Malta Film Commissioner Johann Grech Talks Hollywood, Tax Rebates

If you follow actors (Josh Gad, Millie Bobby Brown, Anna Camp, Gregg Sulkin, Chris Perfetti or Barbie Ferreira), filmmakers (Jon Watts, Jake Schreier, Catherine Hardwicke or Andrew Ahn), production executives (from Amazon, A24, Universal/Focus Features, HBO/Max, Searchlight or Arclight Films) or journalists (from THR, Variety or Ankler) on Instagram, chances are you’ve seen images of Malta in recent days.

That’s the goal of Johann Grech, who serves as Malta Film commissioner and CEO of Malta Film Studios. The man is at the center of the Mediterrane Film Festival, which ran on the island nation from June 21-29. And while it served as a showcase of international cinema, it’s just as much a promotional tool to attract projects to Malta, which this year is celebrating a 100th anniversary of hosting international productions and toasting a rich 40 percent tax rebate incentive to keep cameras rolling in 2025 and beyond.

It seems to be working. While the festival rolled out in the capital city of Valletta, there have been seven projects shooting in Malta, including another Enola Holmes, a second season of Paris Has Fallen, Luke Eve’s Easy and Hulu’s reality dating series Overboard for Love produced by Call Her Daddy guru Alex Cooper, to name just a few. In a few days, Universal will release the anticipated Jurassic World Rebirth starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali, a film that used Malta as a backdrop for certain action sequences, the latest in a long line of blockbusters shot here including Ridley Scott’s Gladiator franchise and Napoleon.

During a break from a busy fest schedule, Grech sat down with THR inside the Malta Film Studios offices to talk about his nearly eight-year tenure steering the ship here, how the festival fits in with his master plan and finalizing some long-overdue blueprints to build a soundstage next to the studio’s water tanks.

We’re speaking at the halfway point of the film festival. How are you feeling?

Excited. Fired up. Every year, the festival is growing as an organization in terms of attracting an interested audience, in terms of popularity and positioning. This year, its third year, is going to be the best edition. The Mediterrane Film Festival was the brain child of mine and I’m so excited to really keep growing it for the future, and I’m satisfied that the brand is being further developed and it keeps growing. It’s attracting audiences to Malta because at the end of the day, the festival is a strategic business tool for Malta to increase Malta as a filming destination. It helps attract more projects to Malta which will result in more jobs for Maltese crew. So in terms of the objectives, we are reaching those.

What other objectives are you looking to accomplish?

Our marketing aspects have different components, which are reaching audiences made up of producers, independent filmmakers, studio executives, financiers, decision-makers and others in helping bring them to Malta. We can, of course, reach out to them by going to Hollywood or places like the U.K. or other locations in Europe, but the other way is to invite audiences here. That way they can see our product up close and personally, they can visit the locations and dream about their projects that can be executed here.

We are known for our cash rebate, which we increased to 40 percent and it helped strengthen our position. We are also known for our water tanks and every time we get filmmakers here, they can actually see what we offer; it’s not just talk. What you see is what you get here. The Mediterrane Film Festival is a tool for reaching them. We are using this platform not to just discuss the art of film but to express a vision for further collaboration because film is a collaboration between different nations, different cultures. But we are also screening movies and encouraging the public to participate in those screenings, and as a result showing what are and culture provides to the world.

There are more Hollywood physical production executives on the ground this year than in any other edition of the festival. What are the conversations like with them?

This week, we are meeting executives for one-on-one meetings. It’s business-to-business to understand what their needs and experiences are, and we’re learning more about what types of projects they have so we can pitch to the studios, or we can show them what the potential is here. We can show them what Malta and the water can offer to their scripts. We’ve organized amazing location tours — of the sea and of the studios — so they can see for themselves. Malta can easily double for different countries, different cities. The missing part is that we don’t have soundstages. So, we are using this festival to reach out to potential investors because we now have a blueprint to finish. In Malta, there has been talk of a soundstage for at least 61 years, but it’s never been as close in terms of getting done as it is today.

As you mentioned, the soundstage has been a subject of conversation for decades, and there’s been some criticism over why it’s taken so long. Why?

