Powerful Earthquake Shakes Turkey and Parts of Greece
A powerful earthquake, with a magnitude of up to 7.0, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, struck Turkey’s Aegean coast on Friday.
The quake, which affected Turkey’s Izmir province the most, was centered north of Greece’s Samos island, with tremors felt as far as Athens and Istanbul. Buildings are reported to have collapsed in Izmir city, with people taking to the streets. The tremors were also felt on the Greek island of Crete.
Turkey and Greece are located on faultlines. In January, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit the Elazig and Malatya provinces, killing 38 people.
Turkey has a thriving film and television industry that was booming up until the global coronavirus pandemic. In 2019, around 143 local films and 216 international titles screened in cinemas, drawing 59 millions viewers for a box office of 981 million Turkish Lira ($117 million). Until cinemas shut down in March this year, the box office was already north of $40 million, looking certain to overtake the 2019 gross easily.
Also, thanks to generous incentives from the Turkish Film Commission, international films shooting in Turkey shot up by 70%. Hollywood films that have filmed in Turkey include “Skyfall,” “Argo,” “Taken 2” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.”
In recent months, the industry had gotten back on its feet. Indian superstar Aamir Khan decided to complete the shoot of his “Forrest Gump” remake “Laal Singh Chaddha” in Turkey.
The country is also known for its vibrant television industry that is exported all over the world. Recently, Netflix announced a raft of local commissions from the country, featuring top Turkish talent.
The extent of the earthquake damage is not immediately clear, nor are the number of casualties, if any.
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