“Greek Island” is the working title of a romantic comedy feature-length movie project set on a remote Greek island with a passing resemblance to Symi.
I am currently working on the screenplay with a writing partner and we are hoping to have it completed by March 2011, ready for shooting next summer.
Through these pages, we hope, over the course of the next two years, to take you with us on the exciting journey from concept to film festival. We want to share with you the whole creative process, the highs, the lows, everything – but without giving away too much of the story.
Genre
Yes, it’s a romantic comedy. But it also happens to be a romantic comedy involving a couple of gay men. So does that make it a gay romantic comedy?
We think, no. It happens to be a romantic comedy with gay characters. But the theme is universal and the issues concern everyone. The thematic argument (a term screenwriters like to use) is that true happiness, true love, and being true to the real you are so much more important than superficial considerations of sexuality, keeping up appearances, or conforming because that’s what other people expect of you. It’s about not living a lie. And that’s not just a gay issue.
Plot
Most films start with a “what if….?” Greek Island starts with “What if a Greek man wanted to marry his gay partner on an island where this had never happened before?” How would everyone involved react?
A gay marriage on a traditional Greek island is just what screenwriters call “cultural encoding”. It could just have easily been about a Moslem from a conservative family wanting to marry a Christian, or any other kind of marriage that would fiercely test the cultural norms and cause a community crisis. Many such examples exist in the world today where people are forced, or force themselves, into unhappy marriages because they’re expected to conform. They are living the lie, and they are often deeply unhappy yet trapped by their sense of duty to stick it out.
And “Greek Island” is a comedy. So, although there are important, universal issues, there will also be plenty to laugh about as well. Sometimes the deepest issues are best explored with the lightest touch.
I am currently working on the screenplay with a writing partner and we are hoping to have it completed by March 2011, ready for shooting next summer.
Through these pages, we hope, over the course of the next two years, to take you with us on the exciting journey from concept to film festival. We want to share with you the whole creative process, the highs, the lows, everything – but without giving away too much of the story.
Genre
Yes, it’s a romantic comedy. But it also happens to be a romantic comedy involving a couple of gay men. So does that make it a gay romantic comedy?
We think, no. It happens to be a romantic comedy with gay characters. But the theme is universal and the issues concern everyone. The thematic argument (a term screenwriters like to use) is that true happiness, true love, and being true to the real you are so much more important than superficial considerations of sexuality, keeping up appearances, or conforming because that’s what other people expect of you. It’s about not living a lie. And that’s not just a gay issue.
Plot
Most films start with a “what if….?” Greek Island starts with “What if a Greek man wanted to marry his gay partner on an island where this had never happened before?” How would everyone involved react?
A gay marriage on a traditional Greek island is just what screenwriters call “cultural encoding”. It could just have easily been about a Moslem from a conservative family wanting to marry a Christian, or any other kind of marriage that would fiercely test the cultural norms and cause a community crisis. Many such examples exist in the world today where people are forced, or force themselves, into unhappy marriages because they’re expected to conform. They are living the lie, and they are often deeply unhappy yet trapped by their sense of duty to stick it out.
And “Greek Island” is a comedy. So, although there are important, universal issues, there will also be plenty to laugh about as well. Sometimes the deepest issues are best explored with the lightest touch.
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