Marcus Markou is a London based playwright, film-maker and entrepreneur. Until recently his works could be found on the stages of Riverside and Trafalgar Studios. He has now ventured into the world of celluloide with his film directorial debut of indie flick Papadopoulous & Sons – a poignant new comedy which explores the immigrant experience through the eyes of a successful Greek family. The film is showing in cinemas now across the UK.
What inspired you to write Papadopoulous & Sons?
Two things really. I wanted to reach back to my Hellenic roots and question the true meaning of success. I was born the son of Greek Cypriot immigrants in a very tight knight working class Cypriot family in Birmingham. We did start out with fish and chip shops. My father then qualified and became the first Greek accountant in Birmingham and amassed a huge client base of Greeks – who were running similar small businesses – restaurants, hair salons etc. Greek was my first language. But our social rise was rapid. We moved to Solihull, I was sent to a Prep School and we were told that I should not speak Greek at home so I could improve my English.
This rapid rise through the social gears of mobility happened for many families across many backgrounds – especially through the 80s. So really, what I was trying to do was look into what I had lost. What do you lose when you make this journey? So I wanted to reach back to my roots and also investigate what real success is. So, at the start of the film, our main character Harry Papadopoulos is very wealthy and not very Greek. I wanted to take him on a journey back to his roots and see what he could learn. And yes, I do use a banking crisis and the collapse of a bank to start it all off…and no, I had no idea this would actually happen in real life!
Tell us a bit about the story?
It’s about a very wealthy London Anglo Greek called Harry Papadopoulos who loses everything in a financial crisis. The only thing the banks can’t take is an old Fish and Chip Shop. The reason the banks can’t take it is because it’s owned by his larger than life spirited brother – Spiros. They haven’t seen each other in years – as they fell out. So Uncle Spiros comes back to the family and takes them back to the chip shop where the family have to start again. Harry has three children and a Nanny. He is a widower, so we also explore Harry’s unresolved grief.
Where was the film shot?
The Fish and Chip Shop was shot in Morden – off the high street. We took the lease on an empty shop and build the chippy from scratch. The city scenes were shot in offices overlooking Tower Bridge and the mansion house was in Surrey.
What were the biggest challenges you faced making the film?
The biggest challenge you face is time. We shot the film in just 24 days. On one of those days we had to stop shooting because of the London riots. Thankfully, we only lost a day and we could catch up, but if the riots had prevented us from shooting another day we probably would not have finished the film.
You have a very tight schedule and there is very little room to drop any shooting time. The pressure is unreal, especially if you’ve financed this film, as I have. There was no big studio behind me to reschedule shooting days. I had to get it all done in 24 days – through riots and British rain.
What advice can you offer budding young directors out there?
The best advice is to tell the story you need to tell. The story you burn to tell, the one that completes you. If the movie lifestyle is what you are after, the shot of a ‘better life’ – then you will not succeed because you will make a film that doesn’t matter. It will be just another film that is easily forgotten. You need to make the film that changes your life. The only thing that truly matters is the story. The passion for a story is what will make it a success, not a passion to be a cool film director and be a member of a club and hang out with famous people and go to parties. You need to find that story that needs to be told, not the story that can be told.
I know there are people reading this who will feel a sudden rush of emotion through them. That’s because this statement is true and the stories that need to be told are the ones that are personal to you. I will say it again. They are the stories that change how you think about the world. They are an exploration of yourself. They challenge all your conceptions of who you are – if you manage to do that well, then chances are you will also do it for your audience.
What’s next for you?
I didn’t only write, direct and finance this film, but I’m also distributing it and that isn’t stopping yet! It’s very busy and I have learned lots about what film distribution can be – in terms of correctly using social media to build an audience. This is a piece from today’s Guardian. It’s the box office report by Charles Gant, he covers the film industry. Read down to ‘Plucky Outsider’ – that’s me and that’s where I want to stay. On the outside and plucky!
Click here to watch the trailer.
Papadopoulous & Sons is now extending its Cineworld run in London and expanding to new Cineworld screens across the UK.
