Films, TV Series and adverts in MaltaMalta is a spectacular location for the movies
Why Malta?
Malta has an enormous variety of indoor and outdoor shooting locations. With 356 churches, several rocky and sandy beaches, little towns, villages and a rich history of successors, all leaving their fingerprints on the landscape and the architecture of the island. Many European and Arabic influences ensure a unique style for any production!
Malta can provide you with locations, representing each era in history, from Stone Age temples, over Renaissance palaces to World War II relics, from the era of Industrialisation to the Modern Age of Globalisation and anything in between.
Located in the middle of the Mediterranean, Malta has always attracted visitors from all over the world. Our community of multicultural screen talent is a testament to that.
The Most Famous Movies and TV Series Filmed in Malta
Visiting Malta gives you the unique opportunity to be in the same place where some of the biggest movie blockbusters and legendary TV series were shot. The small Mediterranean archipelago is renowned for its gorgeous natural landscapes and imposing architecture that save film production companies the hassle of building new sets.
If you want to walk on the same streets as your favourite actors or movie characters did, you can use this guide to the most visited movie locations in Malta that filming companies, such as Motion Blur, frequently use. Here are a few of the most famous movies and TV series filmed in Malta!
Assassin’s Creed (2016)
This adventure flick starring Michael Fassbender is a movie adaptation of the famous video game series by the same name. Since the action takes place in medieval times, the video production company needed locations that would match that era’s architecture. They found them at Fort Ricasoli in Kalkara.
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)
Filming an action-packed thriller in a studio Malta does not have to include the most famous places on the island, as this release from director Michael Bay proves. This movie has many of its car chases, shootings and nail-biting scenes filmed on the streets of Attard and Mosta where the producers created jaw-dropping special effects.
Queen of the South (2016–)
This TV series starring Alice Braga delves into the dark world of drug trafficking and the reckless lives that people in this business have to endure. While most of the action of the series takes place in the U.S. and Mexico, some of its scenes have been filmed in Malta.
For a few episodes in the 3rd season, the entire crew spent a whole week shooting action scenes in Fort St. Elmo. The imposing structure hosts numerous filming projects that range from small music video production to big-budgeted Hollywood blockbusters.
By the Sea (2015)
Brad Pitt should know Malta by heart by now, considering that he returns here every couple of years to shoot another movie. This time, his former wife Angelina Jolie brought him for the 2015 drama By the Sea, which was filmed almost entirely in Gozo. While the film did not score big at the box office, it helped Malta’s second-largest island to benefit from video marketing and a significant rise in tourism.
Captain Phillips (2013)
Malta is a tiny country, but its ancient harbours offer the perfect locations for productions to set up their stories. Many of them choose to shoot their sea adventures, battles and thrillers making the islands top-list choices for every kind of movie taking place at sea.
A good example of Malta’s perfect setting for sea epics is Captain Phillips, which was nominated for six Oscars in 2013. The movie’s director Paul Greengrass chose the Grand Harbour in Senglea and the Freeport Terminals in Birżebbuġa and Marsaxlokk as defining locations for the thriller that is based on actual events.
World War Z (2013)
This zombie apocalypse starring Brad Pitt has multiple scenes showing the city of Jerusalem being attacked by hordes of the undead. The images are epic and frightening, but a closer look will reveal that the City of Peace is, in fact, Valletta, the capital of Malta.
As it stands, filming in Fort St. Elmo is much cheaper and safer than in Israel. The production company of World War Z chose the remarkable military structure built by the Order of St. John to film exteriors resembling Jerusalem buildings.
Kon-Tiki (2012)
Inspired by true events, this Oscar-nominated film tells the story of legendary explorer Thor Heyerdahl who attempted to cross the Pacific on a small raft in 1947, to prove that Polynesia was colonised by South Americans many millennia ago.
Almost the entire film takes place at sea. The production behind this movie depiction of the courageous Norwegian explorer scouted for the best maritime scenery. Needless to say, the neon-blue waters surrounding Malta made it into the movie.
