TV report – the sun island of Greece: Rhodes

Two Shoot Days, an Entire Island – Travel Report Rhodes for Deutsche Welle

For Deutsche Welle's euromaxx magazine, Basiliscus Film produced a 4:30-minute travel report on Rhodes – one of Greece's most famous holiday islands and a place with a history stretching back to antiquity. Author and director Stephanie Drescher developed the concept in collaboration with Deutsche Welle and oversaw the entire production on location.

The challenge: to capture the full diversity of the island in just two shooting days. From the medieval old town to the Butterfly Valley on the west coast and the picturesque hilltop village of Lindos, some 50 kilometres south of the island capital. This meant daily logistics across multiple locations, three protagonist interviews, atmospheric and landscape footage, and a culinary insight into Greek cuisine – all with our own equipment and film team.

What We Shot

The report was structured across seven scenes, filmed at the following locations:

In the old town of Rhodes we met archaeologist Vassilis Karabatsos, who guided us through the medieval city walls, the Turkish quarter and the Grand Master's Palace – once the centre of power of the Order of St John. At Mandraki Harbour, where legend has it the Colossus of Rhodes once stood, we filmed the famous bronze statues of Elafos and Elafina and captured the unique harbour atmosphere of the island's capital.

In the Butterfly Valley (Petaloudes) on the west coast we accompanied Lefteris Karagianni, a local guide. During the summer months, thousands of butterflies gather along a 1.5-kilometre stretch of the valley – a natural spectacle we were able to document on film.

We reached the hilltop village of Lindos the traditional way – by donkey. The picturesque architecture, winding alleyways and views across the bay provided some of the most striking visual sequences in the report. The final scenes were shot at Tsambika Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches on the island, and at Restaurant Koukos, where head chef Michalis Christodoulou prepared Giouvetsi – a classic Greek braised dish made with lamb – especially for our cameras.

Also interesting: With the cap through budapest