The Mini-Hollywood of the Mediterranean”: Strategies and Potentialities of Film Industry in Malta

Teresa Graziano

doi:10.6092/issn.2036-5195/4954

Authors

Teresa Graziano University of Sassari

Teresa Graziano, PhD in Geography at the University of Catania (Italy), was visiting fellow at the Royal Holloway - University of London as well as at the Fondation Maison Sciences de l’Homme in Paris. She is currently working within a three-years project about cultural and creatives industries at the University of Sassari (Italy), as well as a researcher within a regional-funded project about Smart City at the University of Catania, where she also collaborates with the Chair of Geography of Tourism.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2036-5195/4954

Keywords:

Malta, Mediterranean Settings, Movie Tourism, Film Industry, Film Commission

Abstract

This paper aims at evaluating the impact of film industry on local economy and territorial attractiveness of Malta. The Mediterranean archipelago has resulted to be one of the preferred film locations in Europe, thanks to the versatility of its natural and urban landscapes but above all the official support given by institutional players through the creation of bodies such as the Malta Film Commission. Thus, the paper deepens the strategies developed on the institutional level to support the film industry, by underlining both the achievements and the still enduring contradictions. It also aims at evaluating whether Malta’s reputation as the “mini-Hollywood of the Mediterranean” has also produced an increase in movie tourists.

References

ALLEN P. (2014). Malta: A truly magnificent destination for film makers. The Malta Business Weekly, July 10, p. 7.

BEETON S. (2001). Smiling for the Camera: The Influence of Film Audiences on a Budget Tourism Destination. Tourism Culture and Communication, 3, 1, pp. 15-25.

BEETON S. (2005). Film-Induced Tourism, Clevedon: Channel View Publications.

CAMILLERI I. (2014). Work starts for Jolie film at Mġarr ix-Xini, July 4, http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140704/local/Work-starts-for-Jolie-film-at-M-arr-ix-Xini.526213

CAUCHI C. (2013). Mapping Film Education and Training on the Island of Malta, 45-66. In Hjort M., The Education of the Filmaker in Europe, Australia, and Asia. London: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 45-66.

CIA, The World Factbook (2014), https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mt.html.

CIRELLI C., GIANNONE M., NICOSIA E. eds. (2013), Percorsi creativi di turismo urbano. I luoghi dell’entertainment nella città del tempo libero. Bologna: Patron.

CLARKE D. ed. (1997). The Cinematic City. London and New York: Routledge.

CREATIVE ECONOMY WORKING GROUP (2012). A report on Malta’s Creative Economy and a strategy for the Cultural and Creative Industries. Ministry of Finance, the Economy and Investment Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Environment, www.creativemalta.gov.mt.

DELL’AGNESE E. (2006). Cinema e didattica della geografia. In Rossi, B. (ed.), Geografia e storia nel cinema contemporaneo. Percorsi curriculari di area storico-geografico-sociale. Milano: Cuem, pp. 63-73.

ECCARDT T. (2005). Secrets of the Seven Smallest Microstates in Europe. New York: Hippocrene Books Inc.

EUROSCREEN (2013). The Attraction of Screen Destinations - Case Studies 2013. London: Film London and the EuroScreen Partnership.

GALEA DEBONO F. (2005a). Bid to develop a film industry in Malta, July 15, http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20050715/local/bid-to-develop-a-film-industry-in-malta.84123.

GALEA DEBONO F. (2005b). Malta's movie industry, October 1, http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20051001/local/maltas-movie-industry.76723.

GIBBS, J. (2002). Mise-en-scène: film style and interpretation. New York: Columbia.

GOLD J.R., & GOLD M.M. (2013). The field and the frame: landscape, film and popular culture. In HOWARD P., THOMPSON I., WATERTON E., The Routledge Companion to Landscape Studies (210-219). London and New York: Routledge.

GOUNDRY N. (2012). Malta Film Commission awarded EU funds to help boost film crew base, 16 October, http://www.thelocationguide.com/blog/2012/10/malta-film-commission-awarded-eu-funds-to-help-boost-film-crew-base/.

GRAZIANO T. (2011). Il cineturismo in Basilicata. Rappresentazioni di paesaggi ed effetti turistici. In CANNIZZARO S., (ed.), Per una Geografia del turismo. Temi, ricerche e casi di studio in Italia (139-154). Bologna: Patron.

