The controversial short film featuring film commissioner Johann Grech alongside British actor David Walliams was broadcast publicly for the first time on Friday.

The 10-minute film, which opened the lavish Mediterrane Film Festival's final awards gala night in June, became controversial after industry sources estimated it cost at least half a million euros in taxpayer money.

After Times of Malta requested a copy of the clip, the film commission promised to make it public within three months. The entire awards show - including the film - was broadcast on TVM last Friday night.

Here is the short film, which opened the show.

The film begins in Walliams' dressing room, five minutes before he must take the stage to host the Golden Bee awards show. He is still in his silk dressing gown, rehearsing opening lines, when Film Commissioner Johann Grech walks in, all suited up in a tuxedo, reminding him he must get ready as the show starts soon.

But first, he must show him "the legendary golden bee" award, which he takes out of a wooden box and hands to him.

"It's precious," Grech tells Walliams, only for the British actor to drop and break it a few seconds later.

The broken artefact magically opens up a portal into the time of the Knights and Walliams finds himself - still in his silk gown - transported to a room full of hostile knights, among them the grand master.

What follows is a short tale in which Walliams is imprisoned pending execution, escapes and then reclaims the golden bee statuette, killing the grandmaster in the process. 

The film features some familiar faces from Malta's acting scene, such as Ray Calleja, Narcy Calamatta and Manuel Cauchi, Maltese scenery and scenes focused on the symbolism of the Maltese eight-pointed cross. 

130 crew members

The 10-minute production employed around 130 crew members and was led by a foreign director, according to sources.

The film is shot in several locations associated with the knights - including in several bastions and palaces - and a few seconds of it are shot in a staged storm on a ship.

Several actors - all in era costumes - as well as horses also feature throughout the film.

Grech only makes an appearance for a few seconds at the beginning and at the end of the film, but after the film was shown at the awards show, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo told reporters Grech should not have featured in it.

Grech, meanwhile, would not say how much it cost but defended the spend, saying the film was primarily aimed at generating interest among filmmakers about the story of the Knights.

Last week, just days before the film aired on the national broadcaster, big-time actor and director Mel Gibson revealed he is working on a limited television series about the Great Siege of Malta. 

The "Passion of the Christ" director, who was in Malta earlier this month discussing a potential film project, told the publication Movieweb.com that he was working on a project about the "incredible story" of the 1565 Ottoman siege of Malta. 

The actor and director revealed the project after he was asked about his trip to Malta, where he met Prime Minister Robert Abela.

Times of Malta sent questions to the film commission asking for the total cost of the short film and clarification on whether the government is paying Gibson to produce the Great Siege series.