Malta is set to continue to attract big names from the film industry with world renowned actors expected to come to Malta later on this year and in 2013 as more blockbuster movies are being attracted to the island. This was confirmed by Peter Busuttil who heads the Malta Film Commission. Keith Micallef writes

Photographs: Jonathan Borg

Mr Busuttil did not confirm nor deny rumours that American actor Tom Cruise could be among those coming to Malta in the near future. In this regard he remarked that this possibility exists as Malta is being considered as one of the locations for his next film. The film commissioner confirmed that they have contacted the producers to try and lure them here, but no definite reply was given except for saying that they “will keep Malta in mind”.

A quick search on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) which is an online database related to films and television programs, with over 100 million users each month, yields some interesting results regarding those films featuring scenes shot in Malta.

Tom Cruise is listed as featuring in the film directed by Doug Liman ‘All you need is kill’ scheduled for release in the US next year. The American actor will interpret the role of a soldier fighting in a war with aliens caught in a time loop of his last day in the battle, though he becomes better skilled along the way.

Another film listed is ‘Mary mother of Christ’ which is expected to be released next year in the United States with a budget of $30 million. Reports say that the film will be shot in Malta and in Italy

The filming of ‘Spider’ is also expected to commence from next October. Other films include ‘Katherine of Alexandria’ and ‘Kon-Tiki’ with local actor Manuel Cauchi among the cast. According to the IMDb ‘The amphibian man’ which is being classified as sci-fi is expected to be released in 2014 will also be shot in Malta. However at this stage details are still rather sketchy.

Recently double Oscar winner Tom Hanks was also in Malta where he starred in the film ‘Captain Phillips’ due to be released next year. During his prolonged stay he made the news for his tweets about the local traffic situation. Mr Busuttil revealed also that an Italian production might be coming to Malta in the coming months, with a budget exceeding €1,000,000.

Another interesting development involves Popeye Village in the limits of Mellieћa which will be available for filming as its copyright expires this year. In fact in the coming months children’s film “Pirate Pete” will be screened in this location at the end of summer.

In recent years, television productions expanded rapidly and are now a major source of income in the film industry. Yesterday the first episode of the series ‘Sinbad’ was premiered on Sky Television in the UK. Buoyed by the high interest which this series has generated so far, the producers have already indicated their readiness to come back to shoot the second series. Recently an Estonian TV station was filming in Malta as well as crews from more renowned stations such as the BBC, ITV and Channel 5. Another production in the pipeline concerns the film industry in Malta and the facilities on offer locally.

According to the film commissioner the foreign film industry is doing quite well as Malta is attracting quite a lot of interest from abroad, with the number of enquiries at the moment being around 60. “The number of films which will actually come to Malta is yet to be seen as the negotiating process is quite complex and can drag on for months while there are a number of variables including the financing and human resources.” Speaking of the budgets he explains that even a modest €3,000,000 movie can achieve success especially in the current economic climate which is challenging to say the least.

“All I can say is that in the past year since I have been appointed as film commissioner we have had two Russian productions, one feature production, one Italian production and we had the continuation of Sinbad which is a British television production” explained the film commissioner. The target of the commission is to have at least one activity related to a foreign film going on each day of the year. The commission has to remain active on a 24 hours basis due to enquiries from different time zones especially from the US and Australia.

Mr Busuttil explains that the commission falls under the Finance Ministry as it seeks to promote economic growth by attracting foreign films to Malta. Another spinoff is cine-tourism, with the commission working in tandem with the Malta Tourism Authority.

According to the film commissioner for the film industry to thrive further, there is an urgent need to invest in infrastructure which up to now is lacking. Though this is not deterring foreign films from coming to Malta, any investment such as in sound stages will be a major breakthrough. He elaborates further saying that the next step is to provide specialised training for those responsible for building the sets such as carpenters and others more actively involved in the production aspect including assistant directors, location and production managers.

