The reasons for such an infatuation
Malta attracts film producers for many reasons. This success is largely due to the diversity of the seasons (desert in summer, lush green in winter and spring), 300 days of sunshine a year, and a variety of landscapes: the blue lagoon of Gozo and the islets of Comino and Cominotto, the wild beaches of Golden Bay and Ramla Bay, the Calypso cave, the ruined temples of Ggantija and the arid desert regions. Not to mention the presence of cities that have stood the test of time. From the modern setting of towns such as Sliema and St Julians, historical reconstructions are carried out with the camera in towns with ancient, baroque architecture, such as Mdina, Valletta and Victoria.
Maltese Productions
Although Maltese films do not enjoy international recognition, they do exist, and may well arouse the curiosity of film buffs. Among them is Angli: The Movie, a 2005 action feature directed by Mario Busietta and adapted from the TV series of the same name. It tells the story of two elite police officers, Anglu and Gabriel, who have to protect a high-tech piece of equipment being tested at Malta's international airport... Another example is Qerq, a thriller released in 2007.
Malta, a land of welcome for the shooting of many foreign films
While John Huston's The Maltese Falcon remains THE best-known film to come out of the archipelago - even though there's absolutely nothing Maltese about it - many other box-office hits have been filmed here. These include The Spy Who Loved Me in the James Bond series, Ridley Scott's Gladiator and Steven Spielberg's Munich. Great directors, then, but also great names from the world of cinema, such as Robin Williams in Robert Altman's Popeye , filmed in Anchor Bay, whose village, designed for the needs of the film, is now an amusement park. And let's not forget Brad Pitt in Troy, shot at Fort Rocasoli in 2004. The great American actor was also part of the impressive cast of Angelina Jolie's By the Sea, released in 2015. Shooting on this occasion disturbed the island of Gozo for almost 6 months, from the cliffs of Ta' Cenc to the bay of Mgarr Ix-Xini. Other world-famous films include Alan Parker's Midnight Express, which was banned from filming in Turkey, Louis Leterrier's Clash of the Titans, Ron Howard's Da Vinci Code and Alex Kurtzman's The Mummy . French productions include Le Comte de Montecristo starring Gérard Depardieu, with the treasure scene shot in the Santa Marija cave in Comino, Jérôme Salle's Largo Winch , shot partly in Malta, and Alain Chabat's Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra.
Malta and the series
It's not just feature films that benefit from the Maltese archipelago's precious setting, but also the filming of several TV series. These include Sinbad, a British TV series, and above all the hit series Game of Thrones, which has thrilled audiences around the world over 8 seasons. Numerous scenes were filmed in Malta, at Fort Manoel, in the craggy landscapes of Mtahleb, in the gardens and palaces of San Anton, but also in the vicinity of the superb Azure Window natural arch in Gozo, which unfortunately collapsed in 2017 following a storm.
