Film Commission blocks Fort Ricasoli rental contracts

The Film Commission turned down The Shift’s request for a copy of lease contracts entered into with Hollywood producers for the use of Fort Ricasoli, claiming the information is classified and “sensitive”.

The commission confirmed that it is leasing out Fort Ricasoli despite lacking the title to do so. It was recently used as a film set for Gladiator II.

Opposition spokesperson Julie Zahra asked a number of parliamentary questions seeking information on the historic fort’s title, its regular lease to international film producers, who receives the funds and which government entity they go to.

Lands Authority Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi and Culture Minister Owen Bonnici ignored all of these questions, saying only that the Film Commission has no title and discussions are “in an advanced stage” to give it a title to manage the fort. The “advanced discussions” have been ongoing since 2020.

In a new attempt to obtain the requested information, The Shift submitted a Freedom of Information request for a copy of the lease contracts with which the Film Commission rented out the fort to Hollywood producers and others. Under normal circumstances, these leases should have amounted to hundreds of thousands of euro in income.

Film Commissioner Johann Grech denied the request, claiming that the contracts contain “sensitive information”.

Funds claimed to be paid by Hollywood producers to rent historic public property do not appear in the Film Commission’s published accounts.

According to the latest available accounts dating back to 2022, the only income claimed by the commission is an annual government subvention and proceeds from its tank facilities in Kalkara.

The accounts are verified by independent auditors Grant Thornton and do not mention any other income from the lease of the fort. They are currently under the scrutiny of the public accounts committee (PAC).

Grech was a marketing manager for disgraced former prime minister Joseph Muscat. Under his tenure, the Film Commission has spent millions in unaccounted-for public funds, mostly on the commissioner’s own publicity events, including millions spent on the Malta Film Awards and on the Mediterrane Film Festival.

Grech and the culture minister refuse to release data on how Grech used public funds.

Most of the millions spent were allocated through direct orders to contractors who supply the Labour Party with its logistics during electoral campaigns.