The €120,000 fee to British actor David Walliams to host the Malta Film Awards in 2022 was part of an international marketing move, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said Wednesday.

The tourism minister was asked to justify the astronomical fee for one night, to which he responded that the marketing efforts had already brought good results for the industry.

“The Maltese film industry needs to market itself not only locally but also internationally. David Walliams was part of a wide marketing package,” Bartolo said. 

The fee was disclosed by the Daphne Foundation on Monday after a two-year battle which saw the Malta Film Commission refusing to reveal what the actor had been paid, going as far as taking legal action.

The Malta Film Awards' budget in 2022 was €400,000, but Bartolo had stated that the Malta Film Week had cost some €1.3 million.

The tourism minister was also asked why a court order was necessary for the publication of Walliams’ pay package, to which he referred to confidentiality clauses in Walliams’ contract.

“You have to appreciate that contract negotiations are not one-sided, but to arrive at an agreement, you need both sides to discuss. Practically every contract has a confidentiality clause, and I believe they should be respected,” he said.

“On the other hand, I believe we should respect the court’s judgement,” he said. 

Bartolo said he has “full confidence” in Malta Film Commissioner Johann Grech, who has achieved results that “speak for themselves”.

“Let’s not forget that we inherited an industry that was not even good as a part-time job, and now we have an industry that employs thousands of people full-time”.