Twenty13 Productions

Twenty13 Productions is a film production services company with its office in Valletta and a long record of looking after international crews in Malta. It was set up at the end of 2013 by two directors who had spent 1999 to 2014 at the Mediterranean Film Studios, where they worked on more than 130 productions from Europe, the United States, Japan and South Korea. Their experience runs from film management and co-ordination through to set construction.

The company can act as the local service production company for visiting films and television, build sets and boats, find or make props and run corporate events. It is listed in our directory of video production in Malta, and this page explains in plain terms what each service involves so that a UK producer, art director or event organiser can judge whether to send an enquiry.

Who is behind the company

Twenty13 Productions is a venture between two leading players in the film industry. Together they bring decades of international experience, and they draