Transitions in the Periphery: Funding Film Production in Greece Since the Financial Crisis

ABSTRACT The article focuses on Greece and explores the extent and ways in which film production funding cultures have changed in the period 2010–2015. It maps out the hybrid modes of funding embraced by filmmakers in this period, and explores the extent to which new models, such as crowdfunding, were adopted, European co-production opportunities were more fully embraced, as well as how far traditional modes of financing such as, on the one hand, state funding, and, on the other, private, distributor-led, backing have persisted. As a country of the European periphery, and one particularly hard-hit by the recent financial crisis, Greece offers a good example of the processes of an uncertain, but also creatively productive, cultural, and financial transition. Set within the broader context of global changes led by technology, the national case study illustrates how state and private top-bottom funding initiatives have begun to co-exist with bottom-up production and dissemination processes, and how some new players have entered the scene. The patterns revealed through this exploration of the new funding cultures for film production in Greece contribute to an understanding of the impact of global economic transformations on a national level, and help us assess the effectiveness and viability of the new funding models for small markets.