| Cinema of Cyprus | |
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 A cinema on Ledra Street in 2012 |
The cinema of Cyprus [lower-alpha 1] came into existence much later than the cinema of most other countries, with the late 1960s generally being accepted as its earliest history, and it has generally undergone extremely slow growth due to the island's small population, geographical location, a lack of interest, and more attention being given to local political tensions.
Michael Cacoyannis released his most famous film Zorba the Greek in 1964, making him the most renowned Cypriot director to date. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, George Filis directed and produced the films Gregoris Afxentiou, Etsi Prodothike I Kypros, and The Mega Document. In 1994, Cypriot film production received a boost with the establishment of the island's Cinema Advisory Committee.
By 2000, the annual amount set aside for filmmaking in the national budget was CYP£500,000 (approximately €850,000). Statistics showed that in 2011 the country hosted 30 cinema screens, [1] produced three films (two fictional and one documentary), [2] sold 870,000 tickets, [3] [4] and grossed €7.11 million at the box office. [3] At the same time, its three biggest distributors were (in order) Four Stars Films, Odeon, and Feelgood. [5] In 2018, Marios Piperides' film Smuggling Hendrix received acclaim at the Tribeca Film Festival. [6] [7] [8] Later that year, Tonia Mishiali's film Pause also received positive reviews. [9]
The 2020 Hollywood action film Jiu Jitsu starring Nicolas Cage was shot in Cyprus, but was a critical and commercial failure; it also became embroiled in a controversy when the filmmakers promised to sue the Cypriot government for breach of contract due to the non-payment of the €8 million rebate outlined in their contract, resulting in the production of at least three more Hollywood films being moved elsewhere, losing millions in expected revenue for the country's economy and taking away many potential jobs for local film crew. [10] Despite this setback, the Hollywood romantic comedy film Find Me Falling has since been filmed on the island and is set to premiere on Netflix in July 2024. [11]
Cypriot co-productions are eligible for funding from the Council of Europe's Eurimages Fund, which has financed European film co-productions since 1989. To date, four feature films on which a Cypriot was listed as an executive producer have received funding from Eurimages: I Sphagi tou Kokora (1996), Hellados (unreleased), To Tama (1999), and O Dromos gia tin Ithaki (2000). [12] There are government-backed initiatives for filmmakers to apply for funding from both the Invest in Cyprus scheme [13] and Filming in Cyprus scheme. [14] The island also hosts production companies such as Green Olive Films [15] and Seahorse Films. [16]
Swedish cinema is known for including many acclaimed films; during the 20th century the industry was the most prominent of Scandinavia. This is largely due to the popularity and prominence of directors Victor Sjöström and especially Ingmar Bergman; and more recently Roy Andersson, Lasse Hallström, Lukas Moodysson and Ruben Östlund.
The cinema of Greece has a long and rich history. Though hampered at times by war or political instability, the Greek film industry dominates the domestic market and has experienced international success. Characteristics of Greek cinema include a dynamic plot, strong character development and erotic themes. Two Greek films, Missing (1982) and Eternity and a Day (1998), have won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Five Greek films have received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
The cinema of Burkina Faso is one of the more significant in Africa, with a history that spans several decades and includes the production of many award-winning films.
Cinema of the Netherlands refers to the film industry based in the Netherlands. Because the Dutch film industry is relatively small, and there is little or no international market for Dutch films, almost all films rely on state funding. This funding can be achieved through several sources, for instance through the Netherlands Film Fund or the public broadcast networks. In recent years the Dutch Government has established several tax shelters for private investments in Dutch films.
Brazilian cinema was introduced early in the 20th century but took some time to consolidate itself as a popular form of entertainment. The film industry of Brazil has gone through periods of ups and downs, a reflection of its dependency on state funding and incentives.
Eurimages is a cultural support fund of the Council of Europe, established in 1989. Eurimages promotes independent filmmaking by providing financial support to feature-length fiction, animation, and documentary films. In doing so, it encourages co-operation between professionals across Europe. Eurimages is headquartered in Strasbourg, France in the Agora building of the Council of Europe. The current Chairperson is Catherine Trautmann.
Attila '74: The Rape of Cyprus is a 1974 documentary film by Michael Cacoyannis about the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. It was filmed on location in Cyprus and Greece in the immediate aftermath of the two Turkish invasions and subsequent occupation of approximately the northern third of the island.
Bulgaria has been producing films since 1915. Bulgarian cinema is known for the pioneering work of directors like Donyo Donev in the field of animation. The filming and screening of Vasil Gendov's film Bulgaran are Gallant (1915) is considered to be the beginning of Bulgarian cinematography. Historically, Bulgarian films have been noted for their realism, social themes and technical innovation.
The film industry based in Switzerland dates to the 1930s. It is influenced by the neighboring countries of France, Germany and Italy, with which it shares languages. Before the mid-1960s Swiss films were often sentimental, but the French New Wave led to more experimental cinema.
Cinema in Norway has a long history, dating back to the beginning of the 20th century, and has an important stance in European cinema, contributing at least 30 feature-length films a year.
Iceland has a notable cinema film industry, with many Icelandic actors and directors having gone on to receive international attention. The most famous film, and the only one to be nominated for the Academy Award, is Börn náttúrunnar, a 1991 film directed by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson. This brought Icelandic cinema to the international scene, which has since grown, with films such as Nói Albínói by Dagur Kári, heralded as descendants of the Icelandic film tradition.
Films have been made in Lithuania since the early twentieth century.
The cinema of Georgia has been noted for its cinematography in Europe. Italian film director Federico Fellini was an admirer of the Georgian film: "Georgian film is a completely unique phenomenon, vivid, philosophically inspiring, very wise, childlike. There is everything that can make me cry and I ought to say that it is not an easy thing."
The cinema of Mongolia has been strongly influenced by the cinema of Russia, which differentiates it from cinematic developments in the rest of Asia.
The mass media in Cyprus refers to mass media outlets based on the island of Cyprus, including both the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Television, magazines, and newspapers are all operated by both state-owned and for-profit corporations which depend on advertising, subscription, and other sales-related revenues.
Fiji only began producing its own feature films in 2004, and has produced just one to date. Vilsoni Hereniko's The Land Has Eyes (2004) is set in Rotuma and stars indigenous Rotuman actress Sapeta Taito in her début role, alongside New Zealand actress Rena Owen.
The cinema of Moldova developed in the early 1960s during the Soviet period, experiencing a flowering of about a decade and a half. Stagnation followed, and after the Moldavian SSR became independent in 1991, the industry almost completely disappeared.
Jordan has quickly developed in the past few decades and established itself as an attractive filming country, due to a large number of combined factors: a variety of locations, advanced infrastructure, moderate and sunny weather, governmental support for the film industry, easy administrative procedures and financial incentives. The cash rebate varies between 10% and 25%, depending on the spending, while productions are exempt from Jordanian taxes. Combined with the cash rebate, they can get as much as 56% back.
Jiu Jitsu is a 2020 American science fiction martial arts film directed and co-written by Dimitri Logothetis and starring Alain Moussi, Frank Grillo, JuJu Chan, Tony Jaa and Nicolas Cage. The film is based on the 2017 comic book of the same name by Dimitri Logothetis and Jim McGrath. The film was a box office bomb, grossing less than $100,000 against a budget of $25 million, and was critically panned.
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