Hiliadou Beach, on the Aegean side of the island of Evia, is currently in the running for this year’s Best European Location Awards, presented by the European Network of Film Commission (EUFCN). The announcement was made last month by the Hellenic Film Commission, after its Directorate for International Audiovisual Productions proposed the island location earlier this year. People are invited to participate in the online vote.

The Hellenic Film Commission is an active member of the EUFCN. This is the second time a Greek location has reached the finals of the annual award, the last time being in 2019, when Corfu won as the film location for the hit British television series “The Durrells.”

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Hiliadou Beach was the location for the award-winning Swedish film “The Triangle of Sadness,” starring Charbli Dean, Harris Dickinson, and Woody Harrelson. Greek production company Heretic was also involved. Hiliadou’s breathtaking natural landscape emerged as one of the film’s main protagonists, giving it a distinctive atmosphere and aesthetic character. The film went on to with win the Golden Palm at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Swedish director Ruben Östlund said of this experience filming in Greece: “The locations in Hiliadou are unique. I’m not exaggerating, the filming was fantastic. The crew was knowledgeable and willing, while the locals were friendly and accommodating. We were lucky in terms of the weather, but also the conditions regarding Covid-19. The organization of filming under these conditions and the production of material, which exceeded my expectations, made my joy greater. The period I spent in Greece was one of my experiences that made me love my job even more. A big thank you to Heretic and the Hellenic Film Commission.”

Swedish producer Eric Hemendorff was also enthusiastic: “When our collaboration with Heretic began, Giorgos Karnavas sent me the photographic material of the location manager Menelaos Mytilinaios, the best I had seen. I got excited. Hiliadou combined mountain and sea, it had the wild beauty we wanted. Reuben is selective with locations. If they didn’t do it for him, we wouldn’t be there.”

Online voting

The general public, in Greece and abroad, can visit the EUFCN pan-European platform and vote by selecting their preferred location. Voting will close on January 30, 2023.

The award ceremony will take place as part of the European Film Market during the 73rd Berlin Film Festival.

Online voters are automatically entered into a prize draw for a three-day stay for two at the award-winning location (offered by the location’s Film Commission). The winner will be chosen by lottery by EUFCN and Cineuropa.

The five nominated locations for the 2022 Location Award are:

Brissago Islands for the film “Dawn Chorus” – Ticino Film Commission (Switzerland)

Hiliadou Beach for the film “Triangle of Sadness” – Hellenic Film Commission (Greece)

The town of Portsoy for the television series “Peaky Blinders (Season 6)” – Screen Scotland (Scotland)

The Schlosshotel Kronberg for the film “Spencer” – Film Commission Hessen (Germany)

The Stari Grad district for the film “How I Learned To Fly” – (Croatia)

This article was previously published in Greek at kathimerini.gr.