Ma jkunx biżżejjed li l-gvern ikeċċi lill-Kummissarju tal-Films, skont l-għaqda tal-produtturi tal-films lokali. Madankollu din it-talba ma tittrattax dwar is-suspett li Johann Grech – eks impjegat tal-Partit Laburista – kien apposta qed inaqqas in-numru ta’ fornituri biex hu jkun jista’ jgawdi direttament.

Diġà għandna problema bil-fatt li l-biċċa l-kbira tal-persuni mdaħħla fl-industrija tal-films kienu jokkupaw il-kariga ta’ Kummissarju tal-Films. M’hemmx dubju li biex tkun Kummissarju tal-Films ikun jeħtieġ li tkun tal-lant. U jekk tkun tal-lant iżda ma tibqax tokkupa l-kariga ta’ Kummissarju tal-Films, x’aktarx li ser tibqa’ taħdem fil-qasam tal-films.

Iżda jkun ta’ tħassib serju meta tara kariga bħal din tintuża (b’xi eċċezzjonijiet ‘l hawn u ‘l hinn) bħala għodda biex timbuttak ‘il quddiem u tqallgħek il-flus.

Diġà hu ħażin li qliegħ iseħħ wara li kummissarju jkun ħalla l-kariga. Iżda meta kummissarju fil-kariga jibda’ jagħżel il-klijenti għal sħabu u jnaqqas in-numru ta’ kompetituri, l-affarijiet ta’ bilfors jibdew jiddiġeneraw.

Sitwazzjoni bħal din mhux biss toħloq inġustizzja. Tgħolli wkoll il-prezzijiet bis-saħħa tal-fatt li t-tnaqqis fin-numru ta’ kompetituri għax-xogħol inaqqas il-kompetizzjoni u titnaqqas ukoll il-ħila tal-industrija Maltija li tattira aktar xogħol. In-numru ta’ persuni b’talent li jagħtu s-servizzi tagħhom lil produtturi tal-films internazzjonali li jkunu qed ifittxu lokalitajiet madwar id-dinja fejn ikunu jistgħu jaħdmu l-films, jonqos ukoll. Ta’ sikwit jiġri li dawn il-produtturi jfittxu l-esperjenza u l-ħiliet speċifiċi tas-sħab lokali tagħhom u li n-nepotiżmu li daħħal il-kummissarju preżenti wassal biex għamel il-ħsara lil dawk li l-qliegħ ta’ ħobżhom jiddependi min-negozju tal-films.

Rapport imxandar il-bieraħ minn The Shift News wera’ kif fl-2018 il-lista ta’ kumpanniji li jipproduċu l-films kien fiha 22 negozju. Fl-2020 din il-lista tnaqqset għal 7 biss. L-istqarrija tal-bieraħ tal-għaqda tal-produtturi tal-films tgħid li għadhom sal-lum skantati dwar kif nixfulhom l-ordnijiet filwaqt li oħrajn qed ifuru bix-xogħol.

L-indħil tal-gvern f’dan in-negozju huwa wieħed korrott, indipendentement dwar jekk Johann Grech daħħalx xi ħaġa f’butu jew le. Il-kriterji għall-eliġibiltà għandu jkun jaf bihom kulħadd u kulħadd għandu jingħata ċ-ċans li jaħdem biex jilħaq dawn il-kriterji u għaldaqstant il-gvern għandu jiftaħ il-lista ta’ fornituri għal kulħadd.

Hawn għandna skandlu ieħor ta’ korruzzjoni li jinvolvi persuna oħra li kienet attendiet għal dik il-famuża ikla tal-mafjużi madwar il-mejda ta’ Joseph Muscat u ta’ Keith Schembri. Ma’ dik l-istess mejda kien hemm ukoll Engelbert Grech. Dan kien il-kummissarju tal-films qabel tlaħħaq Johann Grech u ismu kien fil-lista qasira ta’ fornituri mbuttati minn Johann Grech mal-produtturi li jitħajjru jużaw lil Malta biex jinġibdu l-films.

Din hi l-istqarrija (bl-Ingliż) tal-għaqda tal-produtturi tal-films:

PRESS RELEASE MALTA PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION

The news today reported by The Shift News that the Malta Film Commission has been caught selectively promoting certain local film production companies to international producers to the exclusion of everyone else in the industry is shocking but hardly surprising. The writing has been on the wall for some time now with many industry stakeholders becoming increasingly concerned that the film industry seems to be doing well only for a chosen few. It should go without saying that the private sector must be allowed to function without any interference from partisan interests.

The fact that a government authority is willfully and maliciously interfering with the livelihoods of private citizens is corrupt and utterly unacceptable in a democratic nation in the EU. For years, producers and line producers have been calling for the system to return to being open and transparent, with a full, public directory of producers and other service providers being available online. The Malta Producers Association aligns itself with this call.

This is the system used the world over to ensure a level playing field for all stakeholders. It allows international filmmakers to collaborate with persons or companies based on their own research and due diligence. The Film Commission had, some years ago, inexplicably removed the existing online directory and replaced it with an opaque system it called ‘Opportunities For All’. To date no online directory has been uploaded.

It is bitterly ironic that despite its title the new system seems to have been designed to be an opportunity for the very few, determined privately and arbitrarily by the Film Commissioner, Johann Grech, who was appointed by the disgraced Konrad Mizzi. We have little doubt that the employees at Malta Film Commission are acting on specific instruction of Johann Grech.

This is a blatant abuse of his position and shamelessly distorts the market. It is a blatant violation of the rights of all producers to be given an equal opportunity to work and reveals his talk of providing Opportunities for All to be nothing but pure spin. That this is done in an industry where Malta’s reputation is paramount, makes his actions even more treacherous and deals yet another blow to Malta’s reputation in an industry which is so sensitive to the exercise of good practice and good governance.

With Johann Grech caught in flagrante, the MPA demands his immediate resignation and failing that, we call for his immediate removal by the Minister for Tourism, Julia Farrugia Portelli, who is responsible for the film industry. Furthermore, we demand the immediate return of the online directory listing all film personnel. There is no doubt that the film industry will suffer a loss of confidence as a result of today’s revelations but the recovery can begin today on the basis of swift, decisive and uncompromising action to get the industry back on track and moving once more in the right direction.

Finally, we would like to thank the independent media for their tireless and often thankless work in holding power to account and bringing corruption to the attention of the public and relevant authorities. The only way to combat this kind of institutional corruption is to shine a bright light on it and we urge anyone who has more information on this or any other wrongdoing to find the courage to step forward. Together we can fight this and ensure that the film industry really does provide ‘opportunities for all’ those who hold the industry at heart and are seeking to build a free, fair and sustainable career in the film industry.