The Maltese landscape and government incentives for foreign productions have both been credited for the development of the Maltese film industry. Malta first began hosting and servicing foreign productions as early as the 1920s.
Malta Film Studios was established in 1964 to facilitate water-based film projects by using a large
water tank adjacent to the horizon, and the studio eventually came to be operated by the Maltese government. A second tank was made for the 1980 film
Raise the Titanic. In 1999, the
Malta Film Commission was established to support the Maltese film servicing industry. Malta began offering cash rebates for local expenditures to film crews in the country in 2005. Several high-profile productions have filmed in Malta, including
Gladiator,
Munich,
''Assassin's Creed, and
Murder on the Orient Express''. Malta is also home to the
Kinemastik film festival. The variety of landscapes in Malta allows it to serve as an alternative production location for several countries.
Valletta, the capital of Malta, has been used to portray Israel in
World War Z, Turkey in
Midnight Express, and Peru in
Kon-Tiki, among other locations.
Maltese architecture has also allowed productions to use the country for projects set in Rome, such as
Munich and
Gladiator, or projects set in the 18th and 19th centuries, such as
The Count of Monte Cristo. Malta is a common filming location for
epics, such as
Troy,
Agora, and
Game of Thrones. Malta's prominence as a filming location has resulted in significant film tourism. As tourism makes up a significant component of
Malta's economy, this has brought significant economic benefits for the country. Following the production of
Popeye, the village constructed for the film was converted into the
Popeye Village amusement park. Other popular film tourist destinations in Malta include several forts and beaches were major productions were filmed, as well as the facilities of the Mediterranean Film Studios. == See also ==