The pristine Mediterranean waters of Malta will serve as the ideal backdrop for the new season of Bravo’s “Below Deck Mediterranean” which will be premiering next Monday, with Captain Sandy Yawn and 163-foot motor yacht “Home.”
Different from previous charter seasons, Sandy is working with a complex hybrid vessel making it more unpredictable to navigate. To ensure smooth sailing this year, Sandy brings on a trio of new department heads, but when surprising friction in the galley intensifies between the Chief Stew and Chef, who came onto the boat as colleagues and friends, tension permeates through the entire boat.
Meanwhile, the deck team faces an uphill battle when one crew member is unable to adapt to the high demands of Mediterranean superyachting, forcing others to pick up the slack. From difficult charter guests to roller-coaster “boatmances” and challenges with hierarchy on board, these yachties go to unthinkable lengths to survive the charter season.
“Bravo’s Below Deck Season 7 filmed on location in Malta will provide viewers with an excellent opportunity to see why Malta is a favorite hub for Mediterranean yachting,” said Michelle Buttigieg, Malta Tourism Authority Representative for North America, adding that “exploring the Maltese islands by yacht is like sailing through 7,000 years of history. With approximately 122 miles of Coastline, Malta’s clear blue sea allows yachting guests to enjoy beautiful, secluded beaches, an abundance of reefs, stunning caverns and caves.”
“Below Deck Mediterranean” is produced by 51 Minds with Nadine Rajabi, Jill Goslicky, Mark Cronin, Wes Denton, Shane Maroufkhani, Tania Hamidi, Christian Sarabia and Zachary Klein serving as executive producers.
Japanese Blockbuster shot in the Maltese IslandsOriginally a TV show on Japan’s Fuji Television, Confidence Man JP follows the comic journey of a scammer as she tries to make do with copious amounts of money from yakuza bosses and evil businessmen. It is a comedy-heist series, which goes down a treat with all those who watch it.
The movie is the third in its series and it promises to be a multi-billion blockbuster like its two predecessors, which were filmed in Hong Kong and Malaysia, and the fact that this movie was now filmed in Malta, with the Island appearing as itself, will help to expose the beauty of the country to Japanese, Chinese and South Korean Tourists.
“Having this movie shot in Malta is definitely a big plus for the Asian Market,” Mr Shingo Endo, VisitMalta’s Japan and South Korea representative said, adding that with group bookings scheduled to start in June 2022, “we will continue to use this movie and its success to promote the sheer beauty of the Maltese Islands, giving tourists the opportunity to visit the various sites which have been used for the filming of this production.”
Although the movie is currently set for Asian release, there are plans in the pipeline to have it also available on streaming platforms, especially after the recent success of non-mainstream productions in the English language on giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime.
The movie production received the support of the Malta Film Commission and of VisitMalta, who were crucial in organising the pre-production visit to the Maltese Islands, when the movie was still in its early stages.
Read the full article here: https://www.mta.com.mt/en/news-details/349
31 productions were filmed in Malta during the pandemic
The film industry in Malta generated €98 million between March 2020 and December 2021, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Malta Film Commission said on Tuesday.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 31 productions were filmed in Malta.
Film commissioner Johann Grech, speaking at the Malta Film Studios in Kalkara, said recent productions in Malta included feature films, television series, documentaries and reality shows.
Last year, a total of 22 productions took place on the island and generated €68 million for the economy.
He said that a cash rebate scheme managed by the commission had enabled foreign productions to benefit from a rebate of up to 40% of expenditure.
Read the full article here: https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/98-million-generated-by-the-local-film-industry-despite-the-pandemic.927106
Below Deck Mediterranean Crew Filming Next Season On Superyacht In Malta
The crew behind a popular maritime series have been spotted filming in Malta – and local fans most definitely noticed.
Below Deck and its various spinoffs, including Below Deck Mediterranean, have had viewers at the edge of their seats as drama unfolds around Captain Sandy and her crew as the rich and wealthy live out their best lives aboard glamorous superyachts around the world.
Though the newest season is all about Croatia, the crew was spotted by some keen-eyed Maltese fans doing some work while enjoying some sun and fun in Mellieħa.
The crew was seen aboard the superyacht, named HOME, whilst possibly shooting their next big scene. Sources have revealed that the crew will be shooting scenes across Malta, Gozo, and Comino in the coming weeks. The crew is also expected to dine at local restaurants.
Some local crew members are even working alongside the Below Deck Mediterranean team.
Below Deck is an American reality television series on Bravo that debuted in 2013. It shows the crew as they deal with their personal issues in order to make their professional careers work and can be streamed on Netflix!
‘To Catch a Spy’, Hallmark’s mystery film based in ‘beautiful Malta’ is now out‘To Catch a Spy’, a Hallmark TV film that takes place on our very own island with a host of Maltese actors, is out now.
The film was directed by Jeff Beesley and written by Rick Garman. It stars Nathalie Kelley, Patti Murin and Colin Donnell who referred to the country as “beautiful Malta”. Donnell and Murin are real-life husband and wife. They have one daughter.
It was filmed in various Maltese spots and a whopping 90% of the cast and crew were Maltese. The local talent included: Clare Agius, Michael Basmadjian, Gianni Selvaggi, Antonella Axisa, Becky Camilleri, Jonathan Dunn, Joe Azzopardi, Edward Thorpe, Erica Muscat, Paul Portelli and Michelle Martin.
