lifestyle WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014 Music & Movies Amid economic crisis, a silver lining for Greek filmmakers he economic crisis that has devastated Greece has also in the 1990’s. “The crisis has helped in an unexpected way. It taries and short films were crippled for lack of funding. This spurred the country’s filmmakers onto a prize-winning has brought together very creative people and it has com- acted as a wake-up call to the industry, unlike the past when Trenaissance in a rare success story from the eurozone pelled them to work together,” says George Corraface, one of many were content to wait for the next state payout. “Before nation. The same recession that brought misery to tens of Greece’s best-known international actors with a 30-year career the crisis, Greek filmmakers wanted 300-500,000 euros thousands of families since 2009 has fueled demand for tales in Europe and the United States. “People do amazing work ($200,000-$360,000) to make a movie,” said an industry source out of Greece-prompting the nation’s filmmakers not only to with very little money, and this has a huge effect. It creates a who declined to be named. adapt to the new economic realities but also rack up awards in buzz all over festivals,” he told AFP. “Now they do it with 100,000 euros,” he said, adding that the process. movie production is now better targeted too. “When the mon- Last year, 36-year-old Alexandros Avranas picked up a best Turmoil an inspiration ey was flowing, 15 Greek movies would be made in one year director prize at the Venice Film Festival with ‘Miss Violence’, a Social turmoil has traditionally inspired artistic expression, but only two would be shown in cinemas. The rest would nev- movie about a girl’s hushed-up suicide that also won a best said Karantinakis. In Greece, the economy has shrunk by a er see the light of day, and some of their creators didn’t even actor award. Two years earlier, ‘Dogtooth’ by 41-year-old quarter and unemployment shot up to over 27 percent. The care,” the source said. With less domestic funding, Greek film- Yorgos Lanthimos-a film about a dysfunctional Greek family- youth have been particularly hard-hit, with more than one in makers have been searching for new contacts and sponsors was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars, the first two without a job. “The younger generation of filmmakers abroad. Zois said most films in Greece are now done on a such accolade for a Greek film in over 30 years. “The crisis has feels the need to say things ...and urgently so,” says Yorgos shoestring budget, or are European co-productions. And put the spotlight on Greece, and this has spurred Greek film- Zois, an award-winning short film director now preparing his Greek directors have learned they need to move audiences if makers,” said Gregory Karantinakis, general manager of the first feature movie. “There are a lot of things simmering under they want to surmount problem of language, a barrier which Greek Film Centre, the state-supervised body supporting the surface in Greek society-existential, economic-so it is traditionally limited distribution of Greek-language films. Greek cinema. urgent for people to take a stand,” adds the 33-year-old, who “There’s very little room for Greek films,” said Corraface. “So it’s A flood of international media coverage of anti-austerity originally studied applied math and physics. necessary to make films that are a bit shocking, that wake protests, many of them violent, has paradoxically helped But while a source of inspiration, the crisis, unsurprisingly, people up. And I think (Greeks have caught onto that),” he pique interest. “People outside Greece have sought to discov- has also has ravaged finances. Before all fell apart, the industry added. — AFP er what is happening in the country,” he said. “Dogtooth” relied on state funding from the Greek Film Centre (GFC), and director Lanthimos also won best screenplay at Venice in 2011 ERT, the state broadcaster. But over the past five years, the with ‘Alps’-a movie about an underground organization that GFC’s funding has fallen by 35 percent while domestic ticket helps mourners by impersonating the deceased. He is now sales-another key money source-are down 45 percent. And directing his first English-language feature, ‘Lobster’, starring last year, the government axed ERT. The shutdown was Greek award-winning short Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz. The film is a dystopian love dra- designed to trim the state payroll-one of Greece’s obligations film director Yorgos Zois ma set in the future. under its multi-billion