What gave Angela the idea of compiling such a reference work in the first place? "It was in 2005 when Pat Flores Martin, a dear colleague of mine, prepared a tour for her fellow tourist guides which she called: 'Movie Moments'. Her tour concentrated on films having locations inside, or at least visible from, Valletta. I started to look for more information on the films that she covered in her tour and soon found out that there were over 100 feature films partly or fully produced in Malta." Angela says that many famous films have been shot in the Maltese Islands and as tourist guides together with her colleagues they often come across film crews. "So," Angela explained "I thought it would be a good idea to have information on the films handy and share it with my clients and fellow guides. At first I did not have the intention of publishing my findings but after talking to some of my colleagues I was encouraged to compile a reference book."

Browsing through the book I discovered that each film entry has a number of subheadings, including 'Storyline,' ' Anecdotes 'and  'Trivia.' Did she gather information systematically or did she first of all input anything she came across into her computer and then organise it all later on as she came to the end of her compilation of information? Angela has her facts on her fingertips:

"I created a separate file for each film to store the wealth of information I found on various internet sites, mainly from Wikipedia and the International movie data base. I also came across many newspaper articles and official websites. I had created the subheadings and how I wanted them organized from an early stage. During the first six years I gathered information and during the period that I was not working as a tourist guide I started to sort out the information onto the layout of each film. The subheadings and achievements were the last parts of information that I added".  Angela explained that about four years ago she started to contact people and asked them to relate stories about the films they had been involved in. "I then separated them into 'Anecdotes' and 'Trivia.' This was, by far, the most  time consuming exercise of all and involved countless hours with people from all walks of life: from directors and producers, people behind the scenes, and also local film extras," she pointed out.

When it came to gathering the anecdotes did she use a tape recorder and then transcribe them to her computer? Yes, she used a digital recorder and transcribed the interviews onto her computer the same day "since I would still remember what was said". Some of the recordings were not always clear because for example, they were done in a noisy coffee shop. "Some interviews lasted over two hours. Some anecdotes were sent to me via facebook or by e-mail," says Angela.

Which, in her view , was the most successful film shot in Malta? "It has to be one of the 'big' ones. Looking at the gross figures it was WWZ with $540 million followed by Troy with $497 million and Gladiator with $457 million. Troy was the film that took longest to film locally with 19 weeks of shooting mostly filmed at Fort Ricasoli and at Golden Bay," says Angela, obviously now an expert on this subject.

Which is her  favourite film? She is naturally hesitant. "This is a difficult question because I have a number of films that I like for particular reasons. If I can just name one it has to be Raise the Titanic shot in 1980. I am a big fan of the author Clive Cussler but it was not until I actually saw the film that I made the connection. I also like U-571 because my husband took part as a German soldier, The Da Vinci Code due to its context and World War Z for its many action scenes. "

I comment that she has also included Maltese Films in her reference book.  In her own words: "Yes, the book covers 'all' feature films in Malta, therefore the 22 local productions are also included to give the Maltese films and film makers the recognition which is due to them".

What were the main locations used in the films?  Angela points out that nearly 50 films have scenes shot in the Mediterranean Film Studios. "The water tanks provide an unlimited horizon and violent storms, thick fog and shipwrecks can be shot in the safety of the tank. Our beautiful capital city Valletta features in 36 films and many locations can be easily spotted in the films," she points out. Others, she says, are a bit more difficult to spot, especially when a lot of 'dressing up' of the location has been done. After Valletta Mdina follows with 17 films. She elaborates: "In some films overhead electrical and telephone wires posed a problem and often large garments were sewn and draped around the wires to disguise them. On one occasion 'cobble stones' were painted on the streets to make them look more authentic."

The book is very well illustrated with some 400 photographs. Sourcing them, compiling them and captioning them must have been a massive job.  Angela tells me that she was very lucky to meet Yvonne Zarb Cousin who has been for many years involved in wardrobe in many films. "She gave me permission to scan and include many of her photographs and there are nearly 70 photos never previously seen publicly that I used from her collection. Many local individuals and companies who were and still are involved in the film industry also gave me their photographs to be included in my book. Where I could not obtain permission to use behind the scene photos (as was usually the case with big companies), I included pictures from the actual locations that were given to me by clients, friends and owners of such pictures. There are also a number of call sheets that were given to me for insertion."

Angela considers herself lucky to have found so many creative friends who helped with the layout, cover design and proof reading and she wishes to thank them publicly for their support. You know who you are.

The book can be bought from most leading books shops and some selected souvenir shops.