It's no wonder film-makers like coming to Malta - the co-producers of the movie Eichmann, currently shooting here, are sipping coffees in a warm and welcoming sun in the height of winter.
But to be fair, Peter Bevan and Michael Frenchkowski are merely enjoying a short, hard-earned break. And while they appreciate and are taking advantage of the good weather during their six-day shoot in Malta, they chose to film here primarily because of the locations, which could double for Israel.
"We needed something that was convincing," said Mr Bevan. And they found that in Malta.
The "untouched" architecture, still in a pristine state and unmarred by modern interventions - as many producers somehow seem to view it - was the main attraction: Eichmann is set in Jerusalem, and Malta did not need much of a make-over to play that role.
"There isn't the modern stuff that often gets in the way, especially when doing a period movie," comments Mr Bevans, squinting in the sun.
Valletta's East Street was yesterday draped in Israeli flags, playing the part of a Jerusalem road on a public holiday, while shooting was also going on in a house in St Paul's Street. Other locations include San Anton gardens and a police station in Hamrun, which is acting as German Nazi Adolf Eichmann's prison cell.
"People know what Jerusalem looks like and you cannot cheat. We looked at Spain and all around the world really... Of course, the political situation excluded Israel from the options, with the whole Israeli-Hizbollah war going on when they were putting everything together. Agents and insurances would not have it!"
And Steven Spielberg's Munich, shot here in the summer of 2005, has certainly served its purpose. It was through this movie that the producers knew Malta would work as a Middle Eastern country. They came over to scout for locations and see with their own eyes a couple of months ago, but it did not take them too long to decide...
The whole movie is being shot in 30 days - the other location being Budapest, Hungary. But the producers cannot compare the two, both having their own advantages and assets, they maintain.
"There is no competition really between the two because you are completely different from Hungary," says Mr Frenchkowski, who is also the line producer. "Budapest is either specifically Budapest, or some other old European city, plus it has the sound stages, which you do not have here. Hungary also offers tax discounts, and as regards crew costs, it is similar and maybe a little bit cheaper. That may be an issue when making a decision, but really, the most important factor is the locations. In Hungary, there are no water tanks and no architecture like this," he says.
Mr Frenchkowski makes a quick, mental calculation: An $8 million-budget movie - quite "reasonable and healthy" for an independent film - around 10 per cent being spent in Malta.
A fledgling production company, the UK outfit E-Motion has already come a long way in its first year of life - Eichmann is its second movie since its inception. Plans for the immediate future include a movie about the Vatican, starring Peter O'Toole and Albert Finney, and the possibility of other projects heading for Malta, depending on the story.
After all, their experience here has been positive. They were pleasantly surprised by the infrastructure and the facilities on offer. Once upon a time, Malta lacked experienced crew, but today, they seem to have become another source of attraction.
"Even local crew is available and they know what we require as film-makers; they are of professional quality," says Mr Bevan, adding that around 70 members of the crew on the movie are Maltese.
"The Malta Film Commission was also especially helpful, particularly in the early stages. They are very straightforward and made our work easy. It is very clear how you can get a tax rebate on what you spend in Malta."
The movie
Considering German Nazi Adolf Eichmann, played by Thomas Kretschmann (The Pianist), was responsible for the transportation of Jews to the death camps, not too many movies have been made about him.
"As you'll find out through the course of the movie, Eichmann had a much greater hand in what happened to the Jews, despite the fact that he always denied it. He was actually one of the Nazis who came up with what he called a more efficient solution for killing them, using gas, rather than shooting them," recount the enthusiastic co-producers.
Another central and real-life character, Avner Less, played by Troy Garity, had the job of interrogating Eichmann before he went to trial. "A very unassuming character, he is, essentially, the first Israeli hero," says Mr Bevan, revealing that Less discovers Eichmann had signed the papers for his own father to be transported to the gas chamber. "Essentially, there are two threads to the story: The battle of wills between Eichmann and Less during the interrogation in the cell; and Less's personal life and his internal conflicts regarding whether he should really be interrogating this guy and why he was being given a chance when most just wanted him dead."
Eichmann is also starring Stephen Fry (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) in the role of Israeli Minister Tormer and Franka Potente (The Bourne Identity) as Less's wife Vera. The actors have all been in Malta briefly at some stage of the shoot.
Among the young (Mr Bevan is only 23), but experienced, crew is lead producer Karl Richards, while the movie is being directed by Robert Young and the director of photography is Mike Connor, who had the original idea for the topic for the movie.