Working with award-winning Hollywood stars is the order of the day for Maltese director Jon Cassar, but, while he has made a name for himself in the film industry, he still has one dream left to fulfil – to shoot a film about Malta.

Jon Cassar during his interview yesterday. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

“My biggest goal is to shoot here and I don’t want to just come to Malta and do a big American action movie but I want to come here and actually work on a movie about Malta. That is my biggest dream,” the 59-year-old director yesterday told The Sunday Times of Malta.

Los Angeles resident Mr Cassar, who has worked with the likes of Kiefer and Donald Sutherland and Demi Moore, among many others, was born in Malta but moved to Canada at a young age. He has won two Primetime Emmy awards for his work on the television drama 24 as well as two Directors’ Guild of America Awards, among others.

Yet for the internationally acclaimed director, Malta will always be home. While on a short visit, he is holding meetings about the possibility of shooting films on the island he is so fond of.

“I have a couple of films in mind, one set in World War II and another one set in the time of the Knights of Malta. I have been trying to do these films here for years and now that I’m in Rome, I’m very close.

“I want to work with the Maltese. I’m Maltese, it’s a story about Malta and I want to do it in Malta,” he said.

He is currently involved with the second season of the RAI series Medici –Masters of Florence being shot in Rome and in Tuscany and which should be completed by December.

The drama series about the Medici dynasty is set in 15th century Florence and stars Dustin Hoffman. It will also be streamed on Netflix later on in the year.

I want to work with the Maltese. I’m Maltese, it’s a story about Malta and I want to do it in Malta

Asked about the increasing popularity of streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, Mr Cassar said they have definitely changed the game but he believes the move to such services has brought about positive and welcome change to the industry.

“For the creatives, it’s better for us because there needs to be more material so it’s just opened up a whole bunch of avenues and that’s exciting. I don’t know if I would be in Europe doing an Italian show five years ago if Netflix were not involved.”

These services also serve as a platform for more diverse content that is more streamlined to the different audiences, making specific targeting possible, he added.

How was it different working in Europe as opposed to the US?

Some things were exactly the same while others were completely different, he replied. Working days, for instance, are much shorter in Europe than they are in the US, where a typical day on set could drag on for 16 hours while in Europe it would be a mere nine.

 “It does take longer but that way you can work and have a social life,” he smiled.

He said Malta’s film industry had in recent years gone from strength to strength and the next crucial investment needed to be in studio space. This would attract more filmmakers: those that carried out studio work in other countries could do such work out on the island.

“That’s the hurdle that needs to be overcome and whether it’s government or privately owned, at some point there has to be studio space. That’s the next step and once they get the studio space that would take Malta’s film industry to the next level.”

The director in action.

He also commended the level of work being produced by the Maltese working in the industry, pointing specifically to visual effects company Stargate, which is also involved in the Medici series and whose employees are mostly local artists.

“I’ve been coming here for the last 20 years and every time I come over I see even more advances and huge steps being made. Yesterday I was watching the Bollywood film that’s being made here. It’s a big production with a lot of money being dropped here, which is very exciting.”

While admitting that it was not an easy industry to break into, Mr Cassar had nothing but words of encouragement for budding directors, saying that today technology made things easier for those just starting out.

“It’s ultimately about perseverance. In my case, I just never quit and you just have to keep going. You have to also take the smallest jobs you can but at least somehow related to the field you are in.

“When I did my first project, my parents looked at it and that was it. Maybe I could convince a few cousins but that was my audience because I had no way of showing it to anyone else.

“Young people today have the opportunity to have a good quality camera that is not that expensive and their work could easily reach millions worldwide.”

Some of Jon Cassar’s major films and TV shows

■ The Kennedys: Decline and Fall (TV Mini-Series)
■ 24: Legacy (TV Series)
■ When the Bough Breaks
■ I Forsaken
■ 24: Live Another Day (TV Mini-Series)
■ Nikita (TV Series)
■ Fringe (TV Series)
■ Person of Interest (TV Series)
■ The Kennedys (TV Mini-Series)
■ Criminal Minds (TV Series)
■ 24 (TV Series)
■ Company Man (TV Movie)
■ The Dead Zone (TV Series)
■ Mutant X (TV Series) (3 episodes)
■ Sheena (TV Series) (3 episodes)
■ La Femme Nikita (TV Series)