Two unprecedented things recently took place at the ancient Acropolis of Athens. One was the transfer of the marble friezes of the Parthenon to the new museum at the foot of the Acropolis hill. The other was the shooting of the US production My Life In Ruins inside the historic site. No film has ever shot on the site except a short scene of Francis Ford Coppola's Life Without Zoe (part of New York Stories) which shot in the entrance of the Acropolis hill back in 1989.

Directed by Donald Petrie, My Life In Ruins is a romantic comedy starring Greek-American Nia Vardalos as a tour guide leading a group of tourists through Greek archaeological sites, including Olympia and Delphi, where the production also shot. The cast also includes Richard Dreyfuss and Rita Wilson with UK comedian Alistair McGowan, and young Greek actor Alexis Georgoulis.

Mike Reiss' script for My Life In Ruins was optioned by Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and Gary Goetzman's Playtone with Vardalos lined up to star. Nathalie Marciano and Michelle Chydzik's 26 Films then boarded the $20m project as co-producer. They opted to shoot some of the film in Spain to stand in for Greece. Spanish outfit Kamzaman Productions was enlisted as co-producer.

"The main practical difference between shooting in Spain and Greece is that there is a brand new high-tech studio facility in Valencia (Ciudad de la Luz) that is great for shooting sets," Chydzik explains.

"The main financial difference is that the Spanish state and local governments offer a little financial assistance. Financing independent movies is increasingly difficult so any soft money available can make a huge difference in whether a movie gets made or not. From a producer's point of view, a 10%-15% rebate on local spend is very attractive."

Although Greece offers no financial incentives, Chydzik was keen to shoot in the territory. "The ministries of tourism and culture were incredibly important in helping us secure the necessary permits," she recalls. "Plus, the scenery in Greece is spectacular and more than worth the effort required to shoot."

The international crew includes Spanish cinematographer Jose Luis Alcaine and local technicians provided by Nikos Nikoletos' Greek production services outfit Protasis. Jenny Panoutsopoulou of local outfit Harmonia helped secure the permits for shooting at the archaeological sites. Greece's Ministry of Culture provided the permits for shooting in the archeological sites while the Ministry of Tourism footed the hotel bill for the cast and crew to the tune of $200,000.

The Hellenic Film Commission Office, recently created by the Greek Film Centre to help attract international productions to Greece, also played a vital role. Star power also undoubtedly played its part as Wilson and Vardalos, both of Greek origin, started lobbying the Greek authorities for a permit a year ago.

Echo Bridge Entertainment is handling international sales.