Malta Film Fund suspended

The Malta Film Fund is currently suspended as it is being reworked, MaltaToday has learnt.

Film Commissioner Engelbert Grech said that the way the Film Fund was structured in the past did not produce concrete results and that the Commission is currently working on changing the way the Fund is structured.

"It is no secret that, in the past, the Film Fund didn't see a proper return on investment. I am currently consulting with all involved in the local film industry in order to discuss the way forward," Grech said, adding that details about the revamped Film Fund will be announced by March.

Grech added that there will be one fundamental, structural change to the Film Fund. Instead of funds being given for production of films and development of films separately, the two will now be taken into consideration as a whole.

The new system would require applicants to apply for production and development funds separately.

"I fully understand that filmmakers need to invest in production as well as development, but I wasn't happy with the lack of results under the previous system," Grech said.

He added that the Commission is also looking into ways in which the Film Fund could tap into European Union funds, as part and parcel of the Creative Europe initiative, and as a potential means of cultivating creative links with the continent that could lead to co-productions between Maltese filmmakers and their European counterparts.

Grech also complained about the haphazard way the Film Fund was previously organised, and said that the Commission will set out to provide a fixed schedule for applications towards the Fund, in the same way that the Malta Arts Fund has fixed time windows for its various Funds throughout the year.

"This would give greater stability to the Fund," he said.

Grech also hinted at more general reforms to the Maltese film industry that the Commission intends to spearhead, chief among them being cash rebates for foreign film productions coming to film on our shores.

"Our vision is to build a proper film industry, and right now revamping the cash rebate system for companies that come to Malta is top priority. We need to make Malta competitive again, because the fact is that right now, we simply aren't competitive."

Grech added that another priority for the Commission at present will be the setting up of various courses related to film production, which would aim to increase the quality of local filmmaking. Details about these courses will be announced at a later stage.