Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1163844
17 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 8 SEPTEMBER 2019 INTERVIEW industry: does that extend to actors? How easy is it to find local actors who can hold their ground on a set with major movie stars? One of things the director said at yesterday's press conference was how surprised he was at the talent he found in Malta… something which, at times, we don't appreciate ourselves. If you only look at the output of local television, you might use that as a measure of the general quality; but I don't think it's an accurate reflection. Because there is also lack of producers and directors. Maybe local actors are not being properly directed. So if actors who are more used to stage-acting go a little over the top with their screen per- formance… there will be no- body to bring them back down to earth. But it doesn't mean they're not good actors… This leaves us with financial resources. You've already explained the artistic reasons why you changed your mind about producing 'Storbju' – but the budgetary limitations still remain. How much is the budget, anyway? The original budget was €250,000: which is nowhere near enough for a production of this nature. That is partly what put me off, at the begin- ning. But then I started bounc- ing the idea off a number of producers abroad; we gave the project to a financier; and even- tually we raised private invest- ment to add to the government funding. It's still a low budget movie; but we're trying to do a proper production all the same. There is, however, a school of thought whereby a low budget is actually an ad- vantage: in the sense that it forces you to think outside the box, and be more creative. Some even argue it makes for a better end-product. Do you believe in that yourself? [Laughing] I need to believe in that! Let's start from there… but yes, I do. Both myself and the director keep challeng- ing each other: 'We can't do this because we don't have the budget… so let's find an- other solution'. And again, we are lucky to have this director, because he is constantly tell- ing me, 'I am here to find solu- tions'. And you have to be crea- tive even in your scheduling. We tried to arrange the shoot- ing schedule around locations that are close to each other… and do all the specific location shooting at one go. So if there are scenes at Verdala Palace… we'll be shooting them all over a period of five days, and then move onto the next location… Being the size it is, all Malta's locations are going to be fairly close. Is this one of the advantages we have to offer in the film industry? Well… we do have advan- tages, and that may be one of them. But there are disadvan- tages, too. My issue with Malta is that we need more pride in what we're doing. For instance: when I tell the people I deal with locally that 'I'm making a film'… for starters, they react as if it's something unimpor- tant; like 'making films' is just a hobby, and not a real job at all. And it hurts, to tell you the truth. But then, they also make comparisons with what they think a film is. Either they don't take you seriously, or – even worse – they assume you're Hollywood… in which case, they expect a lot. I was once charged €1,000 just to shoot a scene in the balcony of a private house for two hours. By what standard do you charge €1,000 for two hours? 'Because it's a film', I was told. And just re- cently, the owner of a location we planned to shoot in decided to triple the price. We had only just agreed on the amount… then he said, 'Ah, but you guys are making a film.' As soon as you mention the word 'film', the price of everything just sky- rockets… Would you say that Malta's experience as a location for overseas productions has reinforced that impression? When Steven Spielberg shot scenes for 'Munich' in Malta, he paid all the businesses in the area to remain shut… Well, Spielberg has the money do that sort of thing. We don't. But yes, there are these expecta- tions, even of local productions. I have to admit, I expected this side of things to be easier. I was hoping that we would all get to- gether and try to do something: because if this model works… it will not work just for me, but for other filmmakers as well. And we need other filmmak- ers. We need to be ambitious. If government really wants to create a local film industry… it needs to focus on local film- makers. Because, in those pe- riods where there are no for- eign productions being made in Malta… who's going to pay the gaffer? The electrician, the set designer, etc? It has to be the local industry to keep those professions going... Yet my impression is that the bulk of the local film industry is geared towards servicing foreign productions… Yes. And we have clearly created a niche for ourselves, as evidenced by major films and TV series choosing Malta over foreign competition. So… why is it such a big step, between servicing foreign productions, and creating our own film indus-try? I think it's partly the result of not having permanent struc- tures in place. People who work in film in Malta – including those who are building our sets, working on props, etc. – have to rely on films being made here to get work. When there is a production, they might work on it for, say, four months… but then, they'll have eight months with no work until the next production comes along. So we need to have a system in place, especially when it comes to funding. We have to be like every other European country, where there is decent funding available to filmmakers. Right now, there isn't. That's the re- ality. What we need is a system that is reliable, so that people can actually make a living out of film. To be viable, that presupposes that the industry can generate enough money to sustain permanent employment. Is that realistic, though? You said it yourself: we're not Hollywood… But it's not just about money. If government invests in film… what are the cost-benefits? We can already see some of the re- turns. We no longer sell our tourism product merely on the basis of 'sun and sea': to- day, there are organised tours ad-vertising all the 'Games of Thrones' locations. Peo- ple come here specifically for that… and we could have done it with 'Gladiator', too. Let's take our own film, 'Stor- bju': if, for argument's sake, it 'does something'… if it is suc- cessful, as a film… then 'Verd- ala Palace' would automatically have an additional, different meaning. This is also what it's all about. Ultimately, by investing in film, you're not just selling the films themselves; you're selling the story of your country. So I always say, we don't only need to market Malta… we also need to market our stories. And this is something we are not doing, at the moment. market our stories'