Film producers are claiming that Tourism Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli, who is responsible for the sector, is refusing to meet them or answer their emails.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Malta Producers’ Association (MPA) said it has been unsuccessfully calling for meeting over the past months to discuss pressing matters relating to the state of the film sector in Malta.

It said it has called upon the Prime Minister to intervene but the emails sent the Prime Minister also remained unanswered and unacknowledged. 

The MPA said it failed to understand the reason “behind such discriminatory and unacceptable treatment” and encouraged the minister to fulfil her role an, answer the emails sent and hold a meeting with the association.

Urgent attention was required to matters such as COVID-19, discrimination towards film companies by the Film Commissioner and the recently completed yet still undisclosed operational review on his operations, it said.

The MPA has submitted a complaint about the commissioner to the Ombudsman and has also taken the matter to court.

It said on Wednesday that the continued unexplained delay for the launch of this year’s Film Fund and delays in incentive time-frames were also matters of urgent concern that would have repercussions for our industry if delayed further, the MPA said.

It said that while it was positive to note that productions were slowly finding their way back to Malta, it could not accept this fact as the solution to the problems its members were facing.