The film year started with a controversial bang as Malta’s first Film Awards hogged the spotlight.

Organised by the Film Commission, the awards were under scrutiny due to its undisclosed budget that was rumoured to go well beyond the planned amount.

While the initial figure for the night was set at €400,000, reports in the media had said that British comedian David Walliams alone had netted €200,000 for his participation in the event, leading many in and out of the industry to speculate on its remaining €200,000 cap.

Malta’s first Film Awards led the controversy in January. Photo: Facebook

Several local producers boycotted the event in protest of the ceremony’s costs, contrasting the government’s lavish spending on the event to the €600,000 in annual aid offered to local film productions. 

Boycotters included the film-makers behind Luzzu, Malta’s then-Oscar submission, and other producers behind Simshar, Limestone Cowboy and Is-Sriep Reġgħu Saru Velenużi.

The event also drew flak for its attention to foreign productions and nationals. Notable awards were given to those not from the local industry which, coupled with a Brit hosting what was self-proclaimed as “a celebration of those working in the film and television industry throughout Malta’s history of film-making”, created a hefty amount of pushback.

At the awards, Joe Azzopardi said that “the hardest part” of making a film is “funding”, as he accepted The Boat’s award as Best Picture, which he starred in and co-wrote.

“As beautiful as investing in these awards are tonight, I think investing in our indigenous films are more important,” he said, followed by applause from the audience at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, in Valletta. 

“Selling hotel rooms does not sit well with the need to support creative minds,” Mario Philip Azzopardi wrote in an opinion piece, calling for the local film industry to be put under the arts ministry’s jurisdiction.

The Film Awards were the finale of the Malta Film Week, a five-day event that featured events with both local and foreign talent.

John Powell, composer of How to Train Your Dragon and The Bourne Identity, gave a masterclass on composing for film while local film-makers and servicers such as Abigail Mallia and Winston Azzopardi held panel discussions on Malta’s cultural eco-system amongst others.

A still of Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon in Ridley Scott’s upcoming historical epic. Photo: Apple Original Films

The film scene

Malta has historically seen international productions come to the island – Munich, Troy, Game of Thrones. However, most use the island for its setting but not its name.

Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World Dominion went against the grain as it transformed Valletta into an action-packed dinosaur set piece as velociraptors chased Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) through the capital’s streets.

Ridley Scott came to the island in April to film parts of his upcoming historical epic Napoleon, the British director returning to the place that delivered a Best Picture win for his 2000 film Gladiator.

“It was incredible,” said Azzopardi who worked as a production manager on the shoot.

“Working on a Ridley Scott set is so different, it is the peak of the global film industry.”

What makes Scott so special to work with is his open efficiency, he explained, “as the acclaimed director brings the best out of the cast and crew by being ahead of the game on the filming floor, finishing his days early thanks to his shooting efficiency”.

Scott’s executive producer Aidan Elliot made it clear why it was “a no-brainer” for them to choose Malta for the shoot: the lucrative cash-back scheme.

“It just absolutely cemented our decision to go there because not only did we have this great location and backdrop but we also had this incredibly, incredibly generous cash rebate,” Elliot told Deadline in October.

“I would go almost as far to say it’s probably the most generous cash rebate in the world  and I don’t say that lightly.” 

Since then, industry sources have rumoured that Scott’s upcoming sequel to the Roman action/adventure will be shot in Malta in 2023 which, if true, will land Scott a bigger paycheque from the government as more of it will be filmed locally.

Malta’s Academy Award submission missed out on a nomination… Natasha McElhone in Carmen. Photo: Falkun Films

Local movies

While 2022 saw strides forward in the local industry as a variety of features were released, including Malta’s first operatic drama (Blat: The Island Fortress) and a Californian road trip (Brothers from Malta), film-makers do not seem to share Elliot’s enthusiasm.

“A local film industry doesn’t exist,” director of Uwijja, Keith Albert Tedesco said.

“Uwijja was my way of proving to foreigners that I’m worth banking on.”

Last year saw Malta’s first consecutive submission for the Oscars following 2021’s Luzzu bid.

A quaint feel-good reverie on Malta’s community-based aura, Carmen did not make the shortlist of nominees – an achievement the country has yet to bag.

While Falkun Films producers Anika Psaila Savona and Pierre Ellul did run into eligibility problems (nominees must have most of their dialogue not in English, Carmen toeing the line), the issue of financial backing was brought up as they emphasised how “it is extremely expensive to run an Oscar campaign”.

“The country needs to come behind the film to campaign. It is the country’s submission after all. Only then can it be brought to the attention of the academy’s members.”

“Here in Malta, we are a long way away from having a vision for Maltese film.”

Uwijja: a visually compelling tale made on a micro-budget. Photo: Keith Albert Tedesco

Lack of funding

The country’s film-funding ethos is a persistent issue that film-makers of all levels have outspokenly criticised.

“It is incredibly difficult making low-budget Maltese films,” Tedesco said.

While the first issue is the initial funding, Tedesco explained that what comes after the film is a bigger problem for Malta as “distributing a film is more difficult than making one”.

“I’ve been turned away by big name distributors because the film is in Maltese, has no international leading star and is obviously a low budget film,” he said.

“We are already heavily restricted due to the limited funds available to us,” Ellul said in response to their Oscar absence.

“Everybody wants their own little fiefdom when there needs to be collaboration across the board. We don’t even have the public broadcaster behind our films. Having a licence from the broadcaster would be a win-win for everyone.”

The Falkun couple have seen the other side of the coin with their other film released this year, War Sailor, which was submitted to the Academy Awards as Norway’s submission as it was co-produced between the two countries.

“It was unprecedented that we had two films in the running,” Psaila Savona said. “Our other film War Sailor, Norway’s submission, was able to campaign primarily because of the strong support it had from the Norwegian Film Institute. Without a campaign, it is a non-starter for a Maltese film, or any film.”

Co-productions may be the way forward for film funds, producer Malcolm Scerri-Ferrante told Times of Malta.

“The limited funds available are already posing as a lottery-like scheme that can be frustrating for local film-makers,” he said, “but not having a fixed date each year to apply for the funding adds massively to their frustrations.

“Malta should also be realistic about its limited experience and resources when trying to tell stories cinematically to the world, so a film fund should favour international co-productions where Maltese join forces with reputable film-makers abroad.”

In December, the Malta Film Commission launched a new film fund, titled Creative Malta, which aims to help local film-makers by making it easier to apply for funds.

A total of €600,000 – the same amount as the previous local film fund, ScreenMalta – are available on an open-call basis.

The scheme came after local film-makers called out the Malta Film Commission for failing to launch this year’s annual €600,000 government film fund, leaving many creatives unable to work while projects piled up.

Malta’s 2022 cinematic experience in five films

Carmen: Where many films have captured Malta visually, few have portrayed the soul of the Maltese isles as well as Carmen, the easy-going flick hiding an intense plot amidst the whimsical and cultural reverie. 

Merjen: A mini-series turned film, Merjen rides the oxymoronic line between flawed and fantastic, ambitiously taking leaps of faith that may initially seem alienating but quickly prove to be risks worth taking.

Uwijja: Keith Albert Tedesco’s drama is funny and well-cast but still suffers from mistakes at every corner, trading a coherent film for a long-winded educational memo.

Machination: A germophobe trapped in a pandemic, Machination attempts to tell a story of anxiety and fear but, after a litany of directionless technical issues, ends up being more hollow than haunted.

The Way Back: An exciting premise, colourful shots and an all-local cast, The Way Back boasts of glory but stumbles on the very first hurdle, the misguided and messy Maltese mini-series needing a lot more time in the oven.