There were no blueprints. But now we have blueprints and it’s going to be world-class with a vision for the next 400 years. You might tell me that it’s ambitious. Yes, I’m ambitious. I’m ambitious for our vision, our goals and our objectives. Our model is ready to be built. We’re using the Mediterrane Film Festival to attract investors to talk about our project so that it’s not just the government but also the private sector who will work to make it happen.

At one point, it was to be three soundstages?

Yes. When I became commissioner over seven years ago, I said that we were going to push for a master plan. And we did. We got our plans approved by the authorities. Part of that master plan was for the film studios to have a world-class soundstage because in order for us to compete, we have to have our own product that is world-class. Part of what makes us leaders is the incentives but it has to be the other services we offer and that infrastructure. So, the master plan includes not just a soundstage but also workshops, production offices, warehouses and other facilities required by productions. The soundstage will be located in a specific area of the studios, near the deep water tank. That’s why I say that what we’re building is setting the stage for the next 100 years so that future generations will benefit hugely from the infrastructure that we’re creating.

Since you came aboard in 2018, what would you say is your proudest accomplishment?

Seven years of turning the industry from a seasonal one to working all year round. It has become an economic powerhouse to our nation. In 2023, it was the best year ever in the story of filmmaking. We delivered 18 percent of our economic growth in the last five years and we sustained 15,000 jobs. In the last five years, the industry has generated over a billion euros in our economy. Today, we have more than 1,000 of our film workforce working all year round and more than 700 businesses. This has been an achievement. When I came here, I had people knocking on my door, telling me that they were jobless. “What are you going to do for me?” I said, “Give me time. We will rebuild and strengthen our product and we will get more films here.” We increased the cash rebate to 40 percent and then we issued a call for more Maltese to join the industry so that we could further upskill our crews. Under my administration, we got 169 productions. The last five years have generated a massive impact on the economy.

What would you say are your biggest challenges? I know there have been some budget controversies in recent years …

Our investments lead to bigger results. For example, for every euro that we invest in film, the film industry generates three back. Let me ask you a question: Would you invest $5 million to get $10 million?

The answer is yes.

The government is convinced of the investment because the return is so huge. For example, the government is getting more income in terms of tax contribution then it is investing. Would you invest more? Of course, the answer is yes. We are lucky that we have a government on our side. We are lucky that our government understands the film business. The figures are clear because it’s logical.

My cab driver said Malta is stressed because there are something like 30-45 new cars on the road each day with the influx of immigrants and new people coming to live here. Malta is a small country with a finite area of land, housing and resources. Do you worry about that?

There’s incredible interest in Malta but the management or the productions is key to our success. For example, we have seven productions currently. We can’t have 12. We can’t have three blockbusters at once. My job as the commissioner is not to lose any business but to attract business. We ensure that we don’t lose business so it’s all about mapping and planning. Planning is fundamental to the film commission. We work closely with studios and filmmakers to ensure that there’s a good plan and a good flow. We have many partners in the business and we wrote guidelines from a business and production point of view to ensure a smooth and successful experience for everyone.

I want to ask you a question regarding the centennial anniversary. I know this may be hard to pick since so many projects have filmed here over the years, but looking back over the 100 years, do you have a favorite film that shot in Malta or something that means a lot to you?

I will start with Gladiator and Jurassic World. I will also mention Munich, which was not made during my administration. I wish it was but it would be on my bucket list to get [Steven Spielberg] here again. Munich showed the world that Malta is so much more. We doubled as a location for six different countries. That, as well as Gladiator, positioned us on a global map.

When you pitch to filmmakers, what do you say that Malta can be subbed for?

Everything is important to us. Every film has its own art. We do talk about the versatility of the locations and we can offer southern France, the Middle East and recently we even substituted for Boston. We can do so many places, and that’s why the next step is the building of the soundstages so we can do many more.

What is your vision for the future of the Mediterrane Film Festival?

This is an important tool for Malta to reach out to the film community. It’s a platform for us to share with other nations and strengthen the film industry globally. Malta was always a bridge between continents, and the festival is a bridge for the film industry. This is just the start. My vision — again you may tell me that its ambitious but we dare to win — is to lead us into the next 100 years. It’s not just a legacy for us but we’re building something for the next generation to ensure that Maltese will not just have jobs but they will have careers in the film industry. We’re creating a foundation to ensure that we have a world-class film industry in Malta.

See below for scenes from inside the Mediterrane Film Festival’s sunset party at Saluting Battery on Saturday night.