesofthe90-minutelongTsatsiki, morsan och
polisentakeplaceinanunnamedGreekcoastalvillage.Thelastsix
minutesof Dedemin İnsanlarıwereshotinpartsofCretethatare
differentfromthosethattheplotmentions.Abouthalfof Eden à
l’OuestwasshotinCretebutthenarrativeneveridentifiestheis-
land.OnlyinTheTwoFacesofJanuarydoestheplotjustifyspecific
partsofCreteasshootinglocations.Inallothercases,certainlo-
cationsorevenCreteitselfwerechosenbecausetheyofferedthe
landscapesorarchitecturethatthefilmmakerswantedorbecause
thefilmcompanyhadbeenabletonegotiatealucrativedeal.
TheplotofNikosKazantzakis’snovelOChristosxanastavronetai
(Christ Recrucified,writtenin1948),uponwhichDassin’sCelui qui
doitmouririsbased,issetinOttomanAnatoliaoftheearly1920s,
inthefictionalTurkish-ruledGreekvillageLykovrysi,whereevery
sevenyearsduringtheHolyWeekthevillagersrevivethePassionof
Christ.Dassin’sfilmadaptation, Celuiquidoitmourir,retainssome
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TangibleBenefitsandPeople’sBondinginInternationalFilmProduction
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ofthenovel’splacenames(e.g.,Sarakina),butitdoesnotnameOt-
tomanAnatolia,leavingthesettingoftheplotratherambiguous.
BecausethefilmwasshotinCrete,somecriticserroneouslydescribe
theplotassetthere;infact,Creteisnevermentionedinthediegesis
norwasitthefirstlocationscoutedfortheproduction.
Celui qui doit mourirwasproducedbyHenriBérard,thegen-
eraldirectorofIndusFilmsandceoofPrima(Maeyer1964–5,
208),whohadalreadycollaboratedwithDassininDurififichezles
hommes(aka Rififi,1955).Toraisethe250millionfrancsinitially
neededfor Celui qui doit mourir(Dassin1956a),Bérardpartnered
withtheFrenchFilmsonorandCinételandtheItalianDaMaCin-
ematografica,atatimewhenFranco-Italiancoproductionswere
flourishing(Betz2009,75–78;Crisp1993,79–83).Dassin,Melina
Mercouri–thefilm’sGreekfemaleleadandDassin’scompanion
–andthenovel’sauthor,theCretanKazantzakis,wishedtohave
thefilmshotinCrete(‘Eistoperithoriontiszois’1955a;‘Skinai
tistainiasChristosXanastavronetaithagiristounstinKriti’1955;‘Ai
gnomaidiastavronontai’1955;Dassin1955c);however,becauseof
financialandlegalissues,includingDassin’stemporaryinabilityto
leaveFranceasablacklistedAmericandirector,BérardandDassin
consideredshootingthefilminProvenceandCorsica(Dassin1955a).
WhentheFrenchgovernmentgaveDassinthetitredevoyageandhe
couldtravelabroad,otherplacesseemedbettershootingchoices,in-
cludingGreece,Turkey,andYugoslavia(Dassin1955b),mostlikely
becausetheycouldmoreeasilysuggestaTurkish-ruledterritory.
InGreece,therewasprolongedlocationscoutingindifferentter-
ritories(Pelion,Nafplion,andThessaloniki)(‘Eistoperithoriontis
zois’1955b;Prosperos1955),¹befo reCretewasselected.Inaddition
totheniceweather,thenaturallight,thediverselandscape,and
theauthenticarchitecture,whichonecouldfindinmanyMediter-
raneanareas,Cretealsoofferedmuch-neededlocalsupportandfis-
calbenefits.Theforeignproductionteamcouldcountontheas-
¹PelionwaspreferredbyDamaskinos-Michailidis(‘Kinimatografistikaneotera’
1955),aGreekfilmcompanywithwhichtheforeignersplannedtocooperate,some-
thingthatdidnotmaterialize.
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[110]
KaterinaKomi,PanayiotaMini,andNikosTsagarakis
sistanceofthelocals,whoardentlywantedtohavetheircompa-
triot’sKazantzakisnovelfilmedontheirlandandcontributetothe
successofthisproject.Inaddition,prominentintellectuals,artists,
politicians,andofficialswereeagertofacilitateshootingontheiris-
land(‘Kerdizeiedafosiipothesis’1955;‘Peritogirismatistainias’
1955;‘Miakalieidisis’1955;‘Toflegonzitima’1955;Dassin1955c;O
Akroatis1956).Moreover,atatimewhenmostCretans,especially
inruralareas,werestrugglingfinancially(Settas1963),theprospect
ofreapingeconomicbenefitsfromacollaborationwithforeigners
enhancedthelocals’eagernesstosupportthemakingof Celui qui
doitmouririntheirarea.Toattracttheforeignproducers,localtrade
unionsandassociationsofferedsuchfavourablepricesthatDassin
foundshootinginCretelessexpensivethaninanyothercountry,a
vitalfactorintheproducers’finaldecisiontoselecttheisland(‘To
flegonzitima’1955).Amongthevillages(AnoViannos,Garazo,Kalo
Chorio,Kritsa,Krasi,Krousonas,andMochos)thatcompetedto
hosttheproject,thewinnerwasKritsa,oneoftheoldestandmost
traditional,semi-mountainousvillagesofEasternCrete,thatDassin
particularlylikedbecauseof‘itsstyle,character,andstructuralau-
thenticity’(‘Giroapotinpragmatopoiisienosfilm’1956).
Tsatsiki, morsan och polisenisbasedonMoniNilsson-Bränn-
ström’sfirsttwobooksabouttheboyTsatsiki, Tsatsiki och morsan
(Tsatsiki and Mom,1995)andTsatsiki och farsan(Tsatsiki and Dad,
1996).TsatsikiisthesonofaSwedishsinglemother.Heyearnsto
traveltoGreecetomeethisfather,whomhehasneverseenbefore,
adreamheeventuallyfulfils.InNilsson-Brännström’sbooks,the
homeofTsatsiki’sfatherisanunspecifiedGreekcoastalarea,which
inTsatsiki,morsanochpolisenbecomestheunnamedvillagethatthe
boyandhismothervisitclosetothefilm’send.
BasedonSwedishchildren’sbooksandmostlyshotinSwedenby
Lemhagen,Tsatsiki,morsanochpolisenisconsideredaSwedishfilm.
