Updated 10.55 with PN statement below.

Former film commissioner Oliver Mallia said on Monday it was "insulting" that only €1 million was invested in local productions over the span of a year, while the Mediterrane Film Festival - a one-time annual event - cost almost €4 million.

Mallia raised the issue on social media in a "public letter" to President Myriam Spiteri Debono.

His comments follow an appeal by the president, who, speaking at a Mediterrane Film Festival flagship event on Sunday, urged the Film Commission and Commissioner to respect the principles of accountability and good governance in a bid to foster the public’s trust in their operations.

Mallia commended Spiteri Debono for her comments, saying her message could not have come at a better time.

“You delivered your message at an event that was not included in the budget approved by Parliament for 2024 and which was organised by an entity that, for the past five years, has ignored its legal obligations and systematically failed to report its annual expenditure to parliament,” said Mallia.

In her address on Sunday, the president said the number of local workers employed by the film industry had grown from 300 in 2017 to 1,000.

However, Mallia refuted the claim that there were currently 1,000 full-time workers in the film industry.

In his post on Facebook, Mallia maintained that a national film festival was "necessary". 

Mallia knows first-hand about the impact of film festivals: he organised the Valletta Film Festival for several years.

On Monday he suggested that the €8 million spent on the two editions of the Mediterrane Film Festival could be better spent, including investing in a Centre for Cinema, joining the Council of Europe programme Eurimages, providing more funding to local productions, and creating better film programmes to help boost local film literacy.

PN joins criticism of Film Commission's spending

The Nationalist Party on Tuesday also joined criticism of excessive spending by the Film Commission, saying taxpayer funds were being squandered to benefit the few.

Referring to the Mediterrane Film Festival and the concluding Golden Bee Awards, shadow minister Julie Zahra said that while the film industry was important, the PN was concerned that the Film Commissioner was dictating everything without consulting anyone.  

The government, she said, was not being clear about what returns the country was getting for its spending. What use was it to spend excessively to get foreign guests to announce prize winners, when the actual winners did not turn up?  

Zahra said the PN agreed with President Myriam Spiteri Debono that the film commissioner should respect the principles of accountability and good governance.