Johann Grech “must resign” as film commissioner due to a lack of transparency and accountability, PN Shadow Minister for National Heritage, the Arts, Culture and Film Julie Zahra told The Malta Independent on Sunday.
Grech has been criticised during his tenure as film commissioner. Recently, Grech took part in a 10-minute film alongside British comedian David Walliams, which according to news reports citing industry sources, allegedly cost €500,000. It aired at the Mediterrane Film Festival. The official cost has not yet been disclosed and Grech was reported as saying that the investment related to the festival will be disclosed in the economic report.
Another example of lack of transparency was when the Film Commission, under his leadership, was in the spotlight when it refused to reveal how much it paid Walliams for the Malta Film Awards in 2022, and a court case had to be filed for the information to eventually be made public.
Zahra, in an interview with this newsroom, was asked whether Grech should remain in his role. She said: "Johann Grech must leave due to lack of accountability, lack of transparency, lack of professionalism and lack of good governance. All of that means he must resign, but the problem in this country is that nobody is accountable for their work,” Zahra said.
Asked how she would describe the state of the film sector in Malta, she said that with regards to local productions, people who work within the industry are not content with the way things are going in terms of funding. While she said this applies to the yearly budget for the local film sector, she also said that the Film Fund took long to be issued, "and so Maltese producers were in limbo as to whether they would receive such funding while they had work pending”.
Working in the sector is not a 9 to 5 job, she said. She added that when work does come, it is demanding, and future opportunities depend on available funding. “Unfortunately, it is as though everyone had their hands tied as you would need funding from the authorities, and if one spoke out or condemned the film commissioner, they are placed in a hypothetical black book, so everyone is wary about what they say."
She said people in the sector are afraid to speak up and show their faces, “as ultimately the government controls people in various industries, and if you say something, you've had it”.
"When talking to Maltese producers and those who work in this sector, everyone holds back. But recently, following the unfortunate controversy surrounding the Malta Film Festival and the Golden Bee Awards, we saw a few being more courageous and taking the step forward, starting to talk, and so one can take a snapshot of what is happening."
She welcomed the news that funding from local films had been separated from the Film Commission and now falls under the remit of the Culture Ministry. She mentioned that she had previously urged the government to take this step and noted that "there seems to be some reactions from the government. The problem was that they took long and people were kept in limbo”.
She was asked how she would describe the disparity between funding available for local productions, and funds for foreign productions, taking into account the tax rebate for foreign films.
"It’s very good for foreign films and I have never spoken against the tax rebate as, ultimately, Malta has to compete with other countries, and there are others that have such an initiative."
But there is a problem, she said, adding that Malta is meant to pay for the work that takes place in Malta. "But, for example, if a production is leasing equipment from England, it’s as though we are paying them for it, when they can use that equipment elsewhere. And so because of this I don't think we are seeing a clear picture as to how much Malta is truly getting in return for what it is paying productions coming from Hollywood. Unfortunately, if one looks at the impact assessment of the Mediterrane Film Festival, and also the cash rebate, it’s all estimates. Because of that one cannot base arguments on the numbers being written. I always asked the government to give me the final sums, the balance of what was paid and brought in, and then we can truly be able to discuss."
Did thousands of euros have to be spent?
She mentioned the dinosaur statues brought to Malta, which a minister had stated in response to a Parliamentary Question, cost €36,900.
"Did we need to spend those thousands of euros on them? Ok, you can say that it’s propaganda for the Jurassic World film, but still there is a lot of excessive spending. Now there is the short 10-minute film controversy involving film commissioner Johann Grech. Being the film commissioner and taking part in it doesn't show professionalism. It is very unprofessional. Imagine if the €500,000, if not more, as we never truly know the final sums, were spent on Maltese productions?”
“Maltese productions create quality films with almost nothing. One could say that there are only a few Maltese productions, but there are films like Carmen and Luzzu that competed internationally and their work was appreciated. God knows how hard they worked to reach that point."
