Emily Ratajkowski in Greece

By Elena Marika Konstantinou

October 17, 2026

Athens had a seriously stacked guest list in early October. Emily Ratajkowski, Vincent Cassel and director Romain Gavras were all in Athens for the Greek premiere of Gavras's new film, Sacrifice, at the Onassis Stegi, as Ta Nea reported.

If you have ever paused a movie just to yell "wait, that's Greece," this one is for you. Gavras, the French director with Greek roots, chose to bring his first English-language film home for its Athens debut, and he did not come alone.

Before the screening, there was lunch with a view. Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni hosted Gavras, Ratajkowski and Cassel at Attikos, the restaurant overlooking the Acropolis, according to OK! Magazine Greece. The magazine reports that the secretary general of the Greek National Tourism Organisation, Andreas Fiorentinos, also joined the table.

Why Athens? Cassel gave reporters a simple answer. Speaking at the premiere, he explained that the city mattered because a large part of the film was shot in Greece and because Gavras has Greek roots, per Ta Nea. He added that returning to Greece for the screening had been part of the plan all along.

Gavras, for his part, spoke warmly about his Greek crew, producers and actors, and called Greece a magical place that deserved a special film. Asked what Greece means to him, he reportedly joked: tsipouro and Karelia cigarettes. Honestly, fair. Then he got sincere, talking about the history, the people and the work culture he loves.

He also shared that his ties to the city go beyond holidays. According to Ta Nea, he is a partner in a bar called Epta Martyres in Neos Kosmos, which he described as one of the most beautiful places in the world. So yes, he is basically a local.

Now, the film itself. Sacrifice is a wild, mythical dark comedy about a cult leader who crashes a billionaires' charity gala, convinced that three people must be sacrificed to a volcano to save the world. It is now streaming on Netflix, with the streamer's Tudum feature dated October 16, 2026.

The cast is kind of unreal. Anya Taylor-Joy plays the cult leader Joan, Chris Evans plays the troubled movie star Mike Tyler, Vincent Cassel is the tech mogul Ben Bracken, and Salma Hayek Pinault plays his glamorous wife Gloria, as Netflix's cast guide lays out.

Now for the part the family group chat will be forwarding. Evans and Taylor-Joy started most filming days by hiking up a volcano in Santorini, Variety reported, with Evans describing the view as a moment where you just look around at the majesty of the world.

Santorini was not the only Greek star of the shoot. The production filmed in Drama, Athens, Lavrio and Santorini, with a large part of the Athens work done at Peiraios 260, the Athens Epidaurus Festival venue, according to Ethnos. Athens has quietly become one of Europe's favorite film sets, and Sacrifice just added another chapter.

So if Sacrifice is your weekend watch, keep an eye out for the Greek locations, from the volcanic cliffs to the industrial halls. Spotting a place you have actually been on a Netflix screen just hits different.

Hollywood keeps finding its way back to Greece, and honestly? Can't blame them.