Generous tax rebate lures international productions, but critics say boom aggravates locals and neglects domestic filmmakers<\/p>\n
What does Enid Blyton\u2019s Land of Spells have in common with the Bay of Pentos in \u201cGame of Thrones\u201d? asked The Guardian. Both were portrayed by the same \u201csunny archipelago in the Mediterranean\u201d: Malta.<\/p>\n
The EU\u2019s smallest country, \u201cno bigger in size than Sheffield\u201d, has over the past decade become \u201cone of the most popular places\u201d for American and British filmmakers to work. It has hosted more than 30 film and TV productions in each of the past three years, including \u201cJurassic World Rebirth\u201d and Ridley Scott\u2019s \u201cGladiator II\u201d. The \u201cmicrostate\u201d just south of Sicily has stood in for Greece, southern France and even the Caribbean \u2013 in Guy Ritchie\u2019s upcoming \u201cViva la Madness\u201d.<\/p>\n
Malta is \u201creally punching above its weight\u201d, said Adrian Wootton, the chief executive of the British Film Commission. It\u2019s been \u201cvery aggressive, in a positive way\u201d.<\/p>\n
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Over the last century, the \u201csmall but mighty\u201d republic has become \u201can appealing global destination for major film productions\u201d, said Variety in 2024. After the Hollywood actors strike the previous year, requests to film came in \u201clike crazy\u201d, said co-founder of Valletta Pictures Joshua Cassar Gaspar. \u201cThe strikes didn\u2019t affect us because the independent productions kept going, and many of us in Malta service TV shows, which were also unaffected.\u201d<\/p>\n
Providers were also less \u201cHollywood-dependent\u201d than some European countries, such as the UK, said the news site. And productions benefited from a \u201chefty 40% tax rebate\u201d. It\u2019s probably \u201cthe most generous cash rebate in the world\u201d, the producer of \u201cGladiator II\u201d said on Deadline.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery euro that we invest in the rebate, the industry generates back four,\u201d Malta\u2019s film commissioner Johann Grech said in June. Today, film production is one of Malta\u2019s \u201cmost effective\u201d sources of investment, he said in MaltaToday. According to an independent report published this year, the industry contributed 0.28% of Malta\u2019s gross value added between 2005 and 2017. That reached a record 2.16% in 2023. Since 2018, film production has contributed \u20ac1.2 billion to the GDP.<\/p>\n
And \u201cthe economic effect is felt throughout the country\u201d, driving infrastructure development, boosting hospitality and tourism, and attracting \u201cnumerous high-net-worth individuals\u201d to the island. Film production is \u201cone of Malta\u2019s economic engines\u201d.<\/p>\n
As ever with \u201cgenerous rebates\u201d, there has been \u201csome local pushback\u201d, said Deadline. Malta\u2019s infrastructure is \u201cbeing tested to the limits as its cities, towns and villages regularly turn into film sets\u201d, said The Guardian. Road closures and parking restrictions \u201chave become a bugbear\u201d for locals.<\/p>\n
Critics say Malta\u2019s rise as a filming location has \u201ccome at the cost of neglecting local cinematic talent\u201d. The Malta Film Commission is \u201cfocused on courting international productions\u201d, while domestic production is dependent on the arts council and its much smaller budget. Examples of Maltese films reaching international audiences are \u201cfew and far between\u201d. With local crews in demand from international companies, Maltese directors \u201coften find themselves being outbid by Hollywood\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a bit of a parallel universe,\u201d said Teodor Relji\u0107, a Malta-based screenwriter. \u201cPeople in servicing are thriving, but local filmmakers can\u2019t pay a DOP [director of photography] because they are expecting \u2018Jurassic World\u2019 fees.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is tempting to sit back and believe the local film industry to be \u2018strong\u2019 simply because many foreign productions shoot in Malta,\u201d said producer Malcolm Scerri Ferrante in The Times of Malta. But volume alone \u201cdoes not constitute a robust film industry, and certainly not an indigenous one\u201d.<\/p>\n