Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo has told Film Commissioner Johann Grech that he should not have featured in a 10-minute short film that premiered last week during the Mediterrane Film Festival.

“I have approached Johann Grech and told him in no uncertain terms that his featuring in the short film was uncalled for,” the minister said on Saturday.

Speaking to Andrew Azzopardi on RTK103 on Saturday morning, Bartolo said the video was meant to showcase the potential of a film series about the Knights of St John.

But “such roles should be played by professional actors," he said. “I have spoken to him, and he assured me this will not happen again.” 

The minister was answering questions one day after Times of Malta revealed that Grech had an acting part in the short film, which industry sources said cost at least €500,000 to produce.

Bartolo praised Grech for his "important" work at the helm of the Malta Film Commission, and declined to comment on the total cost of the short film.

“We should not lose sight of the bigger picture," he said, arguing that the film was intended to promote Malta in the long-term, not just to be aired at the film festival.

The film is not yet publicly available. 

When pressed on its costs, Bartolo said a report on the festivals' expenditure, including the film, will published "in the short-term."