PN slams government’s ‘reckless’ spending on film commissioner’s 10-minute short film

The Nationalist Party has slammed government’s “reckless” spending following reports a short film featuring film commissioner Johann Grech cost more than €500,000 in public funds.

“The news that half a million euro were spent on a 10-minute production featuring the Film Commissioner himself, as well as him receiving a personal 'trailer' for 'star treatment' from public funds, is the latest proof of how this Government spends public money recklessly on friends of friends and inappropriately,” it said.

The Times of Malta reported the 10-minute short film ‘Once Upon a Time in Malta’, aired during the Mediterrane Film Festival cost €500,000. It featured British actor David Walliams and Grech.

The 10-minute film employed around 130 crew members and was led by a foreign director, according to sources quoted by the newspaper.

Nationalist MPs Claudette Buttigieg and Graham Bencini

Addressing the press conference, Nationalist MPs Claudette Buttigieg and Graham Bencini, noted how Government “has no problem squandering money recklessly, but then has no funds to support local artists.”

They said the PL had promised a budget of €2 million for the National Film Fund to help local artists and industry, but in the last two years the Government has provided nothing to support this industry.

“At the same time, the Government found no difficulty in spending excessive and irresponsible amounts on festivals that did not deliver the expected returns,” they said. “Now he [Johann Grech] has spent half a million euro on a 10-minute film, with experts saying this figure is very conservative. This follows reports in the media that he spent €8 million on two festivals, including €120,000 for the presenter of the 2022 festival.”

They pointed out the PN remains in favour of promoting Maltese industry, but this should be done to support the industry and local artists “and not at their expense.”

“The Nationalist Party is against the squandering and mismanagement of public funds without transparency and governance,” they said.

The MPs insisted the Finance Minister Clyde Caruana should answer “where and how” millions in public funds were spent.