Historical epic Agora - filmed entirely in Malta - was premiered at Eden Cinemas this evening. Oscar-winning director Alejandro Amenábar braved the blustery conditions for the red carpet event, which was only the third screening of the film after showings in Cannes last May and Toronto earlier this month.
The film, based on the story of Hypatia (Rachel Weisz) and set in Alexandria in 391 AD, was filmed in Malta from March to June last year. It is an English-language Spanish production with a budget of €55 million, making it the second-biggest budget European film ever after the most recent Asterix and Obelix.
Agora depicts Alexandria being slowly destroyed by different factions, specifically religious factions, but Amenábar was quick to stress that it is not an anti-Christian film.
"It is against all kinds of fundamentalism. On the set we were Muslims, Jews, Maltese Catholics... all working for the same thing," he said.
The production crew were drawn to Malta by the generous incentives offered by the government, including a tax rebate on costs incurred on EU crew and services during filming. Another attraction was the level of craftsmanship available on the island to enable them to build a lavish set at Fort Ricasoli, which included the Alexandria library, the agora and an amphitheatre.
Producer Fernando Bovaira said that the crew were "very lucky" to shoot the production in Malta and received tremendous support from the Malta Film Commission.
"We got everything we needed," he added.
In a speech preceding the premiere, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech explained that the production, which is the first feature-length foreign film to be shot entirely in Malta, brought numerous economic benefits to the country as well as practical benefits to the local film-making industry.
More than 700 Maltese were employed by the production crew at some point. Traineeships were offered to local crew members in a variety of areas of production. Around €17.5 million was spent directly on Maltese labour, crew and services, and roughly 20,000 bed nights were used in local hotels and rented apartments.
Alongside Rachel Weisz and Max Minghella, the film also features three Maltese principle cast members - Manuel Cauchi, Charles Thake and Harry Borg. Filming mainly took place at a purpose-built set at Fort Ricasoli, while Marsaxlokk, Valletta, Mdina and Victoria Lines were also used as locations.