Malta Film Commissioner Johann Grech Talks Hollywood, Tax Rebates

When you observe actors (Josh Gad, Millie Bobby Brown, Anna Camp, Gregg Sulkin, Chris Perfetti or Barbie Ferreira), filmmakers (Jon Watts, Jake Schreier, Catherine Hardwicke or Andrew Ahn), manufacturing executives (from Amazon, A24, Common/Focus Options, HBO/Max, Searchlight or Arclight Movies) or journalists (from THR, Selection or Ankler) on Instagram, chances are high you’ve seen photographs of Malta in latest days.

That’s the purpose of Johann Grech, who serves as Malta Movie commissioner and CEO of Malta Movie Studios. The person is on the middle of the Mediterrane Movie Competition, which ran on the island nation from June 21-29. And whereas it served as a showcase of worldwide cinema, it’s simply as a lot a promotional device to draw tasks to Malta, which this yr is celebrating a a centesimal anniversary of internet hosting worldwide productions and toasting a wealthy 40 p.c tax rebate incentive to maintain cameras rolling in 2025 and past.

It appears to be working. Whereas the pageant rolled out within the capital metropolis of Valletta, there have been seven tasks taking pictures in Malta, together with one other Enola Holmes, a second season of Paris Has Fallen, Luke Eve’s Straightforward and Hulu’s actuality relationship sequence Overboard for Love produced by Name Her Daddy guru Alex Cooper, to call only a few. In just a few days, Common will launch the anticipated Jurassic World Rebirth starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali, a movie that used Malta as a backdrop for sure motion sequences, the newest in an extended line of blockbusters shot right here together with Ridley Scott’s Gladiator franchise and Napoleon.

Throughout a break from a busy fest schedule, Grech sat down with THR contained in the Malta Movie Studios places of work to speak about his almost eight-year tenure steering the ship right here, how the pageant matches in together with his grasp plan and finalizing some long-overdue blueprints to construct a soundstage subsequent to the studio’s water tanks.

We’re talking on the midway level of the movie pageant. How are you feeling?

Excited. Fired up. Yearly, the pageant is rising as a corporation by way of attracting an viewers, by way of recognition and positioning. This yr, its third yr, goes to be one of the best version. The Mediterrane Movie Competition was the mind youngster of mine and I’m so excited to essentially continue to grow it for the long run, and I’m glad that the model is being additional developed and it retains rising. It’s attracting audiences to Malta as a result of on the finish of the day, the pageant is a strategic enterprise device for Malta to extend Malta as a filming vacation spot. It helps entice extra tasks to Malta which is able to lead to extra jobs for Maltese crew. So by way of the goals, we’re reaching these.

What different goals are you seeking to accomplish?

Our advertising and marketing features have completely different parts, that are reaching audiences made up of producers, unbiased filmmakers, studio executives, financiers, decision-makers and others in serving to deliver them to Malta. We are able to, after all, attain out to them by going to Hollywood or locations just like the U.Okay. or different areas in Europe, however the different manner is to ask audiences right here. That manner they will see our product up shut and personally, they will go to the areas and dream about their tasks that may be executed right here.

We’re recognized for our money rebate, which we elevated to 40 p.c and it helped strengthen our place. We’re additionally recognized for our water tanks and each time we get filmmakers right here, they will really see what we provide; it’s not simply discuss. What you see is what you get right here. The Mediterrane Movie Competition is a device for reaching them. We’re utilizing this platform to not simply focus on the artwork of movie however to specific a imaginative and prescient for additional collaboration as a result of movie is a collaboration between completely different nations, completely different cultures. However we’re additionally screening films and inspiring the general public to take part in these screenings, and consequently exhibiting what are and tradition gives to the world.

There are extra Hollywood bodily manufacturing executives on the bottom this yr than in another version of the pageant. What are the conversations like with them?

This week, we’re assembly executives for one-on-one conferences. It’s business-to-business to know what their wants and experiences are, and we’re studying extra about what forms of tasks they’ve so we will pitch to the studios, or we will present them what the potential is right here. We are able to present them what Malta and the water can supply to their scripts. We’ve organized wonderful location excursions — of the ocean and of the studios — to allow them to see for themselves. Malta can simply double for various nations, completely different cities. The lacking half is that we don’t have soundstages. So, we’re utilizing this pageant to succeed in out to potential traders as a result of we now have a blueprint to complete. In Malta, there was discuss of a soundstage for at the least 61 years, nevertheless it’s by no means been as shut by way of getting performed as it’s right this moment.

As you talked about, the soundstage has been a topic of dialog for many years, and there’s been some criticism over why it’s taken so lengthy. Why?

There have been no blueprints. However now we’ve blueprints and it’s going to be world-class with a imaginative and prescient for the following 400 years. You would possibly inform me that it’s bold. Sure, I’m bold. I’m bold for our imaginative and prescient, our objectives and our goals. Our mannequin is able to be constructed. We’re utilizing the Mediterrane Movie Competition to draw traders to speak about our venture in order that it’s not simply the federal government but in addition the non-public sector who will work to make it occur.

