The chairman of the Valletta Cultural Agency, Jason Micallef, has slammed the cost of the Mediterrane Film Festival.
Writing on social media, he said that €5 million in public funds could have hosted 20 consecutive New Year's Eve shows in Valletta or two back-to-back Isle of MTV concerts in the Floriana Granaries.
This was a clear jab to the amount spent to fund this year's edition of the recent Mediterrane Film Festival, which cost taxpayers a reported €5 million.
The Prime Minister was asked about his opinion regarding these comments.
Prime Minister Robert Abela rebuked thoughts that the recently held Mediterrane Film Festival was exorbitant in its costs.
Speaking to journalists, the Prime Minister was asked whether or not he agrees with Jason Micallef's opinion that the Mediterrane Film Festival was excessively expensive.
Abela defended the €5 million spent.
"I don't look at the expenditure of the Mediterrane Film Festival, I see what we got back: the country's film sector. We invested in the sector and for every cent invested, we got a lot back," the Prime Minister said.
While responding to this query, Abela commended the VCA CEO, calling him "a huge shoulder of continuous support" and "an extremely loyal person to the Labour Party."
The Prime Minister noted that nowadays, due to the country's economy, the government finds itself in no difficulty to invest in every sector it wishes to invest in.
"We have an economy that generates a lot of wealth, and for every sector we want to invest in, including culture, we never hold back from investing due to a lack of funds," the Prime Minister remarked. "We have never had the difficulty as past Nationalist administrations had, that they didn't have the necessary funds."
The Prime Minister said that he has a great friendship with Micallef and noted that this does not mean that they agree on everything.
PN labels Mediterrane Film Festival as 'VIP celebration funded by the people's taxes'
The Nationalist Party, in a statement, observed that the "astronomical public spending" on the Mediterrane Film Festival is, once again, drawing public condemnation - though said that this time, such criticism is coming from within the Government itself.
In a statement written by its Shadow Minister for Culture, Julie Zahra, the PN said that Film Commissioner Johann Grech "appears to continue to be allowed to do as he pleases and once again this year's film festival, organised by [himself] with the blessing of Owen Bonnici, has turned into a luxurious celebration for VIPs at the public's expense."
The Nationalist Party criticised how this year's Mediterrane Film Festival cost significantly more than last year's edition. The party in Opposition noted that this "unprecedented expenditure" was used to pay for private jet flights to bring in well-known actors like Russell Crowe and David Walliams, as well as business class tickets for foreign journalists, five-star hotel accommodation, and a gala show for an estimated 1,000 guests on Manoel Island.
In its statement, the Nationalist Party referenced Jason Micallef's criticisms, as well as David Walliams' joke that film producers hoping to come to Malta and benefit from millions in taxpayer subsidies "have to sleep with Johann Grech" first.
The PN reminded Johann Grech that the Auditor General last year highlighted "serious transparency shortcomings" in the way the Malta Film Commission organises its events.
It added that he is also yet to disclose what caused the €7 million discrepancy between the 2024 budget allocation and "what was actually spent." The statement also said that Film Commissioner Grech is also yet to explain the short film, in which he featured, that reportedly cost taxpayers half a million euro to make.
The Nationalist Party raised serious concern that PL MPs blocked the Opposition from asking "relevant questions about this reckless expenditure by Johann Grech" within the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee. It labelled this behaviour as one pointing towards "a culture of arrogance, lack of transparency, and absence of accountability."
It concluded by expressing concern that the Malta Film Commission has continued to raise questions surrounding its "governance, accountability, and transparent leadership," despite shifting over from former Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo's remit to Culture Minister Owen Bonnici's.
"The Maltese people deserve responsible and fair leadership. It is unacceptable for public funds to be spent in this manner without any accountability," the PN stated.