Malta is back in the international film spotlight. The island nation hosted the fourth edition of its Mediterrane Film Festival in late June by welcoming Hollywood talent like Colin Trevorrow, Renny Harlin, Famke Janssen, Derek Kolstad, Dove Cameron, Andy Tennant, John Cleese, Omar Epps, DeWanda Wise, Robin Tunney, Jack Whitehall and more for the festivities. Amid his hectic schedule, Johann Grech, Malta’s main man at the center of its film industry as commissioner, sat with The Hollywood Reporter for a status update on his ambitious plans for a new land-sea soundstage, a new €2 million scholarship fund and his view on Malta’s future after celebrating a milestone 100th anniversary last year of filming on the island.
When you spoke at the Golden Bee Awards last year, you said the next 100 years would be better than the first. A year later, how is it going in Malta?
We are still driving that commitment. It will remain. In fact, we are investing heavily in upskilling our crew. We are determined to keep on investing and building the needed infrastructure at the film studios. We committed to continue strengthening the rebate program to remain key players and leaders on the world stage. And by these three elements of our strategy, we’re making sure that the next 100 years will be better than the first. We are putting talk into action. We are making sure that we are building a sustainable industry for many, not just a few. We have pride for what we achieved so far but there is still a lot more to do.
