Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1195815
OPINION 27 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 DECEMBER 2019 A strong and sustainable film industry Johann Grech Johann Grech is Malta Film Commissioner THROUGHOUT the years, Malta has attracted inter- national high-profile film productions. Our islands offer a world of opportunity through their versatile loca- tions and the infinite-horizon water tanks which are well- known globally. Malta also has a strong reputation on its cash rebate programme, which has been recently upgraded to 40%. Today, we are at the forefront of global film production, through our strong financial incentives. Our professional film crew and our highly talented, skilled construction crews have a continuous track record, and have worked with top level producers and directors. With the Government's unprecedented investment in the facilities of the Malta Film Studios, we are witnessing a revitalisation of the industry. In the last two years, we have embarked on our project to keep Malta a success story in the global film industry. This is a fast-moving industry that is ever-growing and diversi- fying. My ambition is mak- ing Malta's film industry a world-class industry, bringing more foreign productions to our islands and sending more local productions abroad. Our vision is not just about strengthening our film infra- structure but about getting more people working in the film industry, having careers, becoming film-makers and making Malta a player on the world stage. This is not just a vision; it's an action plan that focuses on building a film industry that remains and is self-sustaining. Together with former Min- ister Konrad Mizzi, we have worked on a strategy that will turn the industry from being seasonal to back-to- back productions. This year we had twenty-one film and TV productions which have generated approximately €40 million in our economy; four times more than 2018 and twice as much the amount in 2017. With more government investment to strengthen our facilities, having back-to-back productions, more people joining the industry through our programme 'Opportunity for All', we are building an industry to remain. We are determined to strengthen the local film industry. We are committed to invest more in our local talent and to keep strengthening our crew base. We have increased funds of the Malta Film Fund, provid- ing writing, development and production grants to a good number of local short films and feature films. I want to see Maltese films win- ning awards at festivals and screenings around the world. It's a known factor that the filming industry is a very challenging one. We are working in a very competitive market and film producers are always looking to tighten budgets as much as they can and other markets are always looking to improve their incentives. I'm proud that we've got one of the best cash rebate schemes in the world, but we can't be complacent. That's why we have been working on the master plan, to strengthen our infrastruc- ture, because we're always looking to improve our proposition. Moreover, we want our industry to grow further, hav- ing more post-production, VFX and animation facilities to service film makers whilst shooting in Malta. Malta is open for business, and by attracting more international production companies to our islands, we will definitely strengthen Malta's proposi- tion. Therefore, creating more opportunities in this specialised film sector, for our young generation to succeed not just in Malta but beyond. There is no limit to the ambition we have for our industry. We've got great people, great talent on our islands. Malta is a great film set in itself. Our success is based on an overall screen strategy that will attract more films and TV Series to our islands. Our ambition is clear: we want an industry that keeps work- ing. We shall keep attract- ing more productions, while strengthening the current infrastructure and local talent in order to make our indus- try a sustainable world-class industry. We have worked on a strateg y that will turn the industry from being seasonal to back-to-back productions