ThefilmisacoproductioninvolvingSwedish,Norwegian,Danish,
andIcelandiccompanies.Adoptingtheusualpracticesofcoproduc-
tionandtvinvolvementinfilmprojectsin1990sScandinaviancin-
ema(Stenport2010,326;Hedling2010,338)–andEuropeancinema
morebroadly(Rivi2007)–Tsatsiki, morsan och polisenbroughtto-
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TangibleBenefitsandPeople’sBondinginInternationalFilmProduction
[111]
getherSweden’sFeliciaFilmab,FilmiVäst,andtv1000;Norway’s
NorskFilmas;Denmark’sPerHolstFilmaisandDanmarksRadio;
andIceland’snationaltelevisionchannelRíkisútvarpið-Sjónvarp.
ItwasalsosupportedbyEurimages,fromwhichitwasawarded
€228.674(CouncilofEurope1998),andtheSwedishFilmInstitute.
TofindtherightGreeklocations,theproducerscontactedan
Athenian-basedcompany,StefiProductions,whichsuggestedMi-
chalisGiannakakis,anexperiencedfilmmakerfromSiteiainEastern
Crete,whoassumedthepostofassistantdirectoroftheGreekcrew.
Giannanakisshowedtothefilmmakersvariouslocationsaroundthe
islandwhoeventuallychosethesmallcoastalvillageofPacheiaAm-
mos(M.Giannakakis,telephoneconversationwithP.Mini,11May
2021).Itswide,longbeachandcentralroadlinedwithcoffeeshops
andtavernsofferedaready-madeset,wheremostscenescouldbe
convenientlyfilmedwithinwalkingdistance.Equallyimportantwas
thefactthatPacheiaAmmoswas(andtoalargeextentisstill)not
apopulartouristdestination,evenamongmanyGreeks.Because
PacheiaAmmoswasnotcrowdedevenduringtouristseason,filming
couldeasilybedoneoverthesummer.Inaddition,PacheiaAmmos
retainedthedesiredsenseofvillageauthenticity,thusallowingkey
messagesofthefictionalcharacters’triptoCretetocomethrough,
whatMarklund(2010,88-89)describes,buildingarelationshipto
theforeignplace‘different...thanjustbeinganoutsider’andwish-
ingtounderstandaculture‘fromanotherperspectivethanthatof
thetourist.’
Withouthavingtouriststoaccommodate,theresidentsofPacheia
Ammoswereparticularlyreceptivetohavingthefilmshotintheir
areaandtheirpossibleparticipationinit.Moreover,PacheiaAm-
mosofferedlocaltalent.Indeed,composeroftraditionalCretan
musicandlyreplayerNikolaosPapadakis,anativetotheisland,
playedtraditionalmusicfor Tsatsiki,morsan och polisenalongwith
hismusicensemble(ManolisLiapakis,NikosMastorakis,Giannis
Xanthakis,andGiorgosMavroeidis).LocalGreekrhythmsimbue
thefilmwithanextraauraofauthenticityandcomplementthe
score’spopmusic,predominantinthefilmsinceTsatsiki’smother
isapopbandsinger.
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[112]
KaterinaKomi,PanayiotaMini,andNikosTsagarakis
Thearchitectureandtopographyweremajorfactorsinthese-
lectionofshootingplacesinCreteinDedeminİnsanları.Irmak’sfilm
focusesonanelderlyTurkishmanlivinginasmalltownonTurkey’s
Western(Aegean)coast,whoasasmallboyhadbeenforcedtoimmi-
gratefromCretetoIsmir,Turkey,duringthepopulationexchange
betweenTurkeyandGreece.Hediedinthe1970s,neverhaving
seenhishomeinCreteagain.Abouttwentyyearslater–towards
thefilm’send–hisgrandsonembarksonthetriptohisgrandfa-
ther’sbirthplacethattheoldmanhadalwayswantedtotake.The
protagonist’shomeislocatedinRethymnoinNorth-CentralCrete.
TheTurkishteamwishedtoworkinSpinalonga(Bitsakakis2020),
thesmall,uninhabitedislandintheGulfofEloundaintheNorth-
Easternsideoftheisland,whichhadformerlybeenusedasaleper
colony.Spinalonga,wheretheGreektvadaptationofVictoriaHis-
lop’snovelTheIsland(2007)wasbeingmadeatthetime,evokedthe
atmosphereofoldCretethattheTurkishproducerswanted.Bud-
getaryconcernsconvincedtheforeignproducerstochooseFres,a
villageinWesternCrete,atthefoothillsoftheWhiteMountains,
whichprovedideal.²Withalargemainsquareaccessiblefromfour
directions,itslocalshops,andwell-preservedtraditionalbuildings
andcoffeehouses,FressuggestedCretanlifeofthepast(Konstas
andMaridakis2013),thusofferingthefilmmakersanatural,in-
expensiveplateau.Inaddition,thankstoitsadvantageoustopog-
raphy,FreshadalreadyhostedfourGreekfilmproductions(Pi-
lala,2004,TheoPapadoulakis; Uranya,2006,KostasKapakas;Proti
fora nonos,2007,OlgaMalea;and To gamilio party,2008,Christine
Crokos);³asaresult,itsinhabitantsandauthoritiesknewwhatwas
expected.
Thetraditionalarchitecture,alongwiththenaturallandscape,
plotrequirements,andeconomicconcernsplayedakeyroleinthe
stagingofTheTwoFacesofJanuary.ABritish-French-Americanco-
productionamongWorkingTitleFilms,StudioCanal,andTimnick
²Somefilmingtookplaceinnearbyplaces,thevillageofVamosandAlmyridabeach.
³Becauseofthenumerousfilmsshotthere,localshavenicknamedtheirvillage‘Fre-
liwood’(KonstasandMaridakis2013).
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TangibleBenefitsandPeople’sBondinginInternationalFilmProduction
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figure1 TheTwoFacesofJanuary;TechRecceSchedule
(courtesyofIndigoView)
Films/MirageEnterprises,TheTwoFacesofJanuarytransferstothe
bigscreenPatriciaHighsmith’seponymous1964novel.Thefilmfo-
cusesonaconmanandhiswifewhowhileonvacationinGreecein
the1960smeetatourguidewhoprovesequallycunning.Following
thenovel’splot,shootingonGreeklocationswasachievedinAthens
andCrete.⁴TheCretansceneswerecarriedoutinthearchaeological
siteoftheKnossosPalaceinHeraklionandintheprefectureofCha-
nia:theOldTownofChania,theChalepaandAkrotiridistricts(as
seeninthereconnaissanceschedule,figure1),andKallikratisvil-
lageoftheSfakiaareasituatedintheWhiteMountains.Becauseof
Heraklion’scontemporaryurbanlandscapeandtheextracostofset-
tingupshopthere,theOldTownofChaniastoodinasbothChania
⁴ItwasalsoshotinLondon’sEalingStudiosandonlocationinIstanbul,Turkey.
