CRETE / SINCE 2016HOME ↗

ONE DUO.
A WHOLE
WORLD.

Gogo Verigou / Giorgos Balothiaris

The idea for Kalokairi Sto Noto was born on Chrissi island in 2003, created by Giorgos Balothiaris and Gogo Verigou. In 2016, Let’s Do It Harilae opened the grandmas’ cinematic chapter. Black headscarves. Cretan dialect. Humour that refuses to fit a mould. The Super Cretan Grandmas are a Kalokairi Sto Noto story that began in 2016 and keeps discovering new settings.

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE IDEA

A STORY
FILLED WITH
NOSTALGIA.

A story by
Kalokairi Sto NotoBE A
PLATSOURISTA.

Giorgos Balothiaris and Gogo Verigou created Kalokairi Sto Noto and, with it, a community that could never fit inside a studio. The Platsouristas are one of Greece’s most active radio communities: with hundreds of daily messages, stories, recipes and ideas, they point the producers towards something bigger.

From an idea on Chrissi in 2003 to an award-winning, long-running radio production, that relationship remains the driving force. The show reaches Crete and Greeks abroad, while its films gather millions of views and welcome new audiences into the community.

In 2016, the team wanted to give this world an image. Let’s Do It Harilae was the beginning: radio’s energy became characters, settings and cinematic stories. The Cretan Grandmas emerged from that encounter and return every summer for the next chapter.

Giorgos Balothiaris in a radio show archive photograph — **Giorgos Balothiaris**Co-creator · Radio producer

Gogo Verigou in a radio show archive photograph — **Gogo Verigou**Co-creator · Radio producer

2003 / THE BEGINNING

One night
on Chrissi.

On 23 July 2003, a group of friends listened to music beside the sea on Chrissi island. An old CD player played Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World”. In the creators’ official history, that evening gave their Kalokairi Sto Noto its name: an experience of freedom, music and friendship they wanted to share.

FROM IERAPETRA / TO FM

Friends become
a radio show.

The show began on a small radio station in Ierapetra and gradually gained partner stations in Heraklion, Rethymno and Chania. Broadcasts later reached Greek communities abroad. Its two creators continue to centre the relationship with listeners, people and stories of Crete.

In their LiFO interview, they recall the first handmade posters and night drives with friends to distribute them around towns and villages. Cafés, squares and students returning to the island formed the first links in a community that grew by word of mouth.

2016 / FROM RADIO TO SCREEN

The inspiration
for the grandmas.

Let’s Do It Harilae was created to introduce the radio show’s new season. Its success paved the way for a new film every summer. Giorgos and Gogo draw inspiration from everyday dialogue, local humour and dialect, combining them with current events, music and cinematic references.

LOCAL PEOPLE / IN FRONT OF AND BEHIND THE CAMERA

A village
becomes a crew.

The creators describe shoots as a collective process: residents open their homes, take on roles and support the team. Rehearsals, retakes and the search for the right expression transform a spontaneous idea into a film scene. The local community’s trust remains part of the creative process.

THE PHILOSOPHY / TODAY

The adventures change.
The soul remains.

Speaking on SKAI in 2025, the creators explained that they want to preserve the grandmas’ authenticity and innocence. They take them into new adventures that speak to the times without changing their character. From the courtyard to outer space, this approach connects every film in the series.

The Cretan Grandmas on the set of Cretan Casa de Papel — Cretan characters. Cinematic worlds.

A SHORT ARTICLE / OUR OWN CINEMA

CRETE HAS
ITS OWN
CINEMA.

A courtyard can become a film set. A café, the heart of an adventure. An everyday village remark, the line you remember for years. For us, cinema begins with people: the way they look, speak and carry their stories.

Cinema references, music and detailed visual work meet this raw material. Lighting, framing, rehearsals and editing bring rhythm and intensity, without losing the Cretan identity. The familiar becomes unexpected; everyday life takes on the scale of a grand story.

Along our journey, that encounter has revealed a storytelling approach we see returning as inspiration in companies, advertising campaigns and smaller productions. Authentic faces, local humour, cinematic adventure: a creative language that can open new paths. Our joy is seeing more people dare to tell their own stories.

This is how the world of Kalokairi Sto Noto grows. Through crews, residents and collaborators who believe in the idea; places that find a new role; characters who remain true, however far the next script takes them. Crete is more than a setting. It is how we tell our stories.

EXPLORE THE STORIES

The Platsouristas have the floor

@daskalogiannhs

Μπράβο στη γιαγιά κ στο παππού πραγματικά YOLO άτομα.

ONE DUO.A WHOLEWORLD.

A STORYFILLED WITHNOSTALGIA.

One nighton Chrissi.

Friends becomea radio show.

The inspirationfor the grandmas.

A villagebecomes a crew.

The adventures change.The soul remains.

CRETE HASITS OWNCINEMA.

STARIN THE NEXTSTORY.

WHAT ADVENTUREWOULD YOU LIKETO SEE THEM IN?