MAJOR FILM TO BE SHOT IN MALTA

Mr. Karmenu Vella, Minister of Tourism and the Self Employed had a meeting with Mr. Branco Lustig and Mr. Michael Grillo  who were in Malta to finalize discussions about the shooting  of ‘Gladiator’ an epic film with a script based on the life of Commodus, a Roman Emperor.

The Budget for this film is around 120 million dollars.  Huge sets including a replica of the Colosseo and parts of ancient Rome will be built in Malta by a local work force of around 200 tradesmen..  A good number of extras are expected to be engaged for part of the film  which will be shot in Malta. The whole  project will take about 33 weeks to  complete.

Mr. Branco Lustig, the producer of this film was the Co-Producer together with Steven Spielberg of “Schindlers List” while Mr. Michael Grillo is an executive of Dreamworks Company  owned by Steven Spielberg.

Malta is considered as an ideal location for the film industry with its climate stability, facilities and tradesmen.

During their talks Minister Vella and Mr. Branco Lustig also discussed the setting up of a Film Commission in Malta.