What the film industry needs to prosper

The Malta Film Commission finds it cannot continue to maintain the continuity of film productions it experienced over the last year without the introduction of incentives, infrastructure and the creation of a crew base.

Once the craze for swords-and-sandals epics was over, Malta's major asset - its prime locations - would not be sufficient to keep the industry going, the commission said, stressing the importance of introducing planned tax rebates.

If futuristic movies became the popular film genre, what would Malta have to offer to production companies, without, for example, a sound stage, trained crew and equipment?

The parliamentary secretary in the Economic Services Ministry, George Hyzler, who is responsible for the film industry, said that Malta could not rely only on its natural assets and its heritage - which was ideal for period films - if it "seriously wanted to create a proper film industry".

To test Malta's true potential as a film location, both the government and the private sector needed to invest in the industry.

Whereas services provided by the private sector have increased and improved, no advantage has been taken of the Business Promotion Act, under which the government offers an 18-year tax break on investment in the film industry.

Meanwhile, other countries were moving on: Prague has masses of sound stage space, while Morocco and Australia have built studio complexes, the latter to meet the demand created by the recent introduction of a tax rebate for foreign film productions.

Even Luxembourg and Iceland offer subsidies and grants, apart from incentives.

"Malta does not need to reinvent the wheel, but just draw on the experience of other countries," Dr Hyzler said.

It has reached a stage where it has no choice but to introduce incentives to stand up to the competition from Eastern Europe and North Africa, where labour is substantially cheaper and land abundant.

Productions may be drawn to Malta and are satisfied with their experiences here. But at the end of the day, most comment that if a tax rebate were offered, the country could be the stage for a number of TV series every year, as opposed to two as at present.

The MFC, now headed by Oliver Mallia, is currently reviewing its structure and will be drawing up a film policy for Malta.

"Since it was set up in 1999, procedures have been established for film-makers, facilitating the use of services offered by government departments, such as obtaining work permits in a week, employing 2,500 extras at one go, or getting VAT refunds in the shortest possible time.

"The idea is to provide guidelines for producers on what they need to do and to ensure that the system does not fail if the director of a particular government department changes.

"The industry banks on speed and the idea is to limit bureaucracy," Mr Mallia said.

The MFC intends to increase investment in the promotion of Malta as a film location, and highlighted that media reports that Malta is "too expensive" only shed a bad light on it.

The MFC insisted that, in reality, it was the other way round: Fort Ricasoli was practically "given for free" to the producers of Helen of Troy and Julius Caesar - shot over the last year.

Through agreements with the Lands Department, the site was rented to both productions for "next to nothing", and other public locations were offered at nominal rates, Mr Mallia said.

However, private companies often charge high costs and sometimes "those who grumbled that film productions were not attracted to Malta because it was too expensive were often the same people who made a quick return, ripping off films".

Over the past two years, the MFC has encountered situations where the private sector and NGOs have charged excessive fees. Local councils have also taken to the idea and have, on occasion, attempted to charge a fee, which by law they are not supposed to.

While the commission encourages film companies to donate money to local councils, mayors have no right to demand remuneration and expect substantial donations, scaring off producers and setting a precedent.

Having said that, efficient procedures and good relations have been developed with government departments, authorities and local councils over the years.

The MFC denied media reports that the Ridley Scott historical drama Tripoli, starring Russell Crowe, was not being shot in Malta due to excessive fees.

Fox Film Entertainment had said that major scenes, which, coincidentally, were those intended to be shot in Malta, were written out of the script for the studio's own budget reasons.

Shooting of Tripoli has anyway been put off and is not intended to start before 2004. It is likely that parts of the movie would still be shot in Malta.

"Malta may be more expensive than North Africa, but it is cheaper than the rest of Western Europe," MFC co-ordinator Luisa Bonello said.

Discussions with the Employment and Training Corporation and other entities on the possibility of introducing and organising film courses are also under way, she said. The idea is to encourage more locals to work in the industry and create a crew base, which is lacking in Malta and which countries like Morocco could offer.

Other projects are under way, such as the German production, The Gladiator Hero, an RTL TV movie, being shot over a month at Fort Ricasoli, Vittoriosa, Mediterranean Film Studios and Fort St Angelo. The low-budget production involves the construction of two sets, as well as using the existing one at Fort Ricasoli.

Four UK documentaries and an Italian film are also being shot in Malta in November, while the British production, Poor Things, starring Helena Bonham Carter, is scheduled for next year.

The commission is hosting the second MEDEA conference in November during which Maltese observers may take part and benefit from technical assistance and advice from experts. The subject - script development for documentaries - is particularly relevant to Malta.

The conference is being organised by the government, together with the EU Commission under the Euro-med programme.