An85-minutebehind-the-scenesdocumentaryoftheproduction,TwoFaces...Be-
hindtheScenes(https://vimeo.com/82471067),givesagoodideaofthefilming.The
workinCreteiscoveredfrom17:50to59:50;thescenessetinHerakliontownwere
shotinChania.
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[114]
KaterinaKomi,PanayiotaMini,andNikosTsagarakis
andHeraklion(D.Xenakis,interviewedbyN.Tsagarakis,30October
2020;V.Trzeciak,interviewedbyN.Tsagarakis,23May2021).‘The
cityofChania,’Amini(2014)said,‘wasarevelation.Ineverimag-
inedwe’dfindsomewherethatstillhadsomuchofits1960scharm
andatmosphereintact.Mybrilliantproductioncrewdidafantastic
jobofrecreatingthecityin1962,butmuchofwhatweusedwasal-
readythere.’Forthelandscape,hestated:‘Theruggedhillsandcliffs
oftheislandareuniqueandeventhoughwelookedforalternatives
inothercountries,nothingmatchedthesheerbeautyandsavagery
oftheWhiteMountainsofCrete.’Furthermore,Amini’sconception
ofadapting TheTwoFacesofJanuarywaslinkedtohisownexperi-
ences.Ashehasstated,apartfrombeingathriller, The Two Faces
ofJanuaryis‘alsomyattempttocapturethemagicandpowerthat
GreecehasexertedonmesinceIwasachild[...].Itookmychil-
drenonholidaytoAthensandCreteanditwastherethatIstarted
todreamaboutadaptingPatriciaHighsmith’sGreeksetthriller[...]
intoafilm’(Amini2014).
PersonalreasonswerepartlyresponsibleforCosta-Gavras’sdeci-
siontofilmsomepartsofEdenàl’OuestinGreece.Thefilmtellsthe
storyofanundocumentedyoungimmigrantofunknownnation-
alitywhocomesashoreonaGreekcoastalareabeforecontinuing
hisodysseytoWesternEuropeuntilParis.OriginallyfromGreece,
Costa-GavrasmaintainedstrongconnectionswiththeGreekstate,
itspeople,andfilmorganisations.Thus,thecontributionofGreek
entitiestothemakingof –aFrench,Greek,andItaliancoproduc-
tion⁵–wasessential,primarilythatofOdeonsa,oneofGreece’s
mostpowerfulproductionanddistributioncompanies,butalsocl
Productions,theGreekFilmCentre(whichcontributed€500.000)
(Venardou2009),HellenicRadio&Television,theGreekNational
TouristOfficeandMinistryofCulture,FinosFilm,Nova,andEast
MediaServices.Thefilm’smajorproducingcompanywastheFrench
kg Productions(co-ownedbyCosta-Gavrasandthefilm’spro-
ducerMichèleRayGavras),andPathé,France3Cinéma,CanalPlus,
⁵Byadoptingtheco-productionsystem,Costa-Gavrascouldraisethefilm’sbudget,
whicheventuallyreachedabout€11.000.000(JimenoAranda2014,1114).
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TangibleBenefitsandPeople’sBondinginInternationalFilmProduction
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CinéCinéma,andLaRégionÎle-de-Francealsocontributed.TheItal-
ianNovorpiandMedusaFilmplayedasupportingrole.
AlthoughCreteisunnamedinthefilm’splot,selectingitforthe
shootingwas,asCosta-Gavrasstated,aneasychoiceduetothequal-
ityofitstouristresorts,wheretheonscreenodysseyoftheprotago-
nistbegins.‘Crete–andespeciallythehotelswherethefilmingtakes
place–representexactlywhatthefilmdepicts,’Costa-Gavrassaid
(Tsagarakis2008).Inaddition,theCretans’hospitalityandassis-
tance(Tsagarakis2008)and,asChristinaKatsiadakis,oneofthe
film’sassistantproductionmanagers,explained,thediverseland-
scapewerecrucialintheselectionofthisisland(C.Katsiadakis,
emailcorrespondencewithK.Komi,1April2021).
benefitsforthelocals
Alongwithfulfillingtheforeignproducers’plansandpriorities,all
fiveproductionsbroughtaboutimmediateandsometimeslong-
termgainstothelocalcommunities,inproportiontothesizeof
eachfilmcrewandthetimeitspentineacharea.
ShotinKritsaandsomenearbyareas,⁶Celuiquidoitmourirtook
fourmonthstocomplete.Duringthatperiodatleast800locals
(‘800KritikoixanastavrosantonChriston’1957)–somesources
bringthenumberto1.200or1.500(‘Tatheatrikanea’1956a;Pili-
chos1956)–workedasextras;adultsreceiveddailycompensationof
40to60drachmas(€12to€18today’scurrency,inflationrateconsid-
ered)(Arnaoutaki1956),atatimewhentheminimumdailywagein
Greecewas37drachmasformaleand29drachmasforfemalework-
ers(‘Ergatika-Ipallilika’1955).Childrenreceived20drachmas,and
2drachmasweregivenforeachanimalusedintheproduction(Ar-
naoutaki1956).⁷Intotal,theextrasreceivedanestimated1.200.000
⁶SeliAmpelou,ProfitisIlias,Theologos,Nikithianos,andAgiosNikolaos.Afewin-
teriorsceneswerefilmedinParis(‘Tatheatrikanea’1956c).
⁷Accordingtoanothersourceofthattime,theforeignproducersofferedmuch
highersalariesthanthoseproposedbythepresidentandthecommunitycoun-
cilofMochos(oneofthecandidatevillagesforfilming),whoregardedthesuccess
oftheprojectasmoreimportantthananymonetaryreturns(‘Peritogirismatis
tainias’1955).AmuchlatersourcedefinesthedailycompensationinKritsaas40
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[116]
KaterinaKomi,PanayiotaMini,andNikosTsagarakis
drachmas(€17.300today’scurrency,inflationrateconsidered).An-
other1.200.0000drachmaswerespentonsalariesforGreekactors
andfortheconstructionofthesetsandotherfacilities(Pilichos
1956).⁸Fortheseworks,manylocalswerehiredasbuilders,carpen-
ters,woodworkers,painters,blacksmiths,locksmiths,anddrivers.
Inmid-1956,forexample,anewspaperreportedthat45carpenters
andwoodworkers,20builders,and15painterswereneeded(‘Enais-
torikissimasiasgegonos’1956).Theseworkersimprovedtheirskills
astheyhadtouseunfamiliarmaterialsandnewtechniquesand
meetunprecedenteddemand(Skoulikaris2013,3).
Equallyimportantwerethebenefitsforlocalbusinesses.Forthe
fourmonthsofshooting,ahotel(Lato)inAgiosNikolaos–theonly
touristhotelintown–accommodatedthefilm’s80-membercrew.In
thesametown,twowomenopenedaclub-restaurantnamedRififi,
afterDassin’spreviousfilm,tocatertothecrew([Grammatikakis]
1956).Inadditiontothefilmcrew,theareawasenlivenedbyGreek
andforeignjournalistsaswellastouristsattractedbythefilming
(‘Metaximas’1956;‘Meligesgrammes’1956).Inherinterviewfor
thisstudy,MariaKlontza,whoranasoftdrinkshopwithherhus-
bandinKritsa,recalledtheunprecedentedflowofpeopleandim-
pressiveprofitsfortheirbusinessthatallowedherfamilytobuy
statepropertyinAgiosNikolaos(M.Klontza,interviewedbyK.
Komi,30May2021).AccordingtoanotherresidentofKritsa,the
film’smakinginvigoratedthevillage’seconomythankstothegen-
eraldevelopmentresultingfrom‘eithertheactivityintheconstruc-
tionsectororthequantitativeandqualitativeupgradeofthemar-
ket’(Skoulikaris2013,4).⁹Thefilm’smakingevenimproveddaily
lifeinKritsaoverthelongterm,sincethesquareandthesets,con-
drachmasformen,20forwomen,and10forchildren(Skoulikaris2013,2).The
film’scontemporaneoussourcesshouldbeconsideredmorereliableontheissue
ofpayments.
⁸Overall,80millionfrancs(€1.730.730today’scurrency,inflationrateconsidered)
outofthefilm’sfinaltotalbudgetof320millionfrancs(about€6.923.000,inflation
rateconsidered)werespentinCrete.
⁹Accordingtothesamelocal,thisdevelopmentevenhelpedtoreduceeconomic
migrationfromKritsa(Skoulikaris2013,4).
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TangibleBenefitsandPeople’sBondinginInternationalFilmProduction
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structedthereforthefilm,wereleftstandingtothebenefitofthe
localcommunity(‘Tatheatrikanea’1956b).Foryearstocome,peo-
plefromalloverCretevisitedKritsaandthesurroundingstosee
whereKazantzakis’snovelhadbeenfilmed(DimopoulosandKiri-
akidis2000,61).Thefilmwasalsomentionedintravelguidesto
Crete,thuspromotingKritsaanditsenvironsasatraveldestination
(e.g.Bowman1969,291).Moreover, Celuiquidoitmourircontributed
tothereputationoftheAgiosNikolaosregionasadesirableshoot-
ingdestination;inlessthanadecade,suchproductionsasthebbc
biblicalseries Paul of Tarsus(JoyHarrington,1960)andtheDisney
romanticthrillerTheMoon-Spinnerswerefilmedthere.
AlthoughmademanydecadeslaterinCrete’stouristdestinations
insteadofinasmall,isolatedvillage,suchasKritsa, Edenàl’Ouest
and The Two Faces of Januarybroughtsimilarbenefits.Bothfilms’
shootinginCretelastedaboutonemonth.¹⁰Edenàl’Ouestwaspri-
marilyfilmedatHersonissos’s5-starAldemarRoyalMareHotel,a
memberofthemajorhotelchainAldemarResorts.¹¹Themanage-
mentofAldemarRoyalMareHotelandthefilm’sproducerswere
incontactayearbeforehandtoarrangetheshootingattheho-
tel’soutdoorareasandtheaccommodationofthefilm’screwand
cast(V.Fragoulakis,AldemarRoyalMareHotel’scommercialman-
ager,andE.Kapsokefalou,thehotel’sfrontofficemanagerin2008,
emailcorrespondencewithK.Komi,3June2021).Mostofthe40-
membercrewstayedinthishotel,andotherswereaccommodatedin
otherhotelsoftheAldemarResortsGroup:KnossosRoyalandCre-
tanVillage.Intotal,onehundredroomswerebookedforthefilm’s
crewandcast,andafewmoreforCosta-Gavras’svisitingfriends
(V.Fragoulakis,andE.Kapsokefalou,emailcorrespondencewithK.
Komi,3June2021;C.Katsiadakis,emailcorrespondencewithK.
Komi,1April2021;E.Restaki,interviewedbyK.Komi,17May2021).
¹⁰Costa-Gavrasbeganshootingon13May2008atVaiandendedon14June2008
(E.Restaki,locationmanagerandassistantproductionmanagerofthefilm,inter-
viewedbyK.Komi,17May2021). TheTwoFacesofJanuarywasshotinthefallof
2012.
¹¹Additionalshootingtookplaceat‘OutoftheBlue’CapsisEliteResort,Amirandes
GrecotelBoutiqueResort,andPortoEloundaDeLuxeResort.
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[118]
KaterinaKomi,PanayiotaMini,andNikosTsagarakis
figure2 Costa-GavrasandTwoCretanChildren(ManolisPsichogioudakis
andKonstantinaChamalaki)HoldingSmallRolesinEdenàl’Ouest
DuringtheFilm’sMakinginMochos,2008(photocourtesyof
Proodos–CulturalandFolkloreAssociationofMochos)
Somemembersoftheproductionteamstayedinsmallerhotelsin
AnnisarasandVai.Inaddition,approximately300peoplewerehired
asextraswithadailysalaryofabout€50(E.Restaki,interviewed
byK.Komi,17May2021;V.Trzeciak,castingassistant,interviewed
byK.Komi,23May2021;L.Valasakis,telephoneconversationand
emailcorrespondencewithK.Komi,27May2021),¹²whenthemin-
imumdailywageinGreecewasabout€32(Ipourgeio2008).Others
wereemployedasactorsforsmallparts(figure2)andastechnicians,
carpenters,blacksmiths,electricians,drivers,carriers,andcaterers,
whilelocalartistsworkedinthefilmcrew(forinstanceaslocation
managers,assistantproductionmanagers,orcastingassistants).
TheTwoFacesofJanuaryisagoodexampleoftherevitalisationof
alocalcommunityevenbeforeandafterthefilming.Astheunitpro-
ductionmanagerofthefilmDimitrisXenakisofIndigoView,alocal
¹²AccordingtoRestakiandTrzeciak,theextraswhoappearedinthenude,inthe
scenewheretheprotagonistcomesashore,werepaid€150perday.