GROENENDYCK K.L. (2000). The importance of vision: Persuasion and the Picturesque, Rhetoric society Quarterly, 30, pp. 9-28.

GUEST V. (1968). Sun Shines on Filmakers, Times of Malta, October 26.

HARPER G., RAYNER J. eds. (2010). Cinema and Landscape, Bristol: Intellect.

HUDSON S., BRENT RITCHIE J.R. (2006). Promoting Destinations via Film Tourism: An Empirical Identification of Supporting Marketing Initiatives. Journal of Travel Research, 44, pp. 387–396.

JEWELL B., MCKINNON S. (2008). Movie Tourism—A New Form of Cultural Landscape?. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 24, 2-3, pp. 153-162.

KAIKATI A.M., KAIKATI J.G. (2004). Stealth Marketing: How to Reach Consumers Surreptitiously. California Management Review, 46, 4, pp. 6-22.

KARRH J.A., MCKEE K.B. PARDUN C.J. (2003). Practitioners’ Evolving Views on Product Placement Effectiveness. Journal of Advertising Research, 43, 2, pp. 138-49.

KIM H., RICHARDSON S.L. (2003). Motion Picture Impacts on Destination Images. Annals of Tourism Research, 30, 1, pp. 216-37.

LUKINBEAL C. (2005). Cinematic landscapes. Journal of Cultural Geography, 23, pp. 3-22.

LYNCH, K. (1960). The image of the city. Boston: The M.I.T. Press.

MALTA FILM COMMISSION (2014). Malta. Where stories are told. www.mfc.com.mt.

MALTA TOURISM AUTHORITY (2014). Tourism in Malta Edition 2014. Valletta: Malta Tourism Authority.MILLER R. (2005).

Production Financing: The Joy of Tax. Screen International, April 1, 15.

MINISTRY FOR TOURISM, CULTURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT (2012). Tourism Policy for The Maltese Islands 2012-2016. www.tourism.gov.mt.

MORGAN N., PRITCHARD A. (1998). Tourism Promotion and Power: Creating Images, Creating Identities. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons.

NICOSIA E. (2012). Cineturismo e territorio. Un percorso attraverso i luoghi cinematografici. Bologna: Patron.

PACE R. (2006). Malta and EU Membership: overcoming vulnerabilities, strengthening resistance. Journal of European Integration, 28, 1, pp. 33-49.

PECKHAM R.S. (2004). Landscape in Film. In Duncan, J.S., Johnson, N.C., Schein, R.H., eds., A companion to Cultural Geography (420-429). Oxford: Blackwell.

RILEY R., BAKER D., VAN DOREN C.S. (1998). Movie Induced Tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 25, 4, pp. 919-35.

RINGER G. ed. (2013). Destinations: Cultural Landscapes of Tourism. Routledge: London and New York.

ROSENTHAL D. (2002). The Island of Everywhere. Times of London, April 19. Retrived in http://www.pcpmalta.com/malta-film-industry-article-the-island-of-everywhere.html

SCERRI-FERRANTE M. (2011a). A turning point for the Maltese film industry. 19 Oct 2011 http://www.thelocationguide.com/blog/2011/10/a-turning-point-for-the-maltese-film-industry/.

SCERRI-FERRANTE M. (2011b). Malta – a small island with a big film industry. 18 Feb 2011 http://www.thelocationguide.com/blog/2011/02/malta-a-small-island-with-a-big-industry/

TIMES OF MALTA (2010). Unprecedented growth for Malta's film industry, July 21, http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100721/local/unprecedented-growth-for-maltas-film-industry.318866.

TIMES OF MALTA (2014). Film Commission in marketing offensive, May 14, http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140514/local/film-commission-in-marketing-offensive.519001.

TURRI E. (1998). Il paesaggio come teatro. Dal territorio vissuto al territorio rappresentato. Venezia: Marsilio.

URRY J. (1990). The Tourist Gaze. London: Sage.

The Mini-Hollywood of the Mediterranean”: Strategies and Potentialities of Film Industry in Malta

Authors

DOI:

Keywords:

Abstract

References

Downloads

Published

How to Cite

Issue

Section

License

Language

Information

Current Issue

Keywords