Joshua Cassar Gaspar is a director and producer based in Valletta. As co-founder of two leading Maltese production companies, MaltaFilm and Valletta Pictures, he has experienced first-hand the small island nation’s recent goldrush in location shoots and international co-productions. On the eve of the second edition of Mediterrane Film Festival, Gaspar chats to The Film Verdict about gladiators, stolen Caravaggios, and dinosaurs rampaging through Valletta…
Malta has a long and rich track record as a shooting location for Midnight Express (1978), Popeye (1980), Gladiator (2000), Troy (2004), Munich (2005), The Da Vinci Code (2006), World War Z (2013), Assassin’s Creed (2016), plus the first season of Game of Thrones (2011) and many more. But Mediterrane is still a young film festival. What does a local festival mean for Maltese film culture?
“The festival is important because it continues adding to Malta’s interest in the industry, and showcasing beautiful films from Europe. At the same time it is making a larger celebration about the industry and having great people over from all over the world in Malta, where other movies have shot that maybe they’re not even aware of. It is about Malta continuing to cement its place within the industry.”
Foreign and co-productions are currently booming in Malta right now, is that right?
“When it comes to servicing, of course, a lot of movies are shooting here. Especially in the last six years, we have seen the difference. I have two companies. We have a service company, Valletta Pictures, and also a production company, MaltaFilm. When it comes to movies wanting to shoot in Malta, definitely in the past six years, it has increased a lot because of the visibility, the promotion that Malta has been doing on its part.”
What are the main selling points for Malta as a shooting location?
“It’s a great place to shoot, not only because of the beautiful sunlight and the proximity of locations, getting those distinctive looks. But producers love it because it’s a safe place. Actors love it. They can come here, shoot a movie, of course movie making is stressful, but they can also have a five-star holiday in the sun while doing so. It’s a bit of a win-win. We keep hearing this, the actors love being here. They love Valletta city. They love the fact that they can walk around safely, eat at Michelin-starred restaurants, have all those experiences, and shoot here in the Mediterranean. So overall, the festival is just really adding to that marketing.”
The Malta Film Commission’s cash rebate system now covers up to 40 per cent of key production costs. That is surely another major driving factor?
“Correct. It was 22 per cent, and then it went up, now it’s at 40. It’s a competitive market. I believe UK, Italy, Cyprus, they’re all also pushing up their rebates. Everybody’s trying to take the market share of the big production shooting. The rebate is obviously a great incentive which producers look for. But more important, it works hand in hand with local production, with Maltese movies or movies from Malta. That tool is important to be able to co-produce. Second, because all these movies are coming to Malta, the talent pool, the crew pool is learning. They’re training with Hollywood’s best. So then they can adapt their skills and produce, create their own movies. Which is what we just did, in fact.”
Can you talk about your Malta-based feature, or is that still under wraps?
“We haven’t launched yet, but obviously it’s out there. We’ve just finished filming a Maltese movie, set in Malta, but in the English language. It’s about the theft of a Caravaggio painting in 1984. We’re actually in post-production as we speak. Again, having the experience, the crew that are working on these mega-movies, having them on our set is great because at the end of the day, that creative talent is going to make the movie hopefully feel good and look good.”
Malta is a small country, does it have the talent pool and infrastructure to sustain a growing film industry?
“Absolutely. When it comes to crew resources, for example, today we have three, four times the amount of crew that we did six years ago. Which is great because at that point we could shoot maybe two movies at the same time, but now we can handle way more than that. In fact, last year, I have to double check the numbers, but I think we had 34 productions shooting in Malta. It just keeps getting more productions every year. The year before, it was 28. Even last year with the strikes, we continued doing independent movies and TV shows.”
Two of the most famous blockbusters to shoot in Malta are Ridley Scott’s Gladiator (2000) and its upcoming sequel. Do you notice these huge studio productions happening around you when they sweep into town?
“For sure. The strength that comes with studio movies is that crew are getting paid well, hotels are full, all the restaurants are trying to get the top guys to eat there, ha! In Valletta, you feel it. You go to the hotels, you see film crew, you see the actors. A lot of locals want to be extras, they want to be Roman soldiers. There’s a buzz when a movie like Gladiator comes here, for sure.”
Malta has doubled for Israel, Iran, Turkey, Cuba, ancient Rome and many more locations, but rarely plays itself. What is your favourite film where Malta actually plays Malta?
“Jurassic World Dominion! It’s a fun, great popcorn movie. It was amazing to see Malta play for Malta, seeing the dinosaurs running around Valletta. That was great because, again, it’s quite large scale. To see the streets of Valletta not playing Israel or the Middle East was great. There’s a really interesting moment where a dinosaur just chomps away at a local on a scooter.”
Which films at Mediterrane Film Festival you are most looking forward to seeing?
“I’m really looking forward to the Italian film, Palazzina Laf. Italian cinema has heritage, and we’re so close to them, we share a lot culturally. So I’m excited to see that. It’s set in the Nineties, I like those movies. We’re excited to see who will be taking home the Golden Bees.”
