Film law seen as model for other legislation

The government should consider enacting legislation for specific industry sectors if the new legislation on the film industry proved to be successful, Parliamentary Secretary Edwin Vassallo said in Parliament yesterday.

He revealed that legislation on businesses licences was being reviewed because of changes in circumstances over the past couple of years. One could be less restrictive in certain areas and adopt faster procedures, while one needed to eliminate loopholes in others, he said.

Mr Vassallo was speaking during the third day of debate on the Film Commission Bill.

He observed that Malta was one of the last countries moving such a Bill.

The Bill was based on Malta's experience and the film industry should not focus on cost-cutting to continue to operate but had to go on the attack, seeking new opportunities by being innovative and creative.

However, this law would be useless if private industry did not use it as a tool to exploit the opportunities that existed. The government was inviting entrepreneurs to invest in new sectors such as the film industry.

At the same time, however, government and parastatal entities should do their bit, by not coming up with excessive bureaucracy. Fees should not be exaggerated.

Referring to opposition complaints about the powers being granted to the Film Commissioner, Mr Vassallo said the commissioner had to be able to make the film producers' life easier.

Mr Vassallo found clauses in the Bill on the persons who may not form part of the commission were too restrictive, barring many experienced people. What was important, he said, was that people nominated to form part of the commission declared any vested interest they may have.

Noel Farrugia (MLP) said a compromise should be found in the sense that such a law was important to cut bureaucracy and promote straightforward business but the government should be more specific in the terms of reference and powers of the Film Commissioner.

It was not enough, for example, to say that the commissioner could take a loan or overdraft up to Lm50,000. There should be conditions and safeguards attached to such a clause. There had to be transparency.

The powers being given to the commissioner were too widespread and although he understood that the minister wanted to be practical, direction was always necessary.

Mr Farrugia, who said he had been a crowd marshall during the filming of Christopher Colombus, said the previous Labour government had wisely utilised film sets, such as Popeye Village, for sustainable development. This was a practice which should have been continued.

Joseph Cassar (PN), who spoke on Tuesday, said that what was important was to have ongoing activity in the film industry, rather than going solely after large-scale productions.

The website of the Portuguese Film Commission, for example, showed how that country went into every conceivable detail that could attract film-makers. This was an example to follow.

Incentives which could attract the film-making industry could include a labour rebate, development loans, marketing assistance and assistance for professional development. It was obvious that all of this, as well as other incentives, entailed the availability of funds.

Possibly, one of the Film Commission's biggest headaches would be the extensive research it would have to do to be innovative and point out Malta's unique qualities for film-making.

Back in 1980, one report had questioned the wisdom of the film commission being the only advisory body on film-making, suggesting others in the heritage and cultural sectors.

Dr Cassar said he would not like Malta's Christian culture to be forgotten in the quest for film-making profits. If Malta went counter to such values, there was the risk of forgetting them altogether once money started rolling into the country.

Labour MP Justyne Caruana said the Maltese felt proud whenever they saw Maltese or Gozitan locations on film. This could lead the people to appreciate sites they might previously have ignored.

As a film location, Malta had a lot to offer, but it should exploit opportunities that came up. The potential had long existed, to the extent that the London Times had described Malta as a "Mediterranean mini-Hollywood".

But the sector had made little progress since and did not regularly generate employment.

Tourism and the film industry had much in common and both sectors would help each other.

Successful films shot in Malta were an advert for the island, such as were the Count of Monte Cristo, Christopher Colombus and Odyssey.

Turning to the provisions of the bill, Ms Caruana said the commissioner would have excessive discretionary powers including the right to borrow and collect payments. It was being said that his remuneration was to be exempt from income tax. Could this be indicative that the commissioner could be a foreigner?

Had the government projected the funding needed for the commissioner and the commission? She said that the commissioner was being given the power to take an overdraft or to borrow money in any other way. The House should be informed of any such lending before it was actually made, not after.

Near the end of her speech Dr Caruana said major film companies periodically sent their representatives to Malta and one of the issues they looked at was film piracy. The situation in Malta was worrying for these people because in spite of all police efforts this abuse was growing. So it was important to intensify the fight against piracy.

Franco Galea (PN) said incentives should be offered to encourage film companies to use places like Fort St Elmo, which was currently dilapidated, for the production of films. Other incentives should be offered for the utilisation of Maltese actors and extras even in production work abroad.

Mr Galea said that although competition was healthy, the government should be careful not to attract too many competitors in the same sector, for any industry.

There should also be a fast-track system to handle such investors' requirements without excessive bureaucracy. Time was essential for these people, he concluded.

Other speakers will be reported tomorrow.