After three weeks of filming in Greece earlier this year, Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya and the rest of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey's The Odyssey was sent to Sicily, a global Universal Traveler, the back-scenes adaptation of the ancient epic of Universal Pictures, Home.

Anxious Greek film industry professionals hope other international works are not ready to set sail, either.

A year after the Greek government announced an overhaul of the screen division set up by a new industry group, advertising sources said the system is still in a state of chaos, which is still paying, owing dozens of production companies ($112 million) totaling 100 million euros north.

"There are some clients with loans. The banks are waiting for their money," said Kostas Kefalas, production director at the heavyweight Faliro House, which serves the "Odyssey" shooting in Greece. "(Foreign producers) became skeptical. More questions were asked."

Creative Greece (known for the Greek acronym Ekkomed) aims to simplify the operation of the screen industry in the country. Instead, sources say they are fighting for more bureaucratic barriers and when payments are made, they (and their international partners) seek clarity.

“We know it will be a very complicated thing, but things are getting worse,” said Giorgos Karnavas, who produces equipment, the upcoming drama "Birthday Party" starring Willem Dafoe.

Karnavas echoes concerns from others who are worried that the industry is eliminating the “trust capital” that has been building with foreign producers for several years. “Building takes a lot of time and it’s easy to disappear, and now we are facing the consequences of a transition from poorly managed government and government departments,” he said.

Last year, at the Venice Film Festival, Greek officials celebrated the world premiere of Pablo Larrain's "Maria", with Angelina Jolie as the heroine of Greek opera Maria Callas, one of the most famous cultural figures in modern Greece.

But this week, type The producers of "Maria" learned that a bubble letter to the Greek Ministry of Finance and Ekcombe asked for a free discount claim answer of about €350,000 ($392,000), which dates back to the film's fall 2023 filmed in Greece. Among the four countries that preside over and provide incentives for production, the Mediterranean country is the only country that is good at rebate payments.

Speech type During the Cannes Film Festival, Greek Creative CEO Leonidas Christopoulos acknowledged that there have been bureaucratic challenges since the organization was founded. He also admitted that Ekkomed paid “less than we expected” over the past year.

However, Christopher said the organization is expected to repay in early June, adding: "Most backlog will be served by the end of the year."

On the surface, Greece's 40% cash rebate has been a huge success. Since launching in 2018, the incentive scheme has put the country on the production map, helping it lure dozens of high-profile international productions, including Nolan's “Odyssey,” Amazon Prime Video's big-budget Biblical drama series “House of David” and Uberto Pasolini's Homer-inspired drama “The Return,” starring Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes.

Christopoulos, who described the struggle of the past year as a “transitional phase,” insists that the revamped system will ultimately help create a “very stable landscape of financing over the next five years.”

To its credit, the Greek government showed flexibility in trying to clear the bureaucratic logjam. It paused on the incentive program last May until October 1, when it tried to clear the backlog of unpaid claims and applications awaiting approval. Earlier this year, after failing to meet its own October restart deadline, the government passed a measure that allows producers to claim fees accumulated in the final months starting in 2024 and 2025.

This way, the "Odyssey" starring Chris Evans, Anya Taylor-Joy and Salma Hayek made its English debut "Sacrifice" to trace millions of dollars in production and production costs. "When something is the fault of the government, we need to support as much as possible (can be) to those who trust us," Christopher said.

Despite their frustration, Greek producers still hope that the system will be back on track soon, and Kefalas of Faliro House insists he is "very optimistic because (political) will exist."

"We need to take care of playing ic because people do want to shoot in Greece," he said.