The story kicks off with the arrival of a journalist Chloe (Kelley), who is covering the opening of a hotel in Malta. On her first night on the island, Chloe witnesses someone fall to their death, after hearing a fight happening in another room. The journalist starts to help an FBI agent (Donnell) to solve the mystery of what happened and to catch the killer.
To Catch A Spy had a budget of €2 million and it was produced by Agnes Bristow, Colin Azzopardi, Borga Dorter and associate producer Christopher Landry. The film premiered on 20th June.
This is the latest Hallmark original to film in Malta, following February’s Mix Up in the Mediterranean, which starred Jessica Lowndes and Jeremy Jordan.
Oscar-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix is set for a return to Malta next year to film ‘Kitbag’, the latest film by Ridley Scott about Napoleon and his rise from humble beginnings to emperor.
Phoenix had previously teamed up with Scott for 2000’s ‘Gladiator’, large parts of which were filmed in Malta.
Scott is the filmmaker behind Alien, Hannibal and Blade Runner while Phoenix has starred in Joker, Gladiator, and Hotel Rwanda among others.
The film’s title is derived from the saying “there is a general’s staff hidden in every soldier’s kitbag”.
While some industry sources have said that the film being shot in Malta isn’t a done deal, Scott himself has revealed that at least some parts of the film will be shot on the island.
Plans for this latest war epic have been underway for some time, with cinematographer Dariusz Adam Wolski having visited Malta in May to scout locations for the film. Wolski is known for his work on the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film series.
Kitbag was acquired by Apple Studios early this year with filming set to begin in early 2022.
The film’s screenplay was written by David Scarpa, who also wrote ‘All the Money’ – another film directed by Scott.
“Napoleon is a man I’ve always been fascinated by,” Scott had told the publication Deadline earlier this year. “He came out of nowhere to rule everything — but all the while he was waging a romantic war with his adulterous wife Josephine. He conquered the world to try to win her love, and when he couldn’t, he conquered it to destroy her, and destroyed himself in the process.”
Read the full article here: https://lovinmalta.com/lifestyle/film/gladiator-and-joker-star-joaquin-phoenix-to-return-to-malta-for-ridley-scotts-napoleon-epic-kitbag
Director of award-winning local movie plans his next movieLuzzu is a 2021 Maltese drama film directed and written by Alex Camilleri. The film stars Jesmark Scicluna, Michela Farrugia and David Scicluna. The film had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival in January 2021 and rave reviews, It is the first Maltese film ever to premiere at the prestigious Sundance Festival with Jesmark Scicluna, a real Maltese fisherman, winning Special Jury Award for his role in the film.
It depicts the homegrown tale of the two real fishermen as they come to terms with the hardships of their industry in the modern age, turning towards an illegal black market to care for their family and livelihood.
Director Alex Camilleri, is already planning his next feature based around Malta and he’s ready to show a completely different side to the country. He was tight-lipped on what the movie is about but hinted that it would be a far more happy tone to Luzzu.
Luzzu will get its first theatrical release in Malta on 8th September 2021, with a limited red carpet event taking place a few days earlier on 3rd September.
Did you know that Malta has been used as a filming location since 1925 and that more than 100 productions have been partially or fully shot here?
Popular productions filmed in Malta include:
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Midnight Express (1978)
Popeye (1980)
Clash of the Titans (1981)
Gladiator (2000)
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
Troy (2004), Munich (2005)
Game of Thrones (season 1: 2011 – 2019)
Kon-Tiki (2012)
Captain Philips (2013)
World War Z (2013)
By the Sea (2015)
Assassin’s Creed (2016)
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)
Queen of the South (2016–)
Hallmark rom-com filmed in Malta to premiere this month
In the Hallmark movie Mix Up in the Mediterranean, which was shot in its entirety in Malta, a small-town cook impersonates his big city chef twin to compete in a culinary contest and falls for the woman in charge of the event, who thinks he is the brother who is married.
The film is a Malta / Canada co-production between local producer Colin Azzopardi along with his Canadian colleague Leif Bristow. Colin organised and took care of all the Malta side of things whilst the post-production was done abroad. “We used various locations in Malta, but the main location was in and around the Phoenicia Hotel, who were extremely accommodating throughout the making of the film,” Colin says. Other locations included Merchant’s Street and Upper Barakka Gardens in Valletta, and Palazzo Parisio in Naxxar.
Read more: https://newsbook.com.mt/en/hallmark-rom-com-filmed-in-malta-to-premiere-this-month/?fbclid=IwAR2pPxBnEC9mpeWXIrHcaRGNTx3T9OyyhkW_h-PV1-bX030ReMKYsSbPHIA
Film about Great Siege shot in Malta now releasedA docudrama film by the name “God’s Soldiers” was the first major production to shoot and complete in Malta after the first wave of Covid-19. With an all-Maltese cast the production was shot in Turkey, England, Austria and Malta and was released in Austria in late 2020, according to IMDB. Most scenes were filmed in Malta, with an estimated investment of €322,000 here. The film received €80,000 in financial assistance from the Malta Film Fund.
IMDB defines the storyline as: “In the mid-16th Century, a long running conflict between two of the most powerful world religions is building up to a climactic battle in the Mediterranean for the very soul of Europe. Facing each other are two highly trained forces. The Knights of the Order of St. John, a small but formidable Christian military Order. And the Muslim Janissaries, the fearsome crack troops of the Sultan. The historic events are told through the eyes of a young Ottoman conscript and his future arch-rival, a novice Christian knight. From an early age, both are trained to fight in the name of God, and Allah.”
