Evia Film Project: Turning a Greek island into Europe’s green cinema hub

Photo: Retrieved from euronews.com

After suffering a devastating forest fire in 2021, the Greek island of Evia is looking to transform itself into Europe’s most environmentally friendly destination for filmmakers. We visited the island to meet the people planning its revival.

When the Greek island of Evia hit the headlines in 2021, it was not under fortuitous circumstances. Wildfires tore through 46,000 hectares of forest and farmland in the island’s north following a lengthy heatwave. The destruction laid bare the stark reality of climate change-induced extreme weather — and all in one of Europe’s most idyllic corners.

Healing after a disaster can take many forms: all-important aid packages, reforestation, infrastructure works and perhaps… a film festival?

To describe the Evia Film Project as simply a film festival would be to do it a disservice. In its second edition, the festival-come-ecological initiative is an offshoot of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, the most prominent film festival in Greece.

What started out as “offering support to a stricken area,” Elise Jalladeau, Director General of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, tells Euronews Culture, has become something bigger.

Evia Film Project “aims to interweave the art of cinema with environmental awareness, while promoting a series of actions that boost local society,” she says.