The Country's Agenda of The Times of Malta - April 30, 2001

The Times asks Malcolm Scerri-Ferrante:

How can Malta attract more film productions?

A brief look at what other countries have to offer will immediately reveal the stark difference with Malta. One serious problem is the lack of a government policy on films. Having a person in government who whole-heartedly welcomes producers is simply not enough if other high-ranking government officials do not share the same enthusiasm.

The message should shout out a film-friendliness attitude and the policy should ensure that producers are not faced with endless bureaucracy and exorbitant fees for matters like location permits and importation of equipment, just to mention a few.

Even more serious is the absence of financial incentives which often steers producers` attention away from Malta. I am referring particularly to tax incentives and other benefits in monetary terms, of which Malta sadly has absolutely nothing to offer.

Most competing countries offer different forms of incentive schemes which basically translate into X amount of money rebated for Y spent in the local economy. I know that the government is working hard on introducing certain incentives, but some of the ideas I have heard so far make no economic sense at all for any producer.

One does not expect the government to understand the film business. The state is not in the business of making films and it takes years of experience to truly understand it. The government therefore needs to set up a film advisory council composed of professionals in the industry, producers and production managers. Nobody can tell you better about what attracts films to Malta than these people for whom film business is their profession.

The Malta Film Commission (MFC) needs to focus more seriously on the country`s problems and learn how to offer more substance to producers, besides the usual smiles and handshakes. While continuing its hard efforts to promote Malta abroad, the commission should be working day and night to get Malta`s act quickly together with regard to issues like government policies and financial incentives.  

There must be an effective government production initiative package with the long-term goal of making it financially attractive for people to invest in the film servicing industry on the island.

For example, one urgent requirement is the construction of a large sound stage. This is something which reputable producers have declared endlessly as an urgent need. The country has already lost a lot of work due to the absence of this stage and this will continue to happen unless some initiative is taken.

A film fund needs to be set up with attractive tax incentives. Through the fund, Malta can co-produce films with foreign producers. It would be imperative that the fund diversifies in several projects each year. Projects must be selected by a board of film-makers who can truly recognize any potential in a proposal and who know how to minimize risks.

Establishing such a film fund would generate ongoing work where trainees can be attached to the shooting, giving Malta an opportunity to build up support crew members. This will increase the attractiveness of Malta`s servicing industry and, in turn, help to bring more productions to Malta.

People will learn skills if there is a likelihood of them being utilized. But they need to know that there is a real commitment to a viable industry and that they will have a future here.

A film school and a government mentorship programme should be set up to make it worthwhile for producers to have trainees on their staff. In Canada there are various industry schemes to encourage this, even where producers are paid to engage trainees.

The multiplier effect of production expenditure, according to Price Waterhouse, is 4.6 times. Others put it higher. This means that, for every dollar spent on a production in a locality, it generates $4.6. This happens through a chain of several services utilized by the production team in the country.

The government should recognize better the importance of the film industry and be ready to invest in schemes with long-term goals instead of trying to get rich quickly. Basically, it should stop procrastinating about ineffective solutions and offer more substance, quickly.

Malcolm Scerri-Ferrante is a film production manager and TV producer/director who has been working in the film/TV industry for the past 11 years.