The Producer's Creative Partnership, a company representing film makers, has expressed its great disappointment that film shooting in Malta had become ever more silent in the second half of this year as opposed to the temporary boom of recent years.
In its latest newsletter, the PCP pointed out that there was a slowdown in international production largely due to the weak US dollar and other economic factors. "Nevertheless, these international events serve only as half an excuse for the dearth of production in the Maltese islands. Unfortunately, both the state and the private sector did little to take advantage of the 'boom' between 1999 and 2003, apart from setting up the long-overdue Film Commission and small considerations of incentives offered ad hoc," the newsletter added.
The local film infrastructure had not really strengthened and the support crew has not increased substantially, it said.
This year recorded the lowest number of shooting days in recent years. The only notable investment by the private sector was seen in an interesting range of first-class location utility vehicles. But this alone did nothing to sway producers towards Malta.
Producers considering Malta were constantly asking about financial incentives and half the time they were also seeking sound stages which to date did not exist.
Productions shooting in Malta this year were notably the ultra-low budget Canadian film Clarion's Call and the untitled medium-budget Universal movie which started preparations last spring only to postpone filming until next year. Also filming earlier this year were parts of a BBC docu-drama series called Gods and Goddesses.
"Despite a couple of other commercials shooting in the water tanks, 2004 recorded the lowest number of shooting days in recent years," the PCP said.
It felt the upcoming year would be a telling one. However, the Malta Film Commission was optimistic and saw a light at the end of the tunnel.
The PCP pointed out that the Prime Minister had just announced film incentives mainly in the form of tax incentives for certain capital expenditures and a rebate on certain expenses made in Malta.
The PCP predicted that depending on the incentives introduced by the government and on initiatives expected from the private sector in joint operation with the government, 2005 would be a telling year.
It predicted there would be interesting movements and announcements that would set the wheels in motion for Malta's film servicing industry over the following years. "Whether those wheels will be moving forward or backwards, one has to wait and see."