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TangibleBenefitsandPeople’sBondinginInternationalFilmProduction
[119]
productioncompanybasedinChania,explained(D.Xenakis,inter-
viewedbyN.Tsagarakis,30October2020),thefilmingwaspreceded
byaboutamonthofpreparationandfollowedbytwotothreeweeks
forrestoration.IndigoView’stotalbudgetwasaround2millionus
dollars,whichwerepouredintothelocaleconomytohiretechni-
cians,craftspeople,andlocalsasbackgroundactorsandtocoverac-
commodation,catering,andtransportationservices.Amongcrafts-
people,manywerecarpentershiredtobuildthesets.Theycamenot
onlyfromChaniabutalsofromLasithiattheotheredgeofCrete,
whereIndigoViewhadpreviouslyproduced TheIsland.Inaddition
toIndigoView,twootherCretancompanieswereinvolved,Fixer(in
Chania)andTolafilms(inArchanes,Heraklion).Theirrolewascru-
cialinassistingwithlocationscouting,recruiting,andcastingex-
tras,providingcrew,andarrangingaccommodation.
BothXenakisofIndigoViewandTrzeciakofTolaFilms(V.Trze-
ciak,interviewedbyN.Tsagarakis,23May2021)stressedthatthe
localcommunityandeconomywerereinvigoratedbysuchamas-
siveproductionandthatapartfromthefinancialrewards,TheTwo
Faces of JanuaryhelpedtoputChaniaonthemapofinternational
filmlocationsandraisethelocalstandardsofexpertiseonindus-
tryservicesandtechnicalknow-how.Similarly,manyparticipants
intheproductionof Eden à l’Ouest,interviewedforthisresearch,
corroboratedthatthroughCosta-Gavras’sfilmlocaltalentgained
valuableexperienceandopportunitiestodisplaytheirskills,some-
thingthathelpedtheirprofessionalcareerinthelongrun.Another
long-lastingeffectofCosta-Gavras’sproductionconcernedthepub-
licityofthehotelswherestagingtookplace.Newsofthefilming,
whichwasreportedinthemediaforalmostsixmonths,benefitted
thehotel’sbrandawareness,¹³withtheAldemarmanagementob-
servingapositiveimpactonitsresorts’targetclientele,especiallyin
theFrenchmarket(V.FragoulakisandE.Kapsokefalou,emailcor-
respondencewithK.Komi,3June2021).
SincePacheiaAmmosofferedaready-madeplateaufor Tsatsiki,
¹³SeeEdenàl’Ouest – Tournage du nouveaufilm de Costa Gavras,airedinFrancein
October2008atCinéCinéma.
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[120]
KaterinaKomi,PanayiotaMini,andNikosTsagarakis
morsan och polisen,theemploymentoflocalcraftspersonswasnot
abenefit.Nevertheless,residentswerehiredasextras–forsome
scenesofupto50people–orinsmallroles.Furthermore,about
twentyGreektechniciansparticipatedinthefilmcrewunderthe
directionofGiannakakis,whohadpreparedallaspectsofthepro-
ductionbeforehand(e.g.,castingandteachingthelocalstheirroles).
Another20peoplecomprisedtheforeigncrew.Asaresult,forthe
threeweeksoffilminginPacheiaAmmos,about40peoplerented
roomsinthevillageandfilledthearea’sshopsandtaverns(M.Gi-
annakakis,telephoneconversationwithP.Mini,11May2021).Af-
terthefilm’smaking,PacheiaAmmosenjoyedadditionalbenefits.
Thankstoitsnon-touristiccharacteranditsscenicappropriateness
aswellasthecollaborativewayinwhichTsatsiki,morsanochpolisen
proceeded,thisvillagebecamethesettingoftheCretanscenesinthe
secondfilmintheTsatsikiseries,Tsatsiki–Vännerföralltid(Tsatsiki
–FriendforEver,2001,EddieThomasPetersen).Inthe15minutes’
screeningtimeinCreteinthis82-minute-longfilm,thelocalsnow
playedbiggerroles,avillageelderplayedTsatsiki’sgrandfather,and
keytalentfromthefirst Tsatsiki,includingassistantdirectorGian-
nakakisandcomposerPapadakis,werehired.Promotionalinterna-
tionalarticlesonthevillagestilldescribeitspeacefulenvironment
andmentionthat Tsatsiki, morsan och polisenhadbeenshotthere
(e.g.Hoffmann2019).Thisfilm’smakingalsobenefitedothersites
inCrete.In2015thethirdinstalmentoftheTsatsikiseries,Tsat-
siki,farsanocholivkriget(Tsatsiki,Dad,andtheOliveWar,LisaJames-
Larsson),wasfilmedinSfakiaandLoutrooftheChaniaregion,hir-
ingmorethan450localextrasandfuellingthehotelbusinessinthe
area(‘EfcharistirioxenodochontonChanionmeaformitintainia
staSfakia’2015).
ComparedtoCeluiquidoitmourir,Edenàl’Ouest,TheTwoFacesof
January,andTsatsiki,morsanochpolisen,theimmediaterewardsof
Dedeminİnsanlarıwerenotsignificantgiventhatfilmingwascom-
pletedwithinaday.Still,therewardswerenotnegligible.Asseen
intheshoot’sdetailsprovidedbyDimitrisXenakis(figure3)(D.
Xenakis,emailcorrespondencewithP.Mini,13January2021),the
scenesinFresrequired25extras,3peopleinsmallroles,andtheuse
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TangibleBenefitsandPeople’sBondinginInternationalFilmProduction
[121]
figure3
Extractsofthe‘Shooting
Details’ofDedemin
İnsanlarıinCrete
(courtesyofIndigoView)
oftwocoffeeshops,amotorbikerentalstore,apension,andexter-
nallocations(thevillagesquareandearthroads).Eachcoffeeshop
wasrentedatadailypriceofabout€300;thevillagerssittingaround
asextrasreceivedadailysalaryofabout€40each,andallshopsthat
remainedclosedduringthefilmworkwerecompensatedwithabout
€100perday(D.Xenakis,telephoneconversationwithP.Mini,13
January2021).¹⁴Wecanfullyappreciatethebenefitsfromoneday
ofshootingifweconsiderthefollowing.Forsuchashortfilming
time,an11-memberforeigncrewarrivedinthearea(thedirector
andhisassistant,theproducer,thedirectorofphotographywithan
assistant,thedesignerandanassistant,acameraoperator,asound
operator,aboomer,andanactor),whoneededaccommodationfor
threenights,¹⁵whileatleast12Greekpeoplewereemployedtowork
¹⁴Inaddition,aGreekactress,EiriniInglesi,playedthecurrentownerofthegrand-
father’sCretanhouse.
