Greek Movie “Smyrna” Coming to Netflix?

Following the immense popularity of the Greek drama series Maestro in Blue on Netflix, there is increasingly excited speculation that the Greek movie Smyrna will also become available on the streaming platform.

Negotiations have reportedly been taking place between the production company of Smyrna and Netflix, with a rumored agreement close to being concluded. The appearance of the film on the streaming platform is expected to be announced soon by Netflix. However, Tanweer, the production company behind the Greek film hasn’t made any statements or announcements yet.

The critically acclaimed movie is based on a family diary that recounts the 1922 burning of the eponymous city. The film was incredibly well received in Greece and captured several domestic awards before also being shown in cinemas in the United States.

Smyrna to be streamed on Netflix

If the speculation is true, Smyrna will become the first Greek feature film to be available on Netflix, following in the footsteps of Maestro in Blue which became the first Greek TV series to be shown on the popular streaming platform.

The movie stars a talented Greek and international cast including Mimi Denisis, Leonidas Kakouris, Bourak Haki, Krateros Katsoulis, Katerina Geronikolou, Yiannis Vogiatzis, Tamila Koulieva, Anastasia Pantousi, Christos Stergioglou.

The film was written by Mimi Denissi in collaboration with two-time Tony Award nominee Martin Sherman. It was produced by Tanweer Productions with Dionyssis Samiotis as producer alongside Executive Producers Joseph Samaan and Mimi Denissi.

Exceeding its budget of over €4 million, it is the most expensive production shot in the history of Greek cinema. The principal filming locations included Lesvos, Chios, Athens, Piraeus, and Faliro.

Smyrna was enthusiastically praised by the critics, managing to pick up six Hellenic Academy Awards. The film picked up accolades for set design, photography, costume design, make-up design and special effects.

In December last year, the movie reached a larger foreign audience when it was screened in seven hundred cinemas across the United States.

The movie was also screened in Australia and there are reportedly ongoing negotiations to make it available to watch in Russia and China. A deal with Netflix will enable Smyrna to reach an even larger international audience.

The story

Released one century after the disaster of Smyrna, the critically acclaimed and moving drama about an elderly Greek-American woman brings the event to life. Her family diary recounts the 1922 burning of the cosmopolitan city of Smyrna where Greeks, Turks, Jews, Armenians, and Levantines once lived together harmoniously.

It was a cataclysmic event of such enormous importance for modern Greek history that it shaped generation upon generation after 1922, adding yet another unforgettable—and utterly tragic—milestone to Greece’s long history.

The movie’s IMDB synopsis explains that the film focuses on the Baltatzis family, who “recount the 1922 burning of Smyrna, Greece, including the assault on vibrant Greek and Armenian communities.”