A remote Greek village must raise its population in order to avoid being cut off from the local government. When a foreigner, Eric, stumbles into town, the village mayor rallies the hostile townspeople to convince Eric to stay.
Director's Note: I had always wanted to make a film in Greece, and in 2011, despite many people warning me against it, I went ahead and made The Foreigner. It was the best decision I could have made. The idea for the script came from visiting many years ago one of my uncle’s villages in Mani, Greece. This village was so small only four people lived there because seven people had died the previous winter! And the local priest owned the only restaurant around and a nearby hotel. I thought it would be interesting to push this real-life scenario a bit, to think about what would happen if a foreigner came to the town and how it would affect the people there. I focused on the relationship between Eric (Philip Bretherton) and Kostas (Manolis Sormainis) because although they come from very different worlds, the loss of their wives connects them on a deeper level. I wanted to make a film that showcased the beauty of Greece and its hospitable people, but at the same time didn’t stereotype Greeks in any way, and I think we achieved that with the film. I’m very proud of my Greek heritage and making a film there was the most meaningful thing I have done to pay tribute to that legacy. I received a tremendous outpouring of support not only from Greeks, but also from Greek-Americans. It was truly humbling to have so many people and organizations help make the film a reality. Making The Foreigner has only increased my desire to make more films in Greece.
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