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Director Lanthimos Won’t Abandon Greece

Praised Greek filmmaker and theatre director Yiorgos Lanthimos is currently running up and down the streets of London searching for the right scipt that will inspire him for his next movie to come. London has all that is required to give life to a new project and Lanthimos recognized this by moving to the UK capital in late 2011.

The economic crisis suffocating Greece leaves no room for talented artists to pursue their dreams and many are considering travelling abroad for better chances. But Lanthimos nevers doubts that he will sooner or later return to his home country.

“There’s much more activity in England than in Greece. Or at least there’s a lot more development, which obviously brings another set of problems” Lanthimos told The Guardian newspaper while spending his time in London as a tourist enjoying the food and the life. He is considering shooting a period drama set in the reign of Queen Anne or an update of Daniel Defoe’s Journal of the Plague Year.

When asked if talented Greeks are fleeing to work elsewhere, Lanthimos noted that the financially harsh circumstances were not the only reason why he decided to move to the UK. “I made three films in Greece under very difficult circumstances so I think I’ve served my time. But I don’t see it as jumping ship. It’s not abandonment. One day I’ll go back. It might be sooner rather than later” underlined the 39-year-old, who added that he is interested in shooting film in other languages other than Greek.

Lanthimos also noted how he began learning all by himself about shooting films by going through advertisements and watching others’ work, since Greece does not offer much of training or infrastructure for those interested in the film-making process. After two highly praised films, the Oscar-nominated Dogtooth, and Alps, and his 2005 debut with Kinetta, Lanthimos is considered as one of the most radiant examples of contemporary culture rising amidst the harsh economic and social times of the ongoing crisis plauging Greece.

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