¹⁵AsFresdidnothaveaccommodationfacilitiesatthetime,theystayedinahotel
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[122]
KaterinaKomi,PanayiotaMini,andNikosTsagarakis
inthecrew(figure3).Inaddition,far-reachingbenefitscameforthe
Greeklineproducersand,throughthem,othertalents.AsXenakis
explained,thebondcreatedbetweenthelocalfirmIndigoViewand
TurkishexecutiveproducerEsiGülceledtocommonfilmprojects;
andthroughIndigoView’sintervention,AnastasiaTsilimbiou,the
Greekactresswhohadplayedin The Island,wascastinthemajor
roleofYoungKösemSultaninthehitTurkishtvseries Muhteşem
Yüzyıl:Kösem(TheMagnificentCentury:Kösem,2015,2017).¹⁶
localintangiblerewards
Materialgainsaside,themakingofallthesefilmsbroughtabout
arewardthatwerarelyconsider:bondsamongpeopleofdifferent
placesandbackgrounds.Oneshouldtreatwithcautionoraltesti-
moniesandaposterioriaccountsoffeelings;yet,thefondnesswith
whichtheparticipantsintheseproductionsindifferentrolesand
positionstalkabouttheirexperiencesindicatesthattransnational
filmproductionscreateabasisforsincerehumaninteraction.
Celuiquidoitmouririsarepresentativecase.Althoughlanguage
andculturaldifferencesinitiallycausedsomemisunderstanding
andtensionbetweenlocalsandforeigners(Bérard1956;Skoulikaris
2013,2),allparticipantsgraduallyformedwarmrelationshipsthat
lastedfordecades.¹⁷Dassin’slettertoKritsa’speopleattheendof
theshootingrevealstheprevailingclimateduringthefilm’smaking
(Dassin1956b):
Togetherwecreatedafilm,whichIhopeisworthseeing.We
workedveryhard[...].Fromthebeginning,IbelievedthatIdid
nothavesubordinatesinmyworkbutpartners[...].Imadealot
offriendsinKritsa,andthatiswhyitisdifficulttoleavethem.
Manyofourteamcriedwhentheyleft.Someoneevensaidsome-
thingthatrepresentsusall,‘I’mleavingpartofmyselfhere.’[...]
(IridaHotel)inChania(D.Xenakis,telephoneconversationwithP.Mini,13Jan-
uary2021).
¹⁶GülcewasMuhteşemYüzyıl:Kösem’slineproducer.
¹⁷SeeDassin’sinterviewinFredyGermanos’s1977tvshowEkpompes pou agapisa
(https://archive.ert.gr/73502/).
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TangibleBenefitsandPeople’sBondinginInternationalFilmProduction
[123]
‘So,goodbyeuntilwemeetagain,myKritsafriends.’Iwillbe
lookingforyouandwillbethinkingofyoualways.Iamhappy
tohavelivedherewithyou.
YearslaterDassindescribedhisworkinKritsa:‘Istillremember
thattimeasthehappiestofmylife.Happinesshadtodowiththe
wholeatmosphere,withallthelocalswhoworkedonthefilm.Ihave
memoriesthatstilloverwhelmme,andIlovethisvillagemorethan
anyotherintheworld’(DimopoulosandKiriakidis2000,61,71).
TheexperiencewasequallygratifyingforKritsa’speople.Accord-
ingtoChrisanthiKatapoti,whoplayedoneofPanagiotaros’sdaugh-
tersinCeluiquidoitmourir,thefilm’sfour-monthmakinglookedlike
acelebration(C.Katapoti,telephoneconversationwithK.Komi,3
June2021).Allvillagersparticipatedbyeitherworkinginthepro-
ductionorwatchingthework.Subsequently,variousneighbour-
hoodsinKritsawerenamedaftercharactersandplacesinthefilm
(e.g.,Ladas’splace,Sarakina)andin1982thevillageunanimously
appointedDassinandMercourihonorarycitizens(Skoulikaris2013,
11).Today–65yearslater–thelocalsstillsharestoriesofthefilm-
making,¹⁸tracesfromthefilm’ssetremaininKritsa(figure4),and
thewallsofitspublicbuildingsaredecoratedwithphotographsof
thefilming(figure5).
Asimilaratmosphereisconveyedbytheparticipantsin Tsat-
siki, morsan och polisen.AssistantdirectorGiannakakisandmusi-
cianPapadakisdescribetheforeignproducersasexcellentcollabo-
rators,recallthelocals’enthusiasmand‘positiveenergy,’andcom-
parethefilmingtoapanigiri(theGreekwordforthefolkfair).They
explainhowtheyallbecame‘co-villagers,’withthelocalsopening
theirhomestoofferthecrewwhatevertheyneeded,andhowthe
lastdayofworkculminatedinahugecelebration(M.Giannakakis,
telephoneconversationwithP.Mini,11May2021;C.Papadakis,in-
¹⁸PeoplewhoparticipatedinthefilmorlivedinKritsain1956,rememberfondly
Dassin,Merkouri,andthetimewhentheirvillagewastransformedintoastudio
(C.Varda,ETziris,andM.KlontzainterviewedbyK.Komi,30May2021,andC.
Katapoti,telephoneconversationwithK.Komi,3June2021).
volume14|2021|number2

[124]
KaterinaKomi,PanayiotaMini,andNikosTsagarakis
figure4
RemnantsoftheSet
forCeluequidoitmourir
inKritsa:Ladas’sPlace
(photobyKaterinaKomi)
figure5
APhotographDecorat-
ingtheWallsofthe‘Lato’
Cultural,Educationaland
DevelopmentalAssoci-
ationofKritsaShows
JulesDassinandInhab-
itantsofKritsaWork-
ingasExtrasDuringthe
MakingofCeluiquidoit
mourir(photocourtesy
by‘Lato’Cultural,Educa-
tionalandDevelopmen-
talAssociationofKritsa)
terviewedbyN.Tsagarakis,1June2021).Makingthesecondfilmin
theTsatsikiseriesinPacheiaAmmosconfirmstheamicableclimate
thatcharacterisedtheworkonthefirst.
Forthedirectorof TheTwoFaces ofJanuary,Chaniaturnedout
his‘favouritelocationoutsideoffilming.’AsAmini(2014)described,
‘Afterfilmingwe’d[ourcrewwould]dispersetodifferentbarsand
restaurantsandenjoythecityalloveragain.Despitespendingover
amonththere,manyofthecrewhavesincereturnedfortheirholi-
days.’TheclimateinFresforDedeminİnsanlarıwasparticularlyemo-
tional.BynarratingthestoryofanoldTurkish-Cretan,wholonged
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TangibleBenefitsandPeople’sBondinginInternationalFilmProduction
[125]
toseehischildhoodhomeinCrete,andofhisgrandsonwhomade
thetriptheoldmancouldnot,Ismaktoldthestoryofhisgrand-
fatherandhisfirsttriptoCrete;thus,filminginFresallowedhim
tovisitthisislandoncemore.Hesaid:‘Itisallveryintenseforme.
IfeelIknowthepeople,theplaces,everything’(Doumanis2011).