On the other hand Malta is an ideal place as it provides various locations in close proximity to each other which offer a wide ranging variety of settings including the Mediterranean, a baroque atmosphere or even an Arabic landscape.

One particular aspect which from time to time is a source of controversy regards the manner in which film extras are treated. In certain cases there have been claims that extras were left long hours without food and drink and with no shelter from the elements. Mr Busuttil distances himself immediately from such claims stating that the commission investigates any such complaints and actually encourages people to come forward when such circumstances arise. On the other hand he points out that extras are being paid for their work which necessitates long hours as the nature of this business dictates. He added that the other side of the coin is that in some cases extras do not turn up for filming, causing last minute trouble for the film director.

Budgets for foreign films vary from €500,000 to €25,000,000 or more, with fiscal incentives available even for minor productions with very modest budgets of €100,000. Up to 25 years ago the film industry was mainly related to the Mediterranean Films studios, but expanded rapidly since the turn of the millennium. The Film Commissioner attributes the recent boom, primarily to the fact that the country is now in a much better position to handle requests from abroad. At the same time, in the last 15 years, Malta’s international profile in the film industry has been raised while tax incentives have also been a catalyst. The creation of the film commission is an example of these efforts.

Meanwhile the Film Commission is also taking initiatives to provide training for those interested in starting a career in this industry. In fact it has already applied for EU funding as part of its drive to improve the level of local expertise in the field, especially human resources. The Commission intends to offer foundation certificates, diplomas for beginners. Mr Busuttil encouraged interested parties to come forward with their ideas, as the commission is eager to see this industry thrive.

Short films could be the starting point of a successful career in this industry.

Mr Busuttil explains that anything from three to five minutes up to 25 minutes is classified as a short film. Generally this is more economically viable as a first approach. However he stresses on the need to promote even these short films abroad. “It would mean very little if a short film is screened only in local cinemas. The next step has to be participation in foreign festivals, where it will get a much bigger exposure and maybe get noticed by a renowned director or production company” said Mr Busuttil. This will then put the local film industry on the map and raise awareness of the indigenous industry. He added that a short film will remain relevant forever, which is something valuable in today’s world where everything is relative. Speaking about long films or movies, he said that it is crucial to sell it to distributors abroad, as limiting yourself to the local market in most cases is not financially sustainable.

Profile - Peter Busuttil was appointed as Film Commissioner in 2011. He has been active in the local theatre scenario since 1981 and in television since 1986. He explains that throughout his career he has always dedicated himself professionally to these forms of expressions, which he never relegated as a mere secondary interest. In his student days in the early eighties he used to visit London on a regular basis, due to his involvement in a number of theatrical productions abroad which proved to be an invaluable experience later on in his career. From 1987 to 1988 he furthered his studies in Italy in the fields of theatre directing and acting. He claims that such skills are not necessarily acquired by tuition but one has to possess intrinsic talents on which to lay the foundation of a future career. Mr Busuttil remarks that unfortunately in Malta, standards are not very high as quite a significant number of individuals pose as directors or actors, with no proper training or qualifications. He adds that for this reason Malta lacks an indigenous film industry, and thus the commission is trying to address this shortcoming. “By promoting the film industry we would also be attracting major productions, documentaries, television series and minor films. In turn this will attract and create more opportunities locally in the film industry” stated the film commissioner. He explains that his vision is to work hand in hand with both the indigenous film industry and the film industry from abroad, as these can complement each other rather than deter each other.

Films and TV productions listed on the IMDb which include scenes filmed in Malta to be released in 2012

Feature Movies

The Amphibian Man (2014)

Mary Mother of Christ (2013)

Captain Phillips (2013)

World War Z (2013)

All you need is kill (2013)

Katherine of Alexandria

Kon-Tiki

The Spider

Asterix and Obelix: God save Brittania

Die Manner der emden

Dickens and Isabella

Gozo

TV Movies

Visions of murder

Kammerspiel

The Bodyguard

The fractured

Tailor-made murder

Souvenier

Sinbad (TV Series)

Gemelle