The Malta Film Commission has just updated its website with a detailed timeline of theatrically released films (not television) made in Malta. This list reveals that at least 100 feature films in a span of 86 years have been shot in Malta either entirely or partially, with the earliest known film going back as far as 1925 with ‘Sons of the Sea’ directed by H. Bruce Woolfe. Jean Pierre Borg, film enthusiast and administrator for facebook page ‘Filmed in Malta’ was responsible for researching, checking and compiling this list with the assistance of the Malta Film Commission. Film Commissioner, Peter Busuttil advises that “although every attempt has been made to ensure that this list is up to-date, it is possible that it may be somewhat incomplete and we urge the general public to email the MFC at info@mfc.com.mt [1], if they happen to know of any other feature film (not TV) that has been shot in Malta in the past to ensure that it gets added to the list.”
Recent additions to the list include: ‘Kon-Tiki,’ the true story about legendary explorer Thor Heyerdahl and his epic crossing of the Pacific on a balsa wood raft in 1947; ‘World War Z,’ Max Brooks’ epic tome of a fictional time of global war against the undead is brought to life; ‘Die Männer der Emden,’ the story of a journey, halfway around the globe and the existential experiences of fifty-two men on a desperate dash home; and ‘Astérix et Obélix: Au Service de Sa Majesté’ based on the original ’60s French comic books by Goscinny and Uderzo another sequel to box office hits Astérix and Obélix vs. Caesar (1999) and Astérix and Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre (2002).
On this list anyone can also expect to find a number of well-known box-office hits and hollywood movies such as: The Devil’s Double, Agora, Largo Winch, The Da Vinci Code, Open Water 2: Adrift, Munich, A Different Loyalty, Troy, Alexander, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Count of Monte Cristo, Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre, U-571, Gladiator, White Squall, Cutthroat Island, Christopher Columbus: The Discovery, Les 1001 Nuits, Erik the Viking, Black Eagle, Pirates, Clash of the Titans, Popeye, Force 10 from Navarone, Midnight Express, Orca, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, Shout at the Devil, Casino Royale and The Bedford Incident, to mention a few. While many film lovers are familiar with the most popular films, the updated list features as well three previously unknown silent films, which had some scenes shot in Malta in the 1920s.
As a result of these film productions, Malta has hosted a number of movie stars who have worked here at one time or another such as and including a long list of A listers: Gérard Depardieu, Brad Pitt, Rachel Weisz, Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Sharon Stone, Rupert Everett, Orlando Bloom, Sean Connery, Jim Caviezel, Madonna, Matthew McConaughey, Harvey Keitel, Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Jeff Bridges, Geena Davis, Tom Selleck, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Elizabeth Hurley, Tim Robbins, John Cleese, Mickey Rooney, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Robin Williams, Jane Seymour, Roger Moore, Paul Newman, Peter O’Toole, Joan Collins, Michael Caine, Richard Attenborough and hundreds of others.
Details of some of the films can be found here [2].
Learn more about films shot in Malta from 1925 to modern times at the Malta Film Commission’s website www.mfc.com.mt [3].