Game of Thrones (2011 – 2019)
Game of Thrones in Malta contributed to the series’ worldwide popularity and unanimous appraisal. The film production studios knew that one of the biggest sensations in the history of TV series needed to impress from its very first season. Their decision to shoot in the Maltese islands proved to be a major success.
Some of the easiest recognisable Game of Thrones filming locations in Malta include the ancient city of Mdina, St Dominic’s Convent in Rabat, and the Mtaħleb cliffs. The impressive architecture of Verdala Palace, Buskett Gardens, Fort Manoel, San Anton Palace and its Gardens offered the ideal settings for crucial scenes that take place in the series’ medieval-like world.
Unfortunately, the well-known location where Khal Drogo and Daenerys Targaryen tie the knot in season 1 of Game of Thrones no longer exists. The Azure Window in Gozo collapsed in 2017.
Munich (2005)
You might remember this action-packed flick from Steven Spielberg that places its action all over 1970s’ Europe. In reality, apart from a few scenes shot in New York and Tel Aviv, almost 90% of the movie was shot in Malta where experienced filming crews are more affordable, locations are close by and the sunshine is guaranteed.
In this film, the Republic Square in Valletta stands in for Athens, a hotel in Buġibba is the location of the infamous Olympic Hotel in Munich, and other iconic locations in Rabat and Valletta stand for Rome. You can see most of them during a peaceful stroll through Malta’s capital. This way, you can see the hassle that a film production house goes through to make a setting believable for movie audiences.
Troy (2004)
Malta landscapes seem to be a key ingredient in movies that deal with ancient and medieval scenarios. The beautiful scenery of the Blue Lagoon in Comino and the Mellieħa beaches are just two examples that made it into the 2004 big-budget production of Troy. The film starring Brad Pitt and Eric Bana also contains scenes shot in the imposing Fort Ricasoli whose limestone gateway serves as the impenetrable entrance of the ancient Trojan city.
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
This film adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ famous novel stars Jim Caviezel and Guy Pierce in a thrilling adventure directed by Kevin Reynolds. While the action takes place in France and Italy, most of the scenes have the Maltese stamp.
If you watch this movie after travelling to Malta, you will recognise landmarks from Valletta in the movie events that supposedly happen in Marseille. The same thing goes for the Comino Tower, which in the film is Château d’If, and for Mdina, which was made to pass for Venice.
Gladiator (2000)
The epic movie starring Russell Crowe as a Roman general turned gladiator features iconic scenes that were filmed in Malta. The production studio chose Fort Ricasoli in Kalkara and the old port of Vittoriosa as locations depicting ancient Rome. You can visit these locations included in the Oscar-winning blockbuster.
Clash of the Titans (1981)
The Azure Window of Gozo crashed into the sea in 2017. Fortunately, the magnificent structure lived long enough to be captured in memorable movies like the Clash of the Titans. This 1981 production may seem a bit outdated today due to its plastic special effects, but at the time of its release, it was a remarkable example of audacious filmmaking.
Popeye (1980)
Back in the 1980s, Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney Productions built a whole village in Anchor Bay, to film Popeye, which was directed by Robert Altman and starred Robin Williams.
The quaint village is still standing and you can visit a fun amusement park built on the former set of the movie. Popeye Village, with its vividly coloured, houses that formed Sweethaven in the famous comedy flick makes for an entertaining day-trip for the whole family.
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
This James Bond movie starring Roger Moore as the popular 007 agent had many of its scenes shot in and around Malta. Just off Maltese shores, Bond proves his car’s amphibious qualities by cruising underwater. The scene went on to become one of the most famous of the franchise.
Midnight Express (1978)
This movie directed by Alan Parker won Oliver Stone his first Oscar for script writing. Although the famous director placed the film’s action in Turkey, most of its scenes are filmed in Malta. If you watch the film you can even listen to a few lines in Maltese, bringing homage to the small Mediterranean island.
