They may be at loggerheads with the film commissioner but service providers have taken exception to the Finance Minister’s comment that their problems stem from a personality clash.
On Monday, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said sector complaints about Film Commissioner Peter Busuttil did not reflect the sector’s performance and were likely to be the result of “personality clashes”.
But film service providers yesterday issued a statement reiterating their concern about the Malta Film Commission’s work and the lack of economic activity generated by foreign film productions.
Only the producers of eligible productions benefit from grants
The group, formed two years ago to advance the interests of film service providers, said concerns raised with the Prime Minister and Mr Fenech during a meeting last February had still not been addressed.
These included discussions on the commission’s marketing strategy, how it handled enquiries in a fully transparent and efficient manner and the incentives to be offered from next year.
The group also took umbrage at comments made by commission chairman Anthony Sammut, who said operators adopted “old thinking” methods when they argued that more cash rebates automatically led to more productions.
“It is only the producers of eligible productions that benefit from these grants and it is surprising that Mr Sammut labels calls for an increase in the incentives as ‘old thinking’ when most film hosting countries are constantly increasing the competitiveness of their industry incentive schemes,” the industry group said.
It noted that fiscal advantages were the principle deciding factor when film companies chose where to shoot their production.
However, the group insisted that an attractive rebate coupled with “an ineffective commission” did not necessarily lead to increased production levels.
The service providers said they favoured the development of an indigenous industry but cautioned against alienating inward investment from foreign shoots.
Mr Fenech had insisted that although complaints were vociferous they did not reflect the true picture. “Those who have complained are not the only people working in the sector,” he had said.
Mr Fenech noted the shooting of three productions was confirmed for next year but the service providers yesterday questioned the certainty of his statement.
“The members confirm that to the best of their knowledge any claims that three serious productions are actually confirmed for 2013 are not correct and it is too early to say whether they will eventually film in Malta,” the group said.
The films Mr Fenech spoke about include Destroyer, a film about the Falklands War and a French production based in Afghanistan.