Malta has become a hub for international films being shot in the Mediterranean, Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said.
This had happened mostly because the two water talks at Rinella had earned international attention in the film industry, a sector which the government believes is crucial for Malta’s economy.
The Malta Film Studios had been set up in 1964, had passed on to a private operator in 1995 and returned in the government’s hands in 2014.
Dr Zammit Lewis blamed the previous administration’s lack of vision for the loss of competitiveness of the industry in the past years. In this respect, the government will be issuing a call for expression of interest in the development of the Rinella tanks.
The project entails the redevelopment and maintenance of the film studios, with the government aiming to reach a 10-year deal on a private public partnership.
Malta will soon have a national policy on film-making in the country after a public consultation exercise was launched last month.
By the end of the year, the film industry would have contributed €100 million to the economy, as against the €29 million in 2014 and the €5 million in 2013.