Greek-American John Kalafatis Partners With Nu Boyana to Open Studios in Thessaloniki

The CEO of New York-based York Studios, John Kalafatis, has partnered with Nu Boyana to open brand new state-of-the-art film stages in Thessaloniki.
The Greek government has enacted a great film incentive for both US and international movies looking to shoot in Greece.
Yariv Lerner, the CEO of Nu Boyana, along with his father Avi Lerner, are established Hollywood film producers who frequently work with A-list stars. Their previous movies include “Hitman’s Bodyguard”, “Olympus Has Fallen”, “The Legend of Hercules” and the star-studded “Expendables” action franchise.
Together with John Kalafatis and Greek Digital Policy Deputy Minister Lefteris Kretsos, Avi and Yariv Lerner met at the Nu Boyana main stages in Sofia, Bulgaria, to announce the construction of new film studios in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki.
Kretsos stated, “in a few years Thessaloniki is expected to become the next big destination for the production of audiovisual content in Europe. The development of the audiovisual industry in Greece has begun.”
Yariv Lerner added, “We are very happy that the studios will expand their activities in Greece by constructing a film studio in Thermi. The new studio in Thermi will offer all the necessary infrastructure and equipment in order to support the needs of Millennium Films, as well as other production companies.”
The first movie scheduled to shoot in Thessaloniki will be “The Legend of Sinbad”, a co-production of Millennium Films and Eagle Films, with more major productions to follow.
Kalafatis found success in New York by building one of the city’s biggest construction companies from the ground up. A few years ago, he moved into production with the opening of new soundstages in the Bronx area of New York.
York Studios successfully operates a 40,000-square-foot facility in Queens, NY, while a large-scale development of York Studios’ Michaelangelo Campus, a new 350,000 square foot production complex, is currently taking shape along the Bronx River in the Soundview section of the Bronx.
The new studios in Thessaloniki are expected to raise Greece’s profile internationally and create plenty of new jobs and income in the country.