The Hellenic Film Society
proudly presents
an informative panel discussion—

Filming in Greece: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful
Moderated by George Stephanopoulos, Media Attorney/Producer

Saturday, May 4, 2019
12 noon
Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC)
199 Chambers Street, Room N452, NYC
(between West Side Highway and Greenwich Street)

Post-Panel Reception at 2 pm
Greca
452 Washington Street, NYC
Cash bar; complimentary light meze will be served

This is a free event, but attendees must register. Space is limited and registrations will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.

Greece’s natural beauty and perfect weather have always made it ideal for on-location shooting. Now new tax credits and rebates are sure to attract international film production and boost the Greek economy. Hear about the experiences of our panelists who have filmed movies in Greece and find out how to take advantage of the new incentives. Learn about Greece’s diverse locations and highly skilled cast and crew, including top artistic and technical personnel, first-class production service companies, and post-production facilities.

Moderator

George Stephanopoulos is an independent producer and media attorney based in New York. He currently serves as Special Counsel, Senior Advisor to Group Nine Media, Inc., a digital first media company that consists of four mission-driven, category-leading brands across food, drink & travel (Thrillist), news & entertainment (NowThis), animals & activism (The Dodo) and science, tech & exploration (Seeker). His film credits include Swing Away (2017), Bereave (2015), Second City’s Buzzkill (2012) and Golf in the Kingdom (2010).

Panelists

Stamatios Tom Hiotis is an independent producer based in New York City and Athens. Tom has worked as the head of production for major advertising agencies in Greece and has produced many popular and award-winning TV commercials. He was a producer for many years with Modiano Productions (now known as Top Cut Modiano), as well as with other production companies in Greece. Tom has also produced feature films and documentaries in Greece and in the U.S.
Carol Contes represents directors, writers, individual artists, and digital media companies as well as European and Latin American-based production companies. Carol is based in Los Angeles and is associated with Guzman Law Group. Her clientele includes award-winning, international TV/film producers as well as successful independent Hollywood producers. Carol is also a credited co-producer on the upcoming UK-Italian-Dutch co-production, “The Bay of Silence,” starring Olga Kurlyenko and Claes Bang.
Maria C. Miles is the founding partner of an entertainment law firm with offices in New York City. Her practice focuses on all areas of entertainment and media law including, film, music, literary publishing, fashion, sports, and new media. She serves as co-chair of the Entertainment & Media practice and is Adjunct Professor of Entertainment Law at the Feirstein Graduate School for Cinema at Brooklyn College, City University of New York.
Gregory Pappas is a film producer, publisher of The Pappas Post and CEO of the Pappas Media Group, a Chicago-based public relations firm. Greg most recently produced the short film Eleftheromania (2018), starring Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis and Life Will Smile (2017) that was filmed on location on the Greek island of Zakynthos, and is narrated by Greek-Jewish Holocaust survivor Haim Konstantini. Both films are based on true Greek World War II stories.
Steven Bernstein is an award-winning screenwriter and director and has worked on more than 100 movies and television series. He also is an accomplished cinematographer having participated in the award-winning drama “Monster,” starring Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci. Steven is the author of the best-selling book, Film Production, about the filmmaking process, and has lectured widely on various aspects of filmmaking. He has authored several other books and screenplays and most recently wrote, produced and directed Dominion, a feature film about the final days of Dylan Thomas, starring Rhys Ifans and John Malkovich. Steven is currently in pre-production on his next feature film set in Greece and resides in London and Greece where he also teaches a six-day filmmaking course on the Greek island of Syros as part of his commitment to build an international film studio and film school on the island.

Helpful Links

Greek Film Center – http://www.gfc.gr/en

Hellenic Film Commission – https://www.filmcommission.gr/

Greek National Tourism Organisation- http://www.visitgreece.gr/

National Centre of Audiovisual Media and Communication – https://www.ekome.media/

SAPOE – https://sapoe.gr/shoot-your-film-in-greece/

Olffi – https://www.olffi.com/