The course was organised by Screen Productions Media Entertainment, a company that specialises in supporting film productions. The minister praised the company’s effort and said that there was a need for more of these initiatives that enhanced Malta’s film industry-related, human resources.

The film industry has become an important sector of the Maltese economy, contributing millions of liri in yearly revenue and creating hundreds of jobs both full-time and part-time, the minister said.

The industry also served as a promotion medium for Malta’s tourism sector, he said, and is giving Malta a good name in the film sector to the extent that The Times of London described Malta as “the Mediterranean’s mini-Hollywood.”

In recent years some 80 films have been produced in Malta, Dr Zammit Dimech pointed out, 35 of them promoting products while another 24 were TV productions, music videos and documentaries. “These films have also created a subsidiary industry that gives work to an array of tradesmen involved in the building of film sets and other related work.”

The government has recognised the importance of this industry, said Dr Zammit Dimech. It has offered a number of tax incentives to foreign companies and local firms that produce and distribute feature films, TV productions or documentaries in Malta.