European Films

The Spanish-Greek co-production El Greco has started principal photography today. The film, directed by Greek director Yannis Smaragdis, tells the story of the famous renaissance painter, who will be played by British newcomer Nick Ashdon. The film retraces the life of the Spanish renaissance master who was born in 1541 as Domenicos Theotokopoulos on the island of Crete, then part of the Venetian empire. He studied in Venice and Rome, where he was heavily influenced by the Venetian renaissance and Mannerism, before finally moving to to Toledo in Spain, where he painted his most famous works (including The Burial of the Count of Orgaz) and got entangled with the Spanish Inquisition. He died there in 1614.