Commission to promote the educational value of film

Parliamentary Secretary Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici has welcomed the provisions of the Malta Film Commission Bill which tasks the commission to promote the educational value of film and support the development of opportunities for access to cinema history and heritage.

He was speaking during the debate on the Bill in Parliament on Wednesday.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici said the Bill was aimed at giving a legal basis to an industry that has a long tradition in Malta.

It was not easy for Malta to attract film productions, owing to stiff competition from other countries. A location was chosen over another for several reasons, including the natural and man-made characteristics of the location itself, the economic advantages and how accommodating the local authorities are.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici had been the legal adviser to several producers of films shot on the island. These producers came here to turn a dream into reality with the least hindrance possible.

The Cottonera had a large group of people with a good knowledge of the industry and who continue to benefit if productions are shot here regularly.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici said the Bill was rightly promoting the importance of film in education. One of the functions of the Film Commission would be to "advocate the educational importance of film and the role it plays in fostering citizenship, creativity and innovation," as well as to promote the study and appreciation of films and film-making.

The Film Commission, therefore, should not just work on attracting film-makers. It should also be a voice and a promoter for better substance in films and for films to have a real message.

A clear line should be drawn by the Film Commissioner against films containing scenes of exaggerated violence or pornography. On television, children were being bombarded by subtle violence and pornography, even through advertising spots.

It was significant that one of the duties of the commissioner would be to coordinate efforts to combat copyright abuse. It was important that the rights of film producers be protected in this way as well.

The commission was also being tasked with "supporting the development of opportunities for access to cinema history and heritage and the use of film history in understanding identity, representation, culture and creativity." This was another big and ambitious step. The Public Broadcasting Services Ltd, the state broadcaster, has an extensive collection of films through which the country could rediscover what it had gone through along the years.

While seeking to attract film-makers, Malta should continue to develop local talent. There are people capable of writing films scripts. It was not true that loads of money were needed to write a good script, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said.

Charles Buhagiar (MLP) said that any mention of the film industry immediately brought to mind blockbuster movies. The fact that Malta managed to attract the production of such titles was a positive thing, but because competition for the attraction of any production was tough every opportunity should be exploited.

The island's characteristics made it ideal for the production of period films, but Malta had also managed to attract productions featuring film shooting on water, making use of the Rinella tanks.

But there was a great need to improve basic facilities. It was a Labour government that built a proper road leading to the Rinella facilities, enabling easy access for trucks carrying equipment and props.

The site still suffered from sewage outflow which occasionally drifted towards the shore from Xaghjra, which surely was not what film directors expected. The area around Rinella needed a proper clean-up.

Mr Buhagiar said film producers ought to be properly briefed about what they should expect to find before getting here. Many complained of having to over-spend because of costs they were not aware of. This was not a good thing for the country's reputation.

Another issue was that VAT took far too long to be refunded - in cases, even up to two years. This was unacceptable and gave Malta a bad image.

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (Mepa) had been responsible for a number of gaffes, such as the time it insisted that the film set of the Coliseum within Fort Ricasoli should be dismantled. This meant that this set could neither be developed as a tourist attraction, nor be used for a sequel.

Indeed, had it been up to Mepa, Popeye Village would have been allowed to deteriorate since the operators had encountered huge problems to get the authorisation to carry out maintenance work.

Mr Buhagiar said the government should grant direct assistance to the film industry such as assisting in the building of a sound studio.