Thecinema of Cyprus[a] came into existence much later than others, with the 1960s generally being accepted as the industry's earliest notable history. The industry has historically suffered from slow growth due to the island's smallpopulation—a large percentage of whom are preoccupied by theCyprus problem—and its awkward geographical location at the crossroads ofSoutheast Europe,West Asia, and theMiddle East.
The country's film industry has progressed exponentially since the late 2010s, when Cyprus began marketing itself to foreign studios with the nickname "Olivewood" and convinced producers from influential film industries such asHollywood to choose it as a filming location, in addition to Cypriot filmmakers receiving praise at foreign festivals and theChristodoulides government giving the arts sector an unprecedented level of financial support as part of its Invest Cyprus scheme.
Michael Cacoyannis became the most famous Cypriot filmmaker to date when he wrote, directed, edited, and producedZorba the Greek (1964). Another filmmaker working at the same time was George Filis, who made the filmsLoves and Woes (1967),[b]The Last Kiss (1970),[c]Gregoris Afxentiou: A Hero With a Memoir (1973),[d]This Is How Cyprus Was Betrayed (1974),[e] andThe Mega Document (1979).[f] The only films by Filis that are not political works about theCyprus Emergency or theTurkish invasion areLoves and Woes, a documentary about traditional Cypriot dances and music, andThe Last Kiss, a romantic drama.[1]
Since 1989, Cypriot co-productions have been eligible for funding from theCouncil of Europe'sEurimages Fund. To date, four feature films on which a Cypriot was listed as an executive producer have received funding from Eurimages:Of Greece (scheduled for 1995 but unreleased),[g]The Slaughter of the Rooster (1996),[h]The Promise (1999),[i] andThe Road to Ithica (2000).[j][2] There is also a government-backed initiative for filmmakers to apply for funding from the Invest Cyprus scheme,[3] which absorbed the former Filming in Cyprus scheme upon its creation in 2024.[4]
In 1994, Cypriot film production received a boost with the establishment of the island's Cinema Advisory Committee. By 2000, the annual amount set aside for filmmaking in the national budget wasCYP£500,000 (approximately€850,000). Statistics showed that in 2011 the country hosted 30 cinema screens,[5] produced three films (two fictional and one documentary),[6] sold 870,000 tickets,[7][8] and grossed €7.11 million at the box office.[7] At the same time, its three biggest distributors were (in order) Four Stars Films,Odeon, and Feelgood.[9] Marios Piperides' filmSmuggling Hendrix (2018) received acclaim at that year'sTribeca Film Festival,[10][11][12] while Tonia Mishiali's filmPause (2018) also received positive reviews.[13]
Since around 2018, Cyprus has attempted to market itself as a filming location and branded itself "Olivewood",[14][15][16] a play on "Hollywood" and a reference to both the island'solive oil production and theolive branch featured onits flag.[17] The Hollywood action filmJiu Jitsu (2020) starringNicolas Cage was shot in Cyprus, which doubled forMyanmar, but was a critical and commercial failure; it also became embroiled in a controversy when the filmmakers promised to sue PresidentNicos Anastasiades'second government forbreach of contract due to the non-payment of the €8 million rebate outlined in their contract, resulting in the potential production of at least three more Hollywood films being moved elsewhere, which was estimated to have lost millions in expected revenue for the economy of Cyprus and took away many potential jobs for local film crew.[18]
Despite the setback caused byJiu-Jitsu, Hollywood producers returned to the island whenNikos Christodoulides won the2023 Cypriot presidential election and instructedhis government to restart discussions with Hollywood while giving an unprecedented level of support to the island's arts sector through its new Invest Cyprus scheme.[3] American studio Jupiter Peak Productions came on board forFind Me Falling (2024), a romantic comedy starringHarry Connick Jr.[19] Written, directed, andco-produced byStelana Kliris, it became the first Hollywood film to be both set and filmed in Cyprus; it was released onNetflix, becoming the first film directed by a Cypriot to receive a worldwide Netflix premiere.[20] It received mixed reviews. The drama filmAll That's Left of You (2025), anArabic-languageco-production between Germany and Cyprus, was set to film in Palestine until theGaza war forced production to move to Cyprus.[21] The film premiered at the2025 Sundance Film Festival, becoming the first Cypriot production to do so.[22]
Film and television production companies in Cyprus include AMPFilmworks,[23] Bark Like a CatFilms,[24] BlunaticPictures,[25] CarettaFilms,[26] The CoffeeFilms,[27] CubeProductions,[28] CultExperiences,[29]Filmblades,[30] LekaProductions,[31] MerakiFilms,[32] Pygmalion FilmProductions,[33] RayFilms,[34]ResetFilms,[35] Rin SkyFilms,[36] SeahorseFilms,[37] VolumeFilms,[38] and Wishing TreeFilms,[39] as well as the Cypriot branch of Greek production company Green OliveFilms.[40] Annual festivals include theCyprus International FilmFestival[41] and theInternational Short Film Festival ofCyprus.[42]
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