Film Commissioner does not even bother to respect FOI deadlines

Transparency in public life is not a luxury; it is the bedrock of democratic accountability. And yet, in Malta, the very authority entrusted with championing the country’s film industry is unwilling to provide even the most basic details of how millions in taxpayers’ money have been spent.

A straightforward request was made under Malta’s Freedom of Information Act: a list of payments made to all award winners and the festival director for the 2024 edition of the Mediterrane Film Festival, complete with dates, amounts, beneficiaries, and the stated purpose.

The law is crystal clear – 20 working days to respond, with a maximum extension of 40 for particularly complex requests.

On 8 April, the Film Commission claimed it required more time. Since then, nothing. Silence.

This silence is unlawful. The Commission, under the leadership of Johann Grech, has disregarded its legal obligation to respond, and this is not the first time.

The Commissioner has always shown a strong resistance to accountability. Instead, what the public receives are glossy reports commissioned by the Commissioner itself – documents designed less to illuminate than to justify.

Meanwhile, award winners from last year’s festival confirm they are still waiting to be paid. That such basic obligations remain unmet more than a year on is scandalous. It should not fall to journalists to extract these truths. The government should be disclosing them as a matter of course.

And yet, another edition of the festival has come and gone, with even more extravagant spending. Malta’s taxpayers are told this is an exercise in promoting the island’s film industry. But to many observers, it looks less like a cultural strategy and more like a vanity project – lavish productions intended to polish the reputations of Johann Grech and, by extension, the government he serves.

The Shift has revealed that the tender for the 2025 Mediterrane Film Festival was awarded after the event was concluded. The Film Commission and those awarded the contract have denied this. But official records prove otherwise, as the tender document reveals, below.

The longer the Commission resists scrutiny, the more corrosive the suspicion becomes.

Opposition voices have not been silent. ADPD Deputy Chair Carmel Cacopardo formally requested an investigation by the Auditor General, pointing out that such spending, formalised only after the event, amounts to a scandalous disregard for proper financial oversight.

Meanwhile, awardees from the 2024 events remain unpaid more than a year later. This is not a minor lapse, but a fundamental breach of fairness and responsibility. Given these failures, the continued silence from the Commission and its reluctance to submit to routine transparency breeds nothing but public mistrust.

If Malta genuinely wishes to promote its film industry, let it do so with honesty, integrity, and respect for the rule of law. Anything less is an affront to public trust—and to the art it purports to serve.

The Shift has filed a complaint with the Information and Data Protection Commissioner to investigate.