Susan MeierThe film industry in Malta is a small yet famous sector of the Maltese economy. The Maltese islands have served as filming locations for many international movies. The latest Hollywood movie has just finished filming. The movie By The Sea is produced by Angelina Jolie, and she and her husband Brad Pitt are the two main leads. The movie is due to be released in 2015.
The movie had been shot over the last 9 weeks in Mġarr ix-Xini in Gozo, Malta’s sister island, and the second largest island in Malta. Jolie thanked the Gozitans for their hospitality and generosity, and she expressed gratitude to everyone who had been working on the movie.
By The Sea is not the first major Hollywood production in Malta, many other films have been filmed the sunny location in the Mediterranean. For example, the movie Clavius is being filmed in Malta this year. The bible drama features Tom Felton and Joseph Finnes in the lead roles.
One of the movie milestones for Malta was Popeye in the 1980’s. The film set that was built for the movie still exists today, and is used as a children’s theme park. The Popeye village has become a very popular tourist attraction, and it is worth visiting the colourful village which is located in a secluded bay in the north of Malta.
The film industry in Malta is growing, and more movies are being shot here every year. The island does not only offer clear waters, interesting landscapes, a warm climate and many historic sites, the island also has movie-friendly policies, and many filming companies offer a great variety of services, from location scouting and extras to underwater tanks and a submersible. I am looking forward to seeing this year’s movies in the cinema in Malta.