Thefilm,Irmakemphasised,‘isaboutthefriendshipbetweenGreeks
andTurks,’somethingcapturedintheconditionsunderwhichthe
workproceededinFres.
bondsacrosscountriesandtimes
ImplementedthroughthecollaborationbetweenTurksandGreeks
attheproductionlevel, Dedemin İnsanlarıputsineffecttheideas
ofpeople’spartnershipandofquestioningthebordersseparating
themonthelevelofthestoryaswell.Thefilmtranscendsmany
symbolicbarriers:betweennations,languages,genders,classes,and
socialgroups,withthefirstamongthembeingthebarriersbetween
GreeksandTurks.HumanitarianissuesarealsoatthecoreofTsat-
siki,morsanochpolisenandEdenàl’Ouest,makingthemsuitablefor
promotingworldwidesolidarityandequality.
Dedemin İnsanlarıhasenjoyedspecialscreeningsinGreecede-
signedtoadvanceGreek-Turkishfriendship:fromshowingsinpro-
gramsorganisedundertheauspicesoftheTurkishEmbassyin
Greece(‘Evdomadatourkikoukinimatografou’2014;‘ Oi anthropoi
toupappoumoutaxidevounseChaniakaiIrakleio’2015)topresenta-
tionsinprimaryschoolevents(Rammos2013).OutsideofGreece,
thisfilmhasbeenselectedtorepresentmodernTurkishcinemaand
cultureinfestivalsandeventsinmanycountries,includingBosnia
andHerzegovina,Germany,Italy,Jordan,Mongolia,Morocco,Slo-
vakia,Spain,Ukraine,andtheUnitedStates.Ithasalsoreceived
theKemalSunalCultureandArtAwardof2012forbestfilm,among
otherawards.¹⁹
In Tsatsiki, morsan och polisen,whenTsatsikitravelstoCrete,
hefindsoutthathisfatherisahaggardfisherman,notthehand-
¹⁹FortheawardsofDedeminİnsanları,seehttps://m.imdb.com/title/tt2150209
/awards?ref_=tt_ql_sm.
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[126]
KaterinaKomi,PanayiotaMini,andNikosTsagarakis
some,muscularoctopuscatcherthathismotherhaddescribed.
Afterhisinitialdisappointment,Tsatsikifeelsabondwithhisfa-
therbeyondstereotypes.Suchanexperiencedoesnotconcernonly
Tsatsiki.LifeinSwedenbringsinclosecontactpeopleofdifferent
lifestylesandbackgrounds,makingthemdevelopfeelingsofsincere
mutualunderstandingandrespect.Touchinguponsuchissues,in
additiontoitshugecommercialsuccess,Tsatsiki,morsanochpolisen
wasawardednumerousprizesforbestfilmforchildrenoryoung
people.²⁰Itwasshowninfestivalsandevents–mostlyforyoung
audiences–inmorethan20citiesworldwide(e.g.Hanoi,Antwerp,
Berlin,Bern,Bruges,Copenhagen,Creil,Coted’Ivoire,Freiburg,
Hyderabad,Paris,Poznan,Toulouse,Varese,andZlin)andusedto
promoteculturalcollaboration.Togivetwoexamples,in2008itwas
includedintheCinéNordicaweekinParis,organisedbytheSaga
Nordicaorganisationwhichworksforculturalexchangesbetween
FranceandtheNordiccountries;inNovember2009,theSwedish
EmbassyinVietnamselecteditasoneofthefivefilmsforthe‘De-
fendingDifference’eventinHanoi,Vietnam,celebrating‘40years
offriendship’betweenVietnamandSweden.²¹Moreover,dueto
itsemphasisonasingle-motherfamilyandrelationshipsamong
peopleofvariousbackgrounds,Tsatsiki,morsanochpolisenhasbeen
mentionedinmanypamphletsandprojectsonappropriatefilms
forschoolscreeningsanddiscussionsofissuessuchasnewtypesof
families,friendship,andtolerance(Havran,Sauvage,andWalther
2002).
²⁰Ithasbeenawardedthe1999GuldbaggevinnarePrizeforSweden’sbestfilm;
the1999Children’sFilmPrizeoftheNordicFilmInstitutes;theCrystalBear
fromtheYoungPeople’sJuryattheChildren’sFilmFestivalofthe2000Berli-
nale;thePoznańSilverGoatsBestForeignFeatureMovieatPoznan’s18thAle
Kino!InternationalYoungAudienceFilmFestival;the2000EuroKidsNetwork
Award;theGoldenPlaqueinCriticsJuryAwardatthe12thInternationalChil-
dren’sFilmFestivalinHyderabad,India,andotherprizes.See,indicatively,
https://www.svenskfilmdatabas.se/en/item/?type=film&itemid=40615awards
andhttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0171851/awards?ref_=tt_ql_sm.
²¹Seehttp://hanoigrapevine.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/swedish-film
-program-20094.pdf.
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TangibleBenefitsandPeople’sBondinginInternationalFilmProduction
[127]
Throughthestoryoftheundocumentedimmigrant,Edenàl’Ou-
estreferstotheplightofmillionswhofleetheircountriestoreach
theWest,onlytofindoutthattheirwesterndestinationisaguarded
fortress,aParadiseforonlysomeselectedfew;Costa-Gavrascrit-
icisesthiscontemporarysituation,advancinginsteadtheneedfor
understandingandequality.Throughastrongdistributionsystem,
system, Edenàl’Ouestwasshowninnumerouscountries,carrying
messagesofrespecttootherculturesandoffairmulticulturalism.
Itpremieredatthe59thBerlinInternationalFilmFestivalof2009,
whereitrepresentedFrance,Greece,andItaly,astheclosingnight
film,anacknowledgementofitssuitabilitytosignaltheendofa
festivalwhichsincethelate1990s‘hasdevelopedintoaplaceofin-
terculturalexchangeandaplatformforthecriticalcinematicexplo-
rationofsocialissues’(‘TheBerlinale:AConstantlyEvolvingFesti-
val’2021).
