Thefilm industry ofMalta consists primarily oflocation shooting for larger foreign productions. The Maltese landscape has portrayed several different regions of the world, and the Maltese government provides incentives for foreign productions to operate in Malta. The prevalence of location shooting in the country has created a largefilm tourism industry. Malta has also had a limited number of local productions of Maltese films.
As amicrostate, few local productions have taken place in Malta.Gaġġa was the first film to be produced from an entirelyMaltese script, produced as a student film in 1971 and released in 2007 due to its cultural significance.[citation needed] In 2014,Simshar became the feature length Maltese film distributed to an international audience.[1]Simshar was selected to represent Maltese cinema in theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Film.[2] Since then, other internationally distributed feature films, such asThe Boat, have been produced in Malta.[1]Carmen, a Canadian/Maltese co-production, won the award for best feature film in the 2022Canadian Film Festival.[3]
The Maltese landscape and government incentives for foreign productions have both been credited for the development of the Maltese film industry. Malta first began hosting and servicing foreign productions as early as the 1920s.[4] Malta Film Studios was established in 1964 to facilitate water-based film projects by using a largewater tank adjacent to the horizon, and the studio eventually came to be operated by the Maltese government. A second tank was made for the 1980 filmRaise the Titanic. In 1999, theMalta Film Commission was established to support the Maltese film servicing industry. Malta began offering cash rebates for local expenditures to film crews in the country in 2005.[5] Several high-profile productions have filmed in Malta, includingGladiator,Munich,Assassin's Creed, andMurder on the Orient Express.[6] Malta is also home to theKinemastik film festival.[4]
The variety of landscapes in Malta allows it to serve as an alternative production location for several different countries.Valletta, the capital of Malta, has been used to portray Israel inWorld War Z, Turkey inMidnight Express, and Peru inKon-Tiki, among other locations.Maltese architecture has also allowed productions to use the country for projects set in Rome, such asMunich andGladiator, or projects set in the 18th and 19th centuries, such asThe Count of Monte Cristo. Malta is a common filming location forepics, such asTroy,Agora, andGame of Thrones.[4]
Malta's prominence as a filming location has resulted in significant film tourism. As tourism makes up a significant component ofMalta's economy, this has brought significant economic benefits for the country. Following the production ofPopeye, the village constructed for the film was converted into thePopeye Village amusement park. Other popular film tourist destinations in Malta include several forts and beaches were major productions were filmed, as well as the facilities of the Mediterranean Film Studios.[4]
