Since Steven Spielberg's Munich, Malta's movie industry has not shown any signs of slowing down, with parts of The Da Vinci Code and the German TV production Pamir, among other productions, being shot on the island.
The Da Vinci Code, directed by Ron Howard (Cinderalla Man; A Beautiful Mind), starring two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks (Saving Private Ryan) and based on Dan Brown's best-selling novel, was filmed in Malta for two days at the beginning of the month, following six weeks of prep on the island.
The production's total expenditure here is calculated to have reached Lm300,000, the Malta Film Commission said.
Malta was used for flashback scenes and for a scene set in Spain. Locations included areas in Vittoriosa, Marsaxlokk and Siggiewi, the commission added.
A 130-strong foreign crew was brought over for four days, apart from the local crew employed with the production, the MFC said, adding that most of the first unit crew members were here for the shoot, including the renowned director himself. Out of the principal cast, however, only Paul Bettany (Wimbledon; Master and Commander) was involved in the scenes shot in Malta.
The contemporary thriller takes place over one day in Paris and London and principal photography began in Paris at the end of June for a few weeks, before moving to the UK until November, the commission said.
Pamir, the full working title of which is Der Untergang Die Pamir, meaning The Sinking of Pamir - a rare type of four-masted sailing boat, or tall ship, which sank in 1957 - was filmed at the Rinella water tanks last month.
According to Malta production supervisor Simon Sansone, Pamir had a budget of about Lm700,000 for the Malta shoot, which lasted a month and a week.
It was also filmed in Germany and Tenerife on Pamir's sister ship, built at the same time as the ill-fated vessel.
The film, a two-part event programme of 90 minutes each, is based on the true story of the sailing boat, which had a dual role as a military cadet training vessel and a merchant ship, Mr Sansone explained.
Pamir sank on its way back from Buenos Aires, where it was picking up grain. For some reason, it had to leave port quickly and, due to the captain's inexperience, the cargo was not stowed properly, causing an imbalance. As a result, and due also to the weather conditions - Pamir hit a surprise hurricane - the vessel sank. Of the 86-strong crew, only six survived.
It is the hurricane scenes that were shot in Malta, chosen because of the tanks at the Mediterranean Film Studios. The production designer on U-571, Goetz Weidner, knew of the tanks and came back to use them again, Mr Sansone said.
Local film crew totalled 20, including about 10 semi-stunt talent. A considerable construction crew of about 40 from MFS, and others from Cassar Ship Repair, were also involved, he added.
MFS construction workers were responsible for building a large model of Pamir, over 20 metres long, as well as other props, including a fake shark and the keel section of the boat.
Cassar Ship Repair built a life-size 70-metre deck, made of steel and weighing 110 tonnes.
All the special effects, including the capsizing of the deck section, were carried out by MFS.
"That was one impressive feat... quite a mission... and an achievement," Mr Sansone maintained.
He quoted director Kaspar Heidelbach as saying that Malta had a lot of filming potential, adding it was possible he would work on another production here.
"The incentives have once again encouraged and greatly helped the production. They helped to secure the duration of the shooting.
Thanks to the incentives, the production could be successfully completed without having to reduce local expenditure. They are also helpful as a source of encouragement to bring production companies back," Mr Sansone said, speaking from experience.
Pamir and The Da Vinci Code are among the productions shot in Malta in 2005 that are benefiting from financial incentives made available by the government.
The Da Vinci Code has qualified for a 17 per cent rebate on its local eligible expenditure and Pamir qualified for a rebate of 15 per cent, the commission said.
With regard to future projects, the commission said it is following up on "interest" shown by European and US production companies, "though it is too early to speak of individual projects as none of them have not yet concluded their production budgets and programmes".
It has been said that director Guy Ritchie, who had filmed Swept Away with his wife Madonna in Malta in 2001, wanted to return to the island to fulfill his dream Great Siege project.
The commission said it was looking into the possibilities of the project, "but we do not know that anything concrete has happened yet".
With regard to a Francis Ford Coppola film that includes Malta in its storyline, the commission said the island had been considered as a location for a low-budget movie he is directing, but the production decided to shoot in an eastern Europe location.