Laterin2009,Edenàl’OuestopenedtheLondonHumanRights
WatchFilmFestival,whichthroughitsorganiser–HumanRights
Watch–‘strivestoexposehumanoppressionworldwideandtopro-
motehumanrights’(Wong2011,174,176).Sincethen,thefilmhas
travelledtomanyfestivals²²andwaspresentedateventsraising
awarenessaboutrefugees,migrants,andhumanrightssuchasthe
2009HumanRightsWatchInternationalFilmFestivalinNewYork;
the2009unhcrRefugeeFilmFestivalinTokyo;the2009Events
onMigrationofthePancyprianFederationofWomen’sOrganisa-
tions,inLimassol,Cyprus;the2011InternationalCrimeandPun-
²²Forexample,in2009itwasscreenedattheFrenchFilmFestival,Tokyo-Osaka;the
EuroCine27,Brussels;theMardelPlataInternationalFilmFestival,Argentina;the
BusanInternationalFilmFestival,SouthKorea;theMelbourneFilmFestival,Aus-
tralia;thePulaFilmFestival,Croatia;theCinemaniaFrancophoneFilmFestivalin
Montreal;theFestivaldelCinemaEuropeo,Lecce;theTraverseCityFilmFestival,
Michigan;theStGeorgeBankBrisbaneInternationalFilmFestival,Australia;the
MumbaiInternationalFilmFestival,India;theGriechischeFilmwoche,Munich;
andtheBursaInternationalSilkRoadFilmFestivalinTurkey.Ithasbeenawarded
theCriticsAwardatthe2009ColCoaFilmFestival/CityofLights,CityofAngels,
LosAngeles,andtheCriticsAwardandSpecialJuryAwardatthe2009Mostrade
ValenciainSpain.
volume14|2021|number2

[128]
KaterinaKomi,PanayiotaMini,andNikosTsagarakis
ishmentFilmFestivalinIstanbul;andsocialspacesandsquatsin
Athens.LikeTsatsiki,morsanochpolisen,Edenàl’Ouesthasbeenalso
usedasaneducationaltoolinvariouscountries(e.g.,France,Greece,
Italy,andSpain),engagingstudentsindiscussionsaboutxenopho-
bia,prejudice,immigration,diversity,andEuropeanpolitics.
conclusion
Presentingthesefilmsininternationalcontextsthatpromoteun-
derstandingandrespectcomesasacorollaryoffilmproductionpro-
ceduresthatthemselveswerebasedonpartnershipandcollabora-
tivework.TheforeignfilmsshotinCrete,whichhavebeenexam-
inedforthisstudy,evincethatinternationalfilmproductionscan
deliverimportanttangiblebenefitstobothforeignproducersand
localsandformstrongbondsthatparticipantswillcherishforalong
time.Thesefilmsbringfinancialgainsfortheparticipantsandthe
hostingcommunitiesinadditiontotechnicalexpertise,familiari-
sationwithinternationalstandardsofwork,andpromotionofthe
shootinglocations.Theyofferforeignproducersandfilmmakersge-
ographicalandarchitecturalauthenticityanddiversityinaddition
tofiscaladvantages.Astheresearchshows,nolessimportantisthe
culturalexchangebetweenlocalsandforeigncrews,whichleaves
behindfondmemories,friendships,andprofessionalpartnerships.
Furthermore,thesefilmsmaycontributetothemitigationofcul-
turalandhistoricalstereotypes,evenwhilecraftingthevaluesof
empathyandsolidarityintoacinematicnarrative.
Nodoubt,thisresearchhasinherentlimitations.Fromthemore
than40foreignproductionsshotinCrete,itfocusesonfive,and
amonghundredsofpeopleparticipatingintheproductions,itin-
terviewed13.Inaddition,itdiscussesmoreproductionsofthelast
threedecades,forwhichitwasmorepracticaltocollectdatafrom
localparticipants.Furthermore,itprocessesinformationonlyfrom
organisations,businesses,andpeoplewhowerewillingtoshare
theirexperiencesandknowledge.Despitetheselimitations,local
andstateorganisationscanusethesefindingstopromoteanden-
hanceinternationalfilmencounters.Theycouldorganisetransna-
tionalfilmevents,emphasisingtherelationshipbetweenthecul-
ijems

TangibleBenefitsandPeople’sBondinginInternationalFilmProduction
[129]
turalbondsdepictedonscreenandthosecreatedinthecourseof
filming.Organisationscouldbringthefilms’internationalpartic-
ipantsbacktogethertodiscusspastexperiencesandmakefuture
plans.Moreover,interestedpartiescansupportmoreresearchcase
studiesthatmaybringtolightagreaternumberoffortuitousfilm
encountersacrosscountriesandcultures,reinforcingtheconclu-
sionthattransnationalfilmcollaborationshavethepotentialto
unitepeople.Inthissense,therecentinitiativeoftheHellenicFilm
OfficeandtheworkoflocalFilmOfficesacrossGreece,whoseout-
comeshavealreadybecomeapparentevenduringtherestrictions
ofthecovid-19pandemic,withtheattractionofseveralforeign
productionsinmanyareasofthecountry,mayfurtherinformus
onthetangibleandnon-materialimportanceofinternationalfilm
productionsforbothlocalcommunitiesandglobalaudiences.
acknowledgments
Wethanktheparticipantsinthefilms’productionswhoagreedtobein-
terviewedandcompletequestionnairesforthisresearchandprovidedus
withvaluableinformationandmaterial.Wealsothanktheorganizations
andtheirstaffwhohelpedusinlocatingmaterialforthisarticle:theBank
ofGreece;the‘Lato’Cultural,EducationalandDevelopmentalAssociation
ofKritsa;theMelinaMercouriFoundation,Athens;theNationalLibrary
ofGreece;theNikosKazantzakisMuseumatMyrtia,Heraklion;Proodos
–CulturalandFolkloreAssociationofMochos,Heraklion;andTheUniver-
sityofCreteLibrary.Allinterviewsandcorrespondenceforthisresearch
havebeenconductedaccordingtotheCodeofEthicsandProfessionalCon-
ductandapprovedbytheResearchEthicsCommitteeoftheUniversityof
Crete.AshorterversionofthispaperwaspresentedattheInternational
ConferenceonFilmStudies:(De)ConstructingCinematicIdentities(Lon-
donCentreforInterdisciplinaryResearch,6–7February2021)underthe
title‘MulticulturalisminInternationalCinemaProductions:FilmsShotin
Crete.’Stagesofthisresearchwerealsopresentedinthreepapersbythe
membersoftheresearchteamattheCameraStylo4conference:Transna-
tionalScreens;GlobalLiteratureandCinema(TheUniversityofSydney,
14–16July2021).Wethanktheparticipantsofbothconferencesfortheir
thoughtfulcomments.Wewouldalsoliketothanktheanonymousreview-
ersofthisessayfortheirhelpfulsuggestions.
fundingstatement
Thisresearchhasbeenco-financedbyGreeceandtheEuropeanUnion(Eu-
ropeanSocialFund–esf)throughtheOperationalProgram‘HumanRe-
volume14|2021|number2

[130]
KaterinaKomi,PanayiotaMini,andNikosTsagarakis
sourcesDevelopment,EducationandLifelongLearning2014–2020’inthe
contextoftheproject‘InternationalFilmProductionsinGreece:TheCase
ofCrete’(mis5049022).
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