The natural landscape of Chiliadou Beach, on the island of Evia, Greece, emerged as one of the protagonists of Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness. The location washed by the Aegean Sea was featured as the castaway island where the characters find themselves after the explosion of the yacht. The island becomes the set of a fight for survival, where social hierarchy is turned upside down, revealing the tawdry relationship between power and beauty.

Chiliadou Beach is one of the finalists of the EUFCN Location Award 2022, the annual prize for European filming locations organized by the European Film Commissions Network (EUFCN). The location was submitted by the Hellenic Film Commission.

Originally, Ruben Östlund’s black comedy was intended to shoot in Thailand on a location which would combine a virgin beach with a jungle-like flora embracing the sea.

Why did the production choose Greece? “The Greek cash rebate had just been announced at the time and our competent and trustworthy Greek co-producers from Heretic Productions made us think about it,” stated Producer Erik Hemmendorff. “Also, of course, we found that Evia and Chilliadou were a bit different than the popular depiction of Greece we had known until that point. We liked the green, the woods, the high mountains, the sea and the stony beaches. It felt like an ‘unknown and secret place’ to us and it fit perfectly to the story of the film”.

“The shooting was fantastic and I am really not exaggerating,” said director Ruben Östlund about filming in Greece. “The whole time in Greece was, for me, one of these experiences that makes me love filmmaking even more. The crew was experienced and engaged. The locals were friendly and made anything we asked for possible. The locations in Chiliadou, Evia, are completely unique. We were so lucky with the weather and the covid craziness. Completing the shooting in these times, with a resulting material that I am more than satisfied with, really gives me double the pleasure. A big thanks to Heretic Productions and the Hellenic Film Commission.”

Chiliadou beach is located on the foothills of snow–capped Mountain Dirfis. Its main peak, Delphi (1743 meters), wild and steep, is visible from afar. They call it “Little Fuji” as it looks like a volcano and every year attracts a large number of hikers from around the world. According to the myth, Dirfis was the favorite isolator of the Goddess Hera. For this reason, in antiquity, the sanctuary of the goddess was located at this point.

Chiliadou Beach is a popular summer destination, just 140 km. away from Athens. It falls under the purview of the Municipality of Dirfis-Messapia in the Region of Central Greece. Accommodation is available in Chiliadou, as well as at the picturesque village of mountainous Steni. The region hosts a large number of both hikers and bikers year-round.

As mentioned by the Greek co-producer Giorgos Karnavas, “the location combined all the desired elements, adding production value to the film in a unique and unexpected way.”

Triangle of Sadness, starring Charbli Dean, Harris Dickinson, and Woody Harrelson, was written and directed by Ruben Östlund and produced by Plattform Produktion. Producers: Erik Hemmendorff and Philippe Bober.