- The Ministry of Culture and Raycap S.A. have entered a donation agreement to create an Audiovisual Industry Center in Drama, specifically at the Andrikaki Barracks.
- The donation finances every study and technical analysis required to revive four buildings and the surrounding space, transforming it into a modern hub for audiovisual arts.
- This center is expected to provide a permanent home for the Drama Short Film Festival and potentially attract new film productions.
- Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni claims this project will “create unique conditions for the development of the cultural and creative industries in our country.”
- European and national funding lie in waiting, depending on the completion of…you guessed it, extensive studies.
- The donation covers architectural, structural, mechanical, traffic, fire safety, acoustic, accessibility, and landscaping plans, all under the auspices of the Ministry’s modern monuments division.
- The project is positioned as both cultural revival and economic boost, though the real drama may be watching the paperwork pile up in the barracks.
Why is the Ministry of Culture Fixated on the Andrikaki Barracks for the Audiovisual Industry Center?
It could be any old army camp, but when an international film festival needs a roof—and some European funding—the Andrikaki Barracks start to look a lot more like prime real estate. The location will be overhauled to house the Audiovisual Industry Center, aiming to serve as an international magnet for the Short Film Festival of Drama and, if the PR is to be believed, bring Greece’s film industry into the modern age.
Raycap’s donation isn’t just about blueprints and paperwork. Their support, rubber-stamped by Kallissa Apostolidou and Culture Minister Lina Mendoni, covers all restoration studies for four barracks buildings and their surrounding area. It’s less ‘foundation stone’ and more ‘foundation study’—because what’s an ambitious cultural project without a small mountain of reports and paperwork?
According to Mendoni, “Drama, with its long cinematic tradition, now gains a space of international standards dedicated to the audiovisual arts, strengthening not only local but above all national film production. The generous donation of Raycap S.A., through which all studies for the four buildings within the Andrikaki Barracks are prepared, accelerates the realization of this ambitious project, as it ‘unlocks’ funding for the project from the Regional Operational Program of East Macedonia and Thrace – NSRF 2021-2027 and the Ministry of Culture’s Development Program. When the project is finished, the Andrikaki Barracks will be a reference point for film and new technology in Greece. The Audiovisual Industry Center is not simply an innovative cultural investment, but an important growth pillar for Drama and Northern Greece as a whole. On completion, it will create unique conditions for the development of the cultural and creative industries in our country.”
What Kind of Studies Does Raycap’s Donation Actually Fund?
For anyone thinking a donation means a shiny new soundstage by next summer, reality bites. The deal bankrolls every required study—because bureaucracy loves its paperwork. From architecture to roadworks, even fire protection and acoustics get their time in the limelight.
The studies include:
- Architectural plans, also covering fire safety, acoustics, and access for all
- Landscaping and planting designs (finally a barracks with shrubbery ambitions)
- Structural analysis and reinforcement (because nobody wants a collapsing cultural hub)
- Technical tests and reports (endless paperwork, of course)
- Electrical and mechanical plans for the buildings and grounds
- Traffic engineering studies (projects can stall, but cars should flow)
- Hydraulic works studies (let’s not repeat the Athens flood fiasco)
The Directorate for the Protection and Restoration of Modern Monuments is saddled with oversight, possibly in lieu of a starring role on the silver screen.
