Malta-filmed epic premières in Paceville

There was a touch of Tinsel Town in Paceville yesterday evening as the historical epic Agora - filmed entirely in Malta - premièred at Eden Cinemas in Paceville.

Although Hollywood-style sunshine was in short supply, 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 AD 391, was filmed in Malta from March to June last year after eight months of prepping on the island. It is an English-language Spanish production with an overall budget of €55 million, making it the second-largestbudget European film ever after the most recent Asterix and Obelix.

Amenábar, who won the 2005 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, said the version shown yesterday was 50 minutes shorter than that screened in Cannes and also "less political". 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 première, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech explained that the production, which was 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.

Alongside Rachel Weisz and Max Minghella, the film also features three Maltese principal cast members - Manuel Cauchi, Charles Thake and Harry Borg - and 100 other players were cast daily locally. Filming mainly took place at a purpose-built set at Fort Ricasoli, while Marsaxlokk, Valletta, Mdina and Victoria Lines were also used as locations. Amenábar said that a documentary about the making of the production will be featured on the eventual DVD release of the film and will include a chapter about the experience of filming in Malta.

Additional foreign productions filmed in Malta this year include parts of a Japanese TV series, an Indian feature film, a UK documentary, two UK commercials and a Latvian feature film. Three other overseas TV productions and one foreign feature film have confirmed that they will shoot in Malta in the final of quarter of this year.

Agora is being distributed internationally by Focus Features and is set for worldwide release shortly.