At one level, it was to be three soundstages?

Sure. Once I turned commissioner over seven years in the past, I stated that we had been going to push for a grasp plan. And we did. We acquired our plans permitted by the authorities. A part of that grasp plan was for the movie studios to have a world-class soundstage as a result of to ensure that us to compete, we’ve to have our personal product that’s world-class. A part of what makes us leaders is the incentives nevertheless it must be the opposite providers we provide and that infrastructure. So, the grasp plan consists of not only a soundstage but in addition workshops, manufacturing places of work, warehouses and different amenities required by productions. The soundstage might be positioned in a particular space of the studios, close to the deep water tank. That’s why I say that what we’re constructing is setting the stage for the following 100 years in order that future generations will profit vastly from the infrastructure that we’re creating.

Because you got here aboard in 2018, what would you say is your proudest accomplishment?

Seven years of turning the trade from a seasonal one to working all yr spherical. It has turn out to be an financial powerhouse to our nation. In 2023, it was one of the best yr ever within the story of filmmaking. We delivered 18 p.c of our financial progress within the final 5 years and we sustained 15,000 jobs. Within the final 5 years, the trade has generated over a billion euros in our economic system. As we speak, we’ve greater than 1,000 of our movie workforce working all yr spherical and greater than 700 companies. This has been an achievement. Once I got here right here, I had individuals knocking on my door, telling me that they had been jobless. “What are you going to do for me?” I stated, “Give me time. We are going to rebuild and strengthen our product and we’ll get extra movies right here.” We elevated the money rebate to 40 p.c after which we issued a name for extra Maltese to hitch the trade in order that we may additional upskill our crews. Underneath my administration, we acquired 169 productions. The final 5 years have generated an enormous impression on the economic system.

What would you say are your largest challenges? I do know there have been some price range controversies lately …

Our investments result in greater outcomes. For instance, for each euro that we put money into movie, the movie trade generates three again. Let me ask you a query: Would you make investments $5 million to get $10 million?

The reply is sure.

The federal government is satisfied of the funding as a result of the return is so large. For instance, the federal government is getting extra revenue by way of tax contribution then it’s investing. Would you make investments extra? In fact, the reply is sure. We’re fortunate that we’ve a authorities on our aspect. We’re fortunate that our authorities understands the movie enterprise. The figures are clear as a result of it’s logical.

My cab driver stated Malta is confused as a result of there are one thing like 30-45 new vehicles on the highway every day with the inflow of immigrants and new individuals coming to stay right here. Malta is a small nation with a finite space of land, housing and sources. Do you are concerned about that?

There’s unbelievable curiosity in Malta however the administration or the productions is vital to our success. For instance, we’ve seven productions at the moment. We are able to’t have 12. We are able to’t have three blockbusters directly. My job because the commissioner is to not lose any enterprise however to draw enterprise. We make sure that we don’t lose enterprise so it’s all about mapping and planning. Planning is prime to the movie fee. We work intently with studios and filmmakers to make sure that there’s a very good plan and a very good movement. We have now many companions within the enterprise and we wrote pointers from a enterprise and manufacturing standpoint to make sure a easy and profitable expertise for everybody.

I need to ask you a query relating to the centennial anniversary. I do know this can be exhausting to select since so many tasks have filmed right here through the years, however wanting again over the 100 years, do you’ve got a favourite movie that shot in Malta or one thing which means quite a bit to you?

I’ll begin with Gladiator and Jurassic World. I will even point out Munich, which was not made throughout my administration. I want it was however it will be on my bucket listing to get [Steven Spielberg] right here once more. Munich confirmed the world that Malta is a lot extra. We doubled as a location for six completely different nations. That, in addition to Gladiator, positioned us on a world map.

While you pitch to filmmakers, what do you say that Malta could be subbed for?

All the things is necessary to us. Each movie has its personal artwork. We do discuss in regards to the versatility of the areas and we will supply southern France, the Center East and not too long ago we even substituted for Boston. We are able to achieve this many locations, and that’s why the following step is the constructing of the soundstages so we will do many extra.

What’s your imaginative and prescient for the way forward for the Mediterrane Movie Competition?

This is a vital device for Malta to succeed in out to the movie neighborhood. It’s a platform for us to share with different nations and strengthen the movie trade globally. Malta was all the time a bridge between continents, and the pageant is a bridge for the movie trade. That is simply the beginning. My imaginative and prescient — once more you might inform me that its bold however we dare to win — is to steer us into the following 100 years. It’s not only a legacy for us however we’re constructing one thing for the following technology to make sure that Maltese is not going to simply have jobs however they are going to have careers within the movie trade. We’re making a basis to make sure that we’ve a world-class movie trade in Malta.

See under for scenes from contained in the Mediterrane Movie Competition’s sundown get together at Saluting Battery on Saturday night time.