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Mild winters, with prevailing north westerly winds provide a good supply of rain, turning the dry hills into rolling waterfalls in winter and early spring. Dry southerly winds and long hot summers turn most hills into a dry semi-desert environment, with typical Mediterranean blue skies that provide a majestic contrast of colours all round. All this, coupled with a cosmopolitan population against the varied landscapes and architecture, provides the right setting for fim-making.

Over the past three decades some very famous, Oscar winning films were mainly, if not completely, shot in Malta:

Gladiator, a 2000 historical action/drama film directed by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe, Oliver Reed (who died in Malta) and Joaquin Phoenix. The film won five Academy Awards in the 73rd Academy Awards ceremony, including the Academy Award for Best Picture

Midnight Express, a 1978 biographical film starring Brad Davis, Irene Miracle and Bo Hopkins, among others. The Oscar-winning screenplay was adapted by Oliver Stone from the book written by Billy Hayes and William Hoffer

Popeye, produced by Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney Productions, starring Robin Williams. Released in the 1980's, Popeye was a live-action musical feature film. The film set is today open to the public as an open-air museum and family entertainment complex

Orca the Killer Whale, a 1977 nail-biting film directed by Michael Anderson and produced by Dino De Laurentiis and starring Richard Harris and Charlotte Rampling

Black Eagle, a 1988 martial arts movie set in Malta and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, among others

Christopher Columbus: The Discovery, a 1992 film directed by James Bond alumnus John Glen, starring Marlon Brando, Tom Selleck and Catherine Zeta-Jones, among others

Swept Away, a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Madonna (Guy Ritchie's wife), Adriano Giannini, and Bruce Greenwood

The Da Vinci Code, a 2006 feature film based on the bestselling 2003 novel "The Da Vinci Code", by Dan Brown. Its cast includes Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou and Sir Ian McKellen

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, a 2003 film adaptation of the comic book limited series. It was released on July 11, 2003. The cast includes Sean Connery, Peta Wilson, Shane West and Jason Flemyng

The Count of Monte Cristo, a 2002 film based upon the book "The Count of Monte Cristo", by Alexandre Dumas. The film was directed by Kevin Reynolds and starred James Caviezel, Dagmara Dominczyk and Guy Pearce. A number of main scenes were filmed inside Palazzo Parisio, one of Allevents partner venues

Troy, released on May 14, 2004. The film boasts an all star cast: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Diane Kruger, Brian Cox, Sean Bean and Peter O'Toole. It is directed by Wolfgang Petersen, and written by David Benioff. It received an Oscar nomination for its costume design

Alexander, a 2004 epic motion picture film, based on the life of Alexander the Great. The film was directed by Oliver Stone. It stars included Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Rosario Dawson, Jared Leto, Anthony Hopkins among others

U-571, a 2000 film, directed by Jonathan Mostow, and starring Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel, Jon Bon Jovi, Jack Noseworthy, Will Estes, and Tom Guiry. Most of this movie was shot in Malta

Munich, a 2005 drama film, directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Tony Kushner and Eric Roth. It features stars such as Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Ciarán Hinds, Mathieu Kassovitz, Hanns Zischler, Geoffrey Rush, Ayelet Zurer, Michael Lonsdale, Mathieu Amalric, Gila Almagor and Moritz Bleibtreu. Munich, which was filmed almost entirely in Malta, was nominated for five Academy Awards