The long read · Maltese cinema
The Island That Plays the World: Maltese Cinema and Its Stars
Malta has played Rome, Troy, King’s Landing and a Turkish prison, and in recent years it has begun to tell its own stories too. Here is the story of cinema on the islands, and where to watch.
Updated October 2026
From the water tanks to Luzzu
In 1964 Malta Film Studios opened at Kalkara, on the Grand Harbour, built around great water tanks that meet the sea at the horizon. Its tanks have staged sea battles and shipwrecks for productions from Troy to Gladiator, and the islands’ forts and golden-stone towns have stood in for Rome, Troy and Istanbul.
Maltese film-makers now tell their own stories. Rebecca Cremona’s Simshar (2014), a drama of a fishing family, was Malta’s first submission for the Oscar, and Alex Camilleri’s Luzzu (2021), about a fisherman and his wooden boat, took the islands to Sundance, where its lead, Jesmark Scicluna, won a special jury award for acting.
Must-watch films
For Malta on screen, start with these, and read our back story on Malta on film.
- Simshar (2014): Rebecca Cremona’s sea drama, Malta’s first Oscar submission.
- Luzzu (2021): Alex Camilleri’s portrait of a Marsaxlokk fisherman, a Sundance prize-winner.
- Popeye (1980): Robert Altman’s musical, whose village still stands at Anchor Bay.
- Gladiator (2000): Ridley Scott’s epic, partly filmed at Fort Ricasoli.
- Gladiator II (2024): Scott’s return to Rome, built again in Malta.
Malta on film: King’s Landing, Gladiator and Popeye Village
The names
The people behind Malta’s own cinema.
- Rebecca Cremona: director of Simshar, the film that opened Malta’s Oscar story.
- Alex Camilleri: Maltese-American director of Luzzu.
- Jesmark Scicluna: a real fisherman who won a Sundance acting award for Luzzu.
- The crews of Malta Film Studios: the craftspeople who build Rome and Troy on the islands.
Where to watch in Malta
Films in Malta are shown in their original language, usually English. Eden Cinemas is in St Julian’s, the Embassy Cinemas in Valletta and the Citadel Cinema in Victoria on Gozo. The Malta Film Commission promotes the islands to productions, and you may well walk past a film set in Valletta or Mdina.
Our advice: see the locations in a day, Mdina in the morning and Popeye Village after lunch, then catch an evening film in St Julian’s.
Eden Cinemas Embassy Cinemas Citadel Cinema Popeye Village
Hidden on the silver screen: international productions filmed in Malta
Beyond the films in our Malta on film back story, the islands have played many other places.
- Midnight Express (1978), Valletta: Fort St Elmo stood in for the Turkish prison of Alan Parker’s drama.
- Troy (2004), Kalkara: Fort Ricasoli became the walls of Troy for Brad Pitt’s Achilles.
- Munich (2005), Valletta: Steven Spielberg used Malta’s streets for several European cities.
- Gladiator II (2024), Kalkara: Ridley Scott rebuilt ancient Rome at Fort Ricasoli and Malta Film Studios.
Malta and the world
Few countries so small have appeared in so many films. Malta’s forts, harbours and sea tanks have served Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg and the makers of Game of Thrones, and a new generation of Maltese directors, trained at home and abroad, is building a national cinema alongside the international productions.
Questions and answers
Which films were shot in Malta?
Among many: Popeye, Midnight Express, Gladiator, Troy, Munich, Captain Phillips, World War Z, Gladiator II and the first season of Game of Thrones.
What was Malta’s first Oscar submission?
Rebecca Cremona’s Simshar, in 2014.
Join the conversation
Which film shot in Malta, or Maltese film, do you love most? Share your favourite scenes and the locations we should add.
- Loading the conversation…
Sources: the Malta Film Commission, Malta Film Studios, Visit Malta, the Sundance Institute and the Times of Malta / MaltaToday archives, checked on 6 November 2026. The trailers are from Kino Lorber’s, Simshar’s and Paramount’s official channels.