The President has urged the Film Commission and the Film Commissioner to respect the principles of accountability and good governance in order to foster the public’s trust in their operations.

Myriam Spiteri Debono made the appeal on Sunday during the second Mediterrane Film Festival. The first edition was dogged by claims of lavish spending and a lack of transparency over how taxpayer’s money was used.

There was also harsh criticism in 2022 over spending on the Malta Film Awards where British comedian David Walliams was paid €120,000 to host the event. That figure only became known after a freedom of information request.

"To foster the public’s trust in its operations, the commission and the commissioner have to keep in mind and respect the principles of accountability and good governance," the president said.

"Accountability and good governance, not least transparency, have to inspire decision-making. These principles should be at the basis of all operations, year in year out."

Spiteri Debono observed that according to the Budget, Malta would be spending €39.8 million on the film industry this year. A total of €3m will be used for the upgrading of film facilities, and €35m for incentives.

"I emphasise that this is the people’s money. Accountability and transparency cannot be underestimated. These values, together with the diffusion of information, are the basis for fostering and nurturing the people’s trust in the film industry," she said.  

Earlier, the President briefly went over the history of the film industry in Malta and said everyone agreed that the development of a stable and sustainable film sector was beneficial for the country.

But several challenges needed to be overcome, one of the most essential was sustained promotion. 

The sector needed to overcome the perception that filmmaking did not provide a year-long occupation. Promotion of the industry was also of primary importance if the film industry was to develop into one of the pillars of the Maltese economy.  

A moment in Sunday's Mediterrane Film Festival at Manoel Island. DOI

The Mediterrane Film Festival, now in its second year, was therefore a business development tool. 

The President noted that whereas in 2017 around 300 local workers used to work in the film industry sporadically, that number had since gone up to 1,000, most of them working throughout the year, from one production to the next.

"This is laudable, but one must always keep in mind that the film industry must necessarily operate within a framework which fosters the public’s trust in the industry," the president said.