She said that not enough funding is being given to local producers. There is a big discrepancy, there is disgruntlement among the Maltese film-makers who are not being appreciated and don't have the same support, she said.
Zahra added that one needs to look at foreign films and the local industry as separate. "We cannot continue seeing them as one and the same. We need to start targeting them in different ways."
Zahra also said that stakeholders must play an integral part in decision-making.
The president of the Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association, Maria Galea, had told MaltaToday that while the Film Commission’s role to import foreign productions is crucial, how it treats domestic and foreign producers is far from equal. Asked how big of a problem this is and how it can be solved, Zahra reiterated that the foreign and local film sectors need to be seen as separate, and that discussion is crucial.
“It is good to attract work to Malta, but you also need to export your product. A journalist was interviewing the commissioner and he didn't even remember one Maltese production. Come on, you're supposed to know them on the tips of your fingers. In the Golden Bee Awards there were no Maltese productions." She also mentioned the €14,000-sponsored Forbes article by the Malta Film Commission featuring a photo of the film commissioner. "His face was there, not Malta’s. Productions keep coming to the country as obviously there is the cash rebate, but the way that it is being approached feels like we we are giving them a present. We don't want that, we want it to regenerate within the Maltese economy."
She spoke of the need not only to speak about film and television, but to open new horizons and start talking about creative businesses. "There are other sectors and industries regarding the arts that we need to incentivise in order for them to keep growing. So far the Labour government is not seeing that. The problem stems from lack of consultation."
The Arts and Culture hub
During the interview the Arts and Culture hub in Marsa was brought up. "It has been coming for years. At first it was going to be a Carnival village and now they are throwing everything into one space, which will not solve the shortcomings and gaps in the arts and culture sector. When the news broke that some 30 people lost their garage rehearsal spaces one can already see that the number of rehearsal spaces being created won't be enough, or perhaps we don't have enough information as to how they will work." Zahra mentioned that when she was abroad and needed a rehearsal space, she could simply go online and book a space by the hour, which was available 24/7. "There are many gaps which need to be addressed."
Last May a story had broken that a Birkirkara garage complex, that had been used for decades as a rehearsal space by musicians, was being sold off.
Asked whether there is enough funding for the arts, she said that there is funding available through the Arts Council. "But you need to know about them."
"I would still say that there need to be more incentives."
Asked how hard it is for artists and musicians to make a full-time living working in Malta, given the country's small size, she said "you need to work really hard. Aside from incentives its about how you can market yourself. It is good to be creative and to go out of your comfort zone, but you also need to learn how to market your product. Unfortunately in Malta things are also politicised, leading to one person being chosen over another. It was always an issue, but it shouldn't be that way. An artist should be seen as an artist, not as blue or red. We need to raise Maltese artists up."
"Aside from incentives, if we want to raise children with a more open and holistic mentality we need to ensure that there is also a focus on the arts."
She said that currently, the message being sent is that if a school needs a classroom, the first to go will be the drama room or music room. "So what messages are we sending to children? There are many more opportunities than when I was growing up, which is good and there was progress, but we need to work on the mentality, and you need to start from education."
Band clubs are part of our identity
The government has been purchasing band club properties. Asked for her thoughts, she said that safeguarding band clubs is good, "after all they are part of our cultural heritage. There is a tendency to view band clubs as being a place for people to drink but this isn't so. Band clubs offer a lot. For example many people don't realize that you can go to a band club and learn to play an instrument for free”.
"There are also band clubs where the feast is still at the centre of the community. I see nothing wrong with the government buying their properties," she said, but added that band clubs who own their own premises should also be given incentives. "They worked for the band club to be theirs, and not face questions as to whether the owner would want to take the property back, something you wouldn't blame the owner for either."
"Band clubs are part of our identity and we need to take care of them. Our legislation pertaining to property law is what it is and therefore owners sought compensation."