EU-IMF bailout-by more than 2,000 jobs. poses at the Greek Film Overall, Greek cinema is riding a wave of success unseen A downsized state broadcaster was set up to replace ERT, Archive premises in Athens since the European glory days of director Theo Angelopoulos but in the interim, scores of productions including documen- yesterday. — AFP ‘Believe’ review: A good girl in need of Darth Vader elieve” is a great villain away from being a show I’d keep watching. Expectations “Bcouldn’t be much higher for the NBC drama, premiering tonight. It comes from Oscar- winner Alfonso Cuaron, the brilliant mind behind “Gravity,” and J.J. Abrams, who co-created “Lost” and now rules both the “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” universes. You know why people like “Star Wars” more than “Star Trek”? Because of Darth Vader. He was so ruthless, so composed, that you couldn’t help but root for anyone going up against him. When the prequels made Vader good, the saga lost all momentum. In lieu of a Vader, “Believe” has Kyle MacLachlan, whom, I’m sorry, I can’t stop loving. He earned a Beyonce, Garner want lifetime of goodwill playing Dale Cooper on “Twin Peaks,” and he’s delightful as the sturdily compe- tent mayor of “Portlandia.” I even liked him in to ban the word ‘Bossy’ “Showgirls.” It’s hard to root against him, and that’s on’t let Beyonce hear you using the word “bossy,” because a problem for “Believe.” The show went through she’s joining Lifetime in its mission to ban the label from two showrunners before settling on Jonas Pate, Dour vocabulary. “Being labeled something matters. By mid- which suggests it struggled to find its direction. dle school, girls are less interested in leadership than boys, and Hopefully it does in the next few episodes, because that’s because they worry about being called bossy,” Beyonce it has plenty going for it. helps a number of other successful women - and men - say in the It’s about a little girl, Bo (Johnny Sequoyah) who Lean In PSA. “We need to tell them it’s okay to be ambitious. We has Christ-like powers that may save the world. need to help them lean in. Words matter. Let’s just ban the ‘bossy,’ After her parents are killed in a horrifying opener - This photo released by NBC shows Sienna Guillory, left, as Moore, and Johnny Sequoyah as Bo, and encourage girls to lead.” Cuaron directs it as spectacularly as you would in the pilot of the new NBC television series, ‘Believe. — AP Jennifer Garner, Jane Lynch, Condoleezza Rice and Diane von expect - she falls into the care of a former death Furstenberg appear with NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson, US row inmate, Tate (Jake McLaughlin). The mysterious Bo are nefarious? We also kind of admire his main aren’t even allowed to shoot her. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Girl Scouts USA CEO Anna Milton Winter (Delroy Lindo) breaks him of prison. apprentice, Moore (Sienna Guillory), for bringing Okay, granted: Bo is not a normal child, as we Maria Chavez in the #BanBossy campaign spearheaded by Winter leads a mysterious group dedicated to pro- some gender parity to the male-dominated assas- see in the show’s second big set piece. But her Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, who also takes a stand in the 60- tecting Bo, but not willing to use guns, because sin’s game. It’s also kind of endearing that she’s so strength makes us even less invested in her fate. It second spot that airs on Lifetime. that would make things too easy. bad at assassinating. feels like she’s going to be just fine, whether we The commercial for Lean In and Girl Scouts’ Ban Bossy move- Winter is wise, Bo is adorable and sweet, and Sure, she’s involved in killing the parents. But watch or not. So I’m hoping the show can make ment, which is supported by Lifetime and a number of other part- Tate has kind of an Owen Wilson thing going. We we’ve known the parents would die since the first Skouras a little more scary. Or Moore a little bit ners, aims to raise awareness for raising girls’ self esteem during like them all. And the no-guns thing, foolish as it is, preview for “Believe” months ago. Moore is one of faster. Or the Christlike orphan a little more of a early adolescence - a pivotal moment in their development. “I’m should make them feel even more like a ragtag those TV killers we’re told is relentless and unstop- martyr. Is that asking a lot? Yes. But Cuaron and not bossy,” Beyonce concludes. “I’m the boss.”— Reuters group of lovable underdogs. But I’m not totally pable, even though she’s always just a step or two Abrams can handle high expectations.