Some of Malta’s leading film-makers have criticised the €120,000 paid to David Walliams to host the Malta Film Awards, saying it was “a waste of public funds”.

If the government had that much money to spend on a show presenter, it should have no excuse to increase funding for the local industry, they argue. 

“It’s great to hear the finance minister has that much money to spend on a show host, as that means he should also have enough money to significantly bump up funding for local film productions,” film-maker Abigail Mallia told Times of Malta.

“The problem is it makes no sense to spend €120,000 on a presenter for an event that celebrates film when all of Malta’s films got just €600,000 to share between them that same year.”

Film director Abigail Mallia. Photo: Mark Cassar

The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation revealed on Monday that Walliams, a British comedian and author, was paid a whopping €120,000 to host the Malta Film Awards back in January 2022.

The Malta Film Commission continuously refused to reveal the fee and the issue ended in a two-year legal battle that was decided last month, when a judge ordered the government entity to publish the figure. 

Mallia – the director of major motion picture Limestone Cowboy – asked what the local film industry benefitted from Walliams hosting the show and said it made no sense to organise an awards show when there weren’t even enough local films to begin with.

One of two lucrative gigs? 

Film producer and former film commissioner Oliver Mallia agreed, noting that what was intended to be an annual awards ceremony was only organised once.

This was due to the insufficient number of local films produced each year,  which don’t justify a local annual awards competition, Mallia said. 

Film-maker Oliver Mallia. Photo: Oliver Mallia

Mallia, one of the producers of Luzzu, criticised Walliams’ fee as a waste of public funds, particularly during a calendar year when local filmmakers had no opportunity to apply for public funding to develop or produce films.

“Good luck to Walliams for securing such a sweet deal," he said.

"However, I’ve observed numerous high-profile actors, more renowned than Walliams, receiving significantly less compensation for longer, more strenuous, and demanding roles,” he said.

Mallia also noted that the amount paid to Walliams in 2022 exceeded what productions like Luzzu and Limestone Cowboy received from the Malta Film Fund.

The amount granted per project by the fund, renamed as Creative Malta in 2023, was raised to €380,000 following a public outcry from local producers during and after the Malta Film Awards.

The fund was also moved out of the film commission's control and is now administered by Arts Council Malta, which falls under the Culture Ministry. 

Mallia noted that Walliams was brought back to Malta last year to host another state-funded film festival, the Mediterrane Film Festival.  

“We must also remember that the revealed amount that Walliams received is only for an event in 2022. My assumption is that he didn’t receive a lesser amount for presenting the Mediterrane Film Festival, held for the first time last year,” he said.

Film-maker Malcolm Scerri Ferrante. Photo: Andrew Whiley

The Tourism Ministry has resisted requests to reveal how much that festival cost, though minister Clayton Bartolo has said they will do so "in the coming days" following a court ruling.  

Count of Monte Cristo production manager Malcolm Scerri Ferrante said if the professionally-filmed Malta Film Awards had been broadcast abroad, the fee might have been worth it.

“Sometimes an international star is needed to sell a TV show abroad to a major broadcaster that would in turn, in this case, promote Malta globally and bring even more tourists. If the plan is to air the show on a major TV network, then this fee is not unreasonable.”

It is unclear whether the show - which was held two years ago - was or will ever be broadcast on any major international network.

Questions sent to the Film Commissioner remained unanswered.

Matthew Maggi.

Actor and crew member Matthew Maggi, who is based in Canada, said the film commissioner is only able to run the government institution in this way because he is allowed to.

"There are no repercussions, nor pushback, from the people who are above him, nor from the people who should be benefitting from the funds, that is, film-makers, artists, actors, crew members and film workers," he said.

Meanwhile, in a statement on Tuesday, PN spokespersons for the cost of living and the arts – Ivan Castillo and Julie Zahra – said Walliams’ “exuberant” fee revealed the government has the wrong priorities.

Film Commissioner Johann Grech. Photo: Johann Grech

Instead of using tax money to help workers, students, teachers and the most vulnerable people, the government had no problem paying Walliams’ €120,000 “for two and a half hours of work”.

Walliams was paid more money for every minute than a minimum-wage earner is paid in a month, they said.