The Phoenicia Hotel is glad to be supporting this event, “The ceremony will be beamed on satellite television to over 50 countries, reaching millions of viewers across the European continent and beyond. In addition approximately 250 recognised journalists from the international media annually attend and cover the event.  We’re expecting around 900 to 1,000 people will attend the awards this year,” says Rob Bruno, The Phoenicia Hotel’s Director of Sales & Marketing and an avid film buff.

Filming in Malta has been playing host to international productions since the 1920's, building a strong reputation along the way. Besides being able to double for virtually any other country in the Mediterranean thanks to its diverse landscape, there are also the world-famous water tanks at the Mediterranean Film Studios, where Universal Picture's U-571 was shot.

Malta also hosted Ridley Scott's Gladiator at the same time, for which ancient Rome was re-built in Fort Ricasoli, a 17th century fort by the sea, and where the city of Troy was later re-created for Warner Bros’ Troy.  In 2008, the entire fort was used for Alejandro Amenábar’s Agora, where a huge set recreating Alexandria in 300AD was built.  In 2010, HBO used the fort to film scenes from their epic fantasy series, A Game of Thrones, starring Sean Bean, Alfie Owen-Allen and Emilia Clarke.

Well-known films such as Midnight Express and Popeye were shot in Malta, and more recently, The Count of Monte Cristo, A Previous Engagement, Munich, The Da Vinci Code and The Devil's Double, but industry insiders will know it from the countless other movies, TV series and commercials that have used the islands as a back-drop. Part of Brideshead Revisited was shot on the Islands, a number of episodes of the UK’s hit soap Coronation Street, and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie say that they love Malta, and were recently here while the movie World War Z was being shot. Malta is rolling out the red carpet to the European Film Academy Awards and may come back with an “Oscar” of its own.