Film schools and state funding were not prerequisites for 29-year-old actor-turned-filmmaker Renos Haralambidis to make films. What counted in his case was gut feeling. "I feel film in the stomach," the tall hope of Greek cinema explains." I get this odd feeling that tells me if a scene has gone well or not."

In autumn 1997, Haralambidis (already a familiar face from Greek TV) surprised film critics and inspired young filmmakers at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival with his black comedy No Budget Story . The black-and-white film (loosely based on the American movie In the Soup ) is about an aspiring filmmaker striving to make his first movie while seeking love in the dingy underground of Athens.

 No Budget Story stood out not only because of the way it was made (with literally no budget, on video, starring Haralambidis and friends), but also for the way it combined an indie American quirkiness with an affection for the Athenian urban landscape. In Thessaloniki, the film won the Best New Director prize (as well as Best Supporting Male Actor). US cinema monthly Variety praised the movie's freshness, while local trade magazine Cinema rated it Film of the Year.