Malta is a small island nation in the central Mediterranean whose history is far larger than its modest geography, and its name alone carries centuries of linguistic speculation and cultural layering. Often traced to the Phoenician word for refuge or harbor, the term Malta also echoes the Greek island-name Melite,
and medieval chroniclers frequently linked it to the Latin for honey, a nod to the islands’ famed endemic bees. Whatever its linguistic path, the name evokes a crossroads, and Malta has long been precisely that: a strategic point where ancient maritime cultures converged, traded, contested, and intertwined.
The archipelago first emerges in prehistory through the astonishing Neolithic temple builders, whose monumental structures at Ħaġar Qim, Mnajdra, and the Hypogeum reveal a society of remarkable architectural sophistication around the fourth millennium BC.
Later waves of Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, and Aragonese successively impressed their languages, religions, and technologies upon the population. The arrival of the Knights Hospitaller1 in the sixteenth century set the stage for one of Malta’s defining episodes, the Great Siege of 1565, which molded national memory
and fortified the islands both physically and symbolically. Under British rule beginning in the early nineteenth century and continuing until independence on September 21, 1964, Malta became a vital naval base, particularly during World War II, when its people endured relentless bombardment and
collective suffering that earned the entire island the George Cross for valor2. In modern times, Malta’s membership in the European Union and its reputation as a financial and technological hub have made it an intriguing blend of ancient stone and contemporary ambition.
The Maltese climate is one of the elements that shape the islands’ character as much as their history. Warm, dry summers stretch long and bright, moderated by sea breezes and interrupted only occasionally by the hot, dusty sirocco winds drifting from North Africa. Mild, relatively short winters bring the
bulk of precipitation, allowing the islands to remain green for only a brief period before the sun bleaches the limestone landscape back into its golden palette. That limestone itself has influenced Maltese architecture for thousands of years, giving its cities a luminous hue that filmmakers relish.
Films_Shot
- 2025 Jurassic World: Rebirth
- 2025 Last Breath
- 2025 Ex Ex Lovers
- 2024 Gladiator II
- 2024 No Woman is an Island
- 2024 Borderline
- 2024 Classified
- 2023 Deep Fear
- 2023 Napoleon
- 2023 Last Voyage of the Demeter
- 2023 Sniper: G.R.I.T. – Global Response & Intelligence Team
- 2023 Ikariya
- 2023 Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher
- 2023 The Way of the Wind
- 2023 Sposa in rosso
- 2023 The Dive
- 2023 Sisi & I
- 2022 Machination
- 2022 Cats of Malta
- 2022 Hounds of War
- 2022 Jurassic World Dominion
- 2022 Warrior
- 2022 Shark Bait
- 2022 Accident Man 2
- 2021 Carmen
- 2021 Mix Up in the Mediterranean
- 2021 Firebird
- 2021 Mikha’El
- 2021 Just Noise
- 2021 The Obscure Life of the Grand Duke of Corsica
- 2021 The Seed
- 2020 Rose Island
- 2020 Tolo Tolo
- 2019 Made in Malta
- 2019 Bharat
- 2018 The Boat
- 2018 7 Days in Entebbe
- 2018 Paul, Apostle of Christ
- 2018 Thugs of Hindostan
- 2018 Divine Beauty
- 2017 American Assassin
- 2017 Murder on the Orient
- 2017 Love to Paradise
- 2017 Papillon
- 2017 Renegades
- 2016 Debarquement Immediat
- 2016 The Promise
- 2016 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
- 2016 Risen
- 2016 Assassin’s Creed
- 2015 By the Sea
- 2015 Andron
- 2015 Friend or Foe
- 2015 Mega Mindy Versus ROX
- 2014 Saul: The Journey to Damascus
- 2014 The Whale
- 2013 Adormidera
- 2013 Pirate Pete
- 2013 Captain Phillips
- 2013 World War Z
- 2012 Kon-Tiki
- 2012 Die Manner der Emden
- 2011 Le Cochon de Gaza
- 2011 Wickie auf großer Fahrt
- 2011 Conan the Barbarian
- 2010 Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa
- 2011 The Devil’s Double
- 2009 Agora
- 2009 Wickie und die Starken Manner
- 2008 U-900
- 2008 A Previous Engagement
- 2008 Nie kłam, kochanie
- 2008 Novaya Zemlya
- 2008 Nepobedimmy
- 2007 Runaway Horse
- 2007 Eichmann
- 2007 Pars: Kiraz Operasyonu
- 2007 Largo Winch
- 2007 Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar
- 2007 Sommer
- 2006 The Da Vinci Code
- 2006 Open Water 2: Adrift
- 2006 Ghost Boat
- 2005 Munich
- 2004 A Different Loyalty
- 2004 Troy
- 2004 Alexander
- 2003 The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
- 2003 The Death of Klinghoffer
- 2002 The Count of Monte Cristo
- 2002 Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre
- 2002 Swept Away
- 2002 Pinocchio
- 2001 The Emperor’s new Clothes
- 2001 Revelation
- 2000 U-571
- 2000 Gladiator
- 1996 Merisairas
- 1996 White Squall
- 1995 Cutthroat Island
- 1994 Casque bleu
- 1993 Voyage
- 1992 Christopher Columbus: The Discovery
- 1990 Les 1001 Nuits
- 1990 Der Skipper
- 1989 Erik the Viking
- 1989 Leviathan
- 1988 Black Eagle
- 1987 Iron Warrior
- 1986 Pirates
- 1985 Les Loups entre Eux
- 1985 Final Justice
- 1984 Der Scheenman
- 1983 Trenchcoat
- 1982 Samraat
- 1981 L’ultimo squalo
- 1981 Inseminoid
- 1981 Clash of the Titans
- 1980 Popeye
- 1980 Raise the Titanic
- 1978 Warlords of Atlantis
- 1978 Sweeney 2
- 1978 Force 10 from Navarone
- 1978 Midnight Express
- 1977 Orca
- 1977 Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger
- 1977 The Spy Who Loved Me
- 1976 Shout at the Devil
- 1976 Charas
- 1975 Il lupo dei Mari
- 1975 Children of Rage
- 1974 L’Invenzione di Morel
- 1974 Voir Malte et Mourir
- 1974 The Golden Voyage of Sinbad
- 1973 The Mackintosh Man
- 1972 Pulp
- 1971 Murphy’s War
- 1971 When Eight Bells Toll
- 1971 Zeppelin
- 1970 Hell Boats
- 1970 Mister Jerico
- Eyewitness
- 1970 Adventures of Gerrard
- 1969 Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?
- 1969 Vendetta for the Saint
- 1969 Battle of Britain
- 1968 A Twist of Sand
- 1967 Casino Royale
- 1966 Death Is a Woman
- 1965 The Bedford Incident
- 1963 Treasure in Malta
- 1958 The Silent Enemy
- 1956 The Baby and the Battleship
- 1956 The Battle of the River Plate
- 1953 Single Handed
- 1953 Malta Story
- 1953 They Who Dare
- 1931 Tell England
- 1928 Bolibar
- 1927 The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands
- 1925 Sons of the Seas
While Malta maintains a tiny military by global standards, its armed forces are highly focused on maritime operations, search and rescue, and border control, functions dictated by both geography and contemporary migration patterns. Its strategic location has shifted from an asset in empire-building to a logistical center for
humanitarian operations and regional security, yet the islands’ deep military history can still be felt in the dense network of fortifications and coastal towers that remain among the finest in Europe. This physical and historical atmosphere has made Malta a cinematic magnet. Filmmakers have long used its limestone fortresses, harbors, and ancient-looking streets as backdrops for sweeping historical epics, biblical dramas,
and sword-and-sandals adventures. Major productions ranging from Gladiator to Troy to Munich have taken advantage of its photogenic coastal cliffs and fortified urban labyrinths, and the island doubled for ancient Jerusalem in several passion narratives. One of the most charming legacies of this long-standing film friendliness is Popeye Village, the elaborate wooden seaside set built for Robert Altman’s 1980 musical Popeye.
Rather than being torn down afterward, the quirky village was preserved as a family-oriented attraction, a sun-bleached relic of Hollywood that still clings to the cliffs above Anchor Bay. Its odd combination of nostalgia, kitsch, and natural beauty has made it a beloved Maltese
landmark, perfectly emblematic of Malta’s habit of layering new stories atop old landscapes. Malta’s cultural tapestry reflects the same blending of history, climate, and outside influence that shapes its physical world. The Maltese language, derived largely from Arabic but enriched by Italian and English,
remains one of the most distinctive in Europe, a linguistic reminder of centuries of Mediterranean exchange. Valletta, the capital city built by the Knights after the Great Siege, embodies Renaissance military
architecture while functioning today as a lively cultural center filled with festivals, theaters, and museums. Even trivia about Malta often reveals deeper currents: it is one of the world’s smallest and most densely populated countries; it served as a filming location for early seasons of Game of Thrones;
it houses some of the oldest free-standing stone structures on Earth; and its famed Blue Grotto and azure waters draw divers from around the world. Underneath these curiosities lies a subtle truth about the islands: Malta’s magnetic charm comes
from its ability to compress vast history, diverse cultures, and sunlit modernity into a remarkably compact space, allowing visitors and scholars alike to feel as though they are walking simultaneously through antiquity, myth, and the present.
Footnotes
- The Knights Hospitaller were a medieval religious and military order that emerged in the eleventh century from a charitable brotherhood dedicated to tending sick and impoverished pilgrims in Jerusalem, gradually evolving into a formidable crusading force that blended monastic vows with martial duty as it secured, administered, and defended Christian territories across the eastern Mediterranean. After the fall of the Crusader states, the Order relocated first to Cyprus, then to Rhodes, and eventually to Malta in 1530, where it constructed an intricate network of hospitals, fortifications, and naval defenses that transformed the archipelago into a bastion against Ottoman expansion and a hub of Mediterranean privateering. Their victory during the Great Siege of 1565 cemented their reputation as resilient military strategists, while their patronage of art, architecture, and medical innovation helped shape early modern Malta’s civic and cultural identity. Though Napoleon expelled them from the islands in 1798, the Order survived as a sovereign, non-territorial institution dedicated primarily to humanitarian work, medical aid, and diplomatic engagement, preserving a legacy that spans crusading warfare, charitable service, and centuries of geopolitical adaptation. ↩︎
- The George Cross for valor is one of the highest decorations for civilian courage in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, instituted by King George VI on April 24, 1940, to honor acts of the greatest heroism or conspicuous bravery performed by civilians or by military personnel in situations not involving direct combat. Created during the intense bombing of the Blitz, the award recognized individuals who faced mortal danger in rescue work, bomb disposal, firefighting, and other life-saving efforts on the home front, and it quickly became a symbol of steadfast, selfless endurance under extreme peril. Its most famous collective bestowal occurred in April 1942, when King George VI awarded the George Cross to the entire island of Malta for the extraordinary courage and suffering of its civilian population during the Axis siege of World War II, an unprecedented recognition that underscored the island’s strategic importance and the unyielding resolve of its people. Over time, the George Cross has remained a rare and highly respected decoration, signifying an exceptional level of valor performed without regard for personal safety in circumstances of profound danger. ↩︎
Further Reading
Sources
- Wikipedia “Malta” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malta
- Wikipedia “Popeye Village” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popeye_Village
- Medium “Meet Malta’s Popeye Village — A Film Set-Turned-Town” https://medium.com/airbnbmag/pop-into-popeye-village-a-film-set-turned-town-on-the-coast-of-malta-dd670294a3a6
- Wikipedia “List of films shot in Malta” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_shot_in_Malta
