Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of addressing a conference as part of the Mediterrane Film Festival. The setting was the majestic Fort Ricasoli, the location for some of Hollywood's greatest blockbusters, including Gladiator. 

It was an occasion to look back, reflect and look forward and inspire. 

I spoke about the need to nurture the thriving film-servicing industry and ensure a better trained workforce - for hundreds of Maltese and Gozitans are making their livelihoods from this all-important economic sector. 

A dream

For people of my generation, going to the movies was very often the highlight of the week. We used to marvel at the films, and the actors. The big names. The Hollywood stars - the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone and the impressive film sets. But we could only sit back, and watch. 

Hollywood was a distant reality and the film industry a footnote of our economic sectors.

A reality

For today's generations, Hollywood is no longer a distant reality. When my daughter's generation go to the cinema, or watch a newly released blockbuster on Netflix, or on Apple or Amazon, they see our unique Grand Harbour; our Capital City Valletta; Mdina and the Three Cities of Cottonera.  

And if people, my generation, could only dream of a career in the film servicing industry growing up, for today's generation it is no longer a dream but a reality.

A remarkable success

It has been 100 years of the film servicing industry in Malta, but it flourished significantly under successive Labour administrations. 

And what a journey it has been. We have had to overcome serious obstacles along the way, tough competition from neighbouring countries; people who doubted the Labour Government's vision in the sector; and to top it all an unprecedented pandemic that wreaked havoc to the global economy. 

But we bounced back - as we always do, for resilience is in our bones. 

A robust economic sector

I am that kind of politician who believes that each successive administration - be it Labour or Nationalist tries its best to bring our country forward in the various sectors, including the film-servicing industry. 

It was, after all, under a Nationalist administration that the Block-buster Gladiator was filmed in Malta and merit should go where merit is due.  

But it is also correct to say that while at the time the film-servicing industry was, at best, beset by seasonality and a dire lack of drive to be the best, today the film-servicing industry has reached a peak which only few thought was possible.  

And the good news is that the best is yet to come. 

While pre-2013, the plan was to turn the highly sought after film tanks into fish farms! (Mediterranean Film Studios submitted a development application to Mepa in 2010 to turn its Rinella tanks into a fish farm), post 2013 under the successive Film Commissioners we saw the Film-servicing industry go from strength to strength. 

For instance, since 2018 Malta has welcomed no less than 169 film productions, including Hollywood blockbusters, with a collective budget exceeding €635 million. 

In just five years, our investment in the film industry generated one billion euros in the national economic chain. In 2023 alone, 18% of Malta's economic growth came directly from the film industry. Never did we have a strong and durable film industry as we do today.

Creating jobs

From a situation where we were being told that crew members had no work, and that their jobs were at risk, Film Commssioner Johann Grech reports that the same people tell him they are full of work and that the problem is now to make sure that there are enough professionals and workers to service the demand. 

Johann is fully focused on strengthening the sustainability of the Film-servicing industry while making sure it keeps growing. 

And he is delivering results.  

World class

Our journey was no walk in the park. We had to punch above our weight. But we were resilient; innovative; professional and offered strong incentives that enabled us to win despite the intense competition.  

We told the global film industry: Malta is open for business. They heard our call. They came; they saw; they found us to be authentic; they liked what they saw - and they did business with us.

The best is yet to come

But we are not finished yet. The best is yet to come. Our focus now is to excel further. To dream bigger and achieve further. We shall invest further in the infrastructure that is so crucial for the film servicing industry. 

And we want also to invest our energy and talents with the same force to strengthen the content-creation part of the wider film industry scenario. I had opportunity to write about what we did in Strasbourg a few weeks ago to celebrate the Maltese film and Maltese film-makers and about the increased and bolstered fund (up to €2 million for the first time in our history) to assist our local film and TV production creatives. These are only two examples and we will do more as I will have opportunity to write about in the future articles in this same newspaper.  

A sustainable industry

Back to the film-servicing industry. 

There was a time when Malta's economy depended largely on the tourism sector. Tourism, of course, remains one of the key driving forces behind Malta's economic success. But today, tourism, as does the financial services industry, the gaming, the banking and insurance sectors, share the playing field with the film servicing industry.

This is truly a remarkable achievement as in the last years we managed to create this beautiful reality that has flourished in an extraordinary way. 

A holistic approach

The success of the Film servicing Industry depends on various factors, mainly strategic investment towards film infrastructure, competitive financial incentives, education and training and upskilling our crews. 

From finance to enterprise, from tax policy to international consultancy, we are uniting sectors and dismantling silos. 

Building a world-class film servicing ecosystem does not just benefit our stakeholders -it drives cross-sector value: for hospitality, tourism, digital innovation, education, and more.

And if we have to take it to a wider context having a healthy film industry in the wider sense, means having a stronger and more creative Malta. 

Education is key

I cannot emphasise enough how much education is key in all this. 

We are grateful to our partners in education-from MCAST and the University of Malta to international organisations -for helping us shape a new generation of Maltese screen professionals.

Together, we are building a talent pipeline that is skilled, inclusive, and future proof.

For all

Malta's film-servicing industry must work for everyone. That means greater inclusion of women and underrepresented groups, career re-entry support, and expanding access to rural and Gozitan communities.

A bright future

A brighter future is around the bend for Malta's film servicing industry and the film industry in its wider sense, including our content creators. 

Our journey is not finished; we're going to deliver a stronger film industry for generations to come. 

Let's keep on building on our strengths. Let us be bold. Let us be visionary. Let us ensure that Malta's film future is not only built on creativity, but on fairness, on inclusion, and on lasting impact.