New film minister dodges all scrutiny as parliament stonewalled on Film Commission spending

The government’s new Minister for Arts, Culture and National Heritage, Malcolm Paul Agius Galea, has declined to answer a series of parliamentary questions seeking detailed information on millions of euro in public spending by the Malta Film Commission, postponing every reply despite growing scrutiny of the sector.

In what marked the first parliamentary test of the minister since assuming political responsibility for the film industry, Opposition MP and the PN’s new spokesperson for the sector, Marilena Gauci, tabled six detailed parliamentary questions covering the Film Commission’s finances, the controversial film rebate scheme, the Mediterrane Film Festival and other publicly funded initiatives.

However, rather than providing any substantive information, the minister responded to every question with the same stock formula: ‘The reply will be given in another sitting.’

The unanswered questions sought annual fiscal balances of the Malta Film Commission between 2018 and 2025, including details of a negative balance recorded in 2024, a comparative analysis of Malta’s film rebate scheme against competing European and Mediterranean jurisdictions, and the total amount of public funds paid as rebates to foreign productions over the past five years, including how much ultimately went to companies registered outside Malta.

Gauci also requested a full itemised breakdown of expenditure for the 2025 and 2026 editions of the Mediterrane Film Festival, including every individual contract awarded and its value.

Further questions sought to establish the exact date on which the tender for organising the 2025 festival was awarded, amid ongoing concerns about procurement practices, as well as the remuneration paid to the presenter of this year’s Golden Bee Awards and the process by which the presenter was selected.

The parliamentary questions come amid mounting concerns over transparency and accountability at the Malta Film Commission, headed by Film Commissioner Johann Grech.

In recent months, The Shift revealed that the public tender for organising the 2026 Mediterrane Film Festival mysteriously increased by around €1 million after the general elections, with the recommended contract rising to approximately €4.4 million despite the bidder’s original financial offer being significantly lower.

The Mediterrane Film Festival has become one of the government’s most expensive annual cultural events while operating with limited public disclosure of its expenditure and procurement.

The multi-million-euro tenders for the  2025 and 2026 editions were both given to the same company –  Greatt Company Ltd – which also received public funds for its local TV productions.