Producers and directors find in Malta a well-developed infrastructure and several local production houses attuned to Hollywood’s needs.
Malta Film Studios (now operating under the auspices of the Screen Malta brand) is the islands’ main production facility. It has been operating since 1964 and has serviced over 200 productions, starting with the Cold War naval drama The Bedford Incident (1964).
The facility is particularly sought-after for its capacity to create water special effects, featuring one indoor tank and two of the world’s largest exterior water tanks, each with a natural horizon due to their coastal location.
These include a shallow 91m by 122m tank that is immune from tides and stormy weather, blending with the horizon to give audiences the illusion of action taking place miles out to sea, with no need for special effects. It has been used on productions like Cutthroat Island (1995) and Captain Phillips (2013).
The oval-shaped deep tank goes down to a depth of 11m, and has mainly been used for underwater filming. Unique in the world, the 107m by 49m tank can also simulate a horizon effect by overspilling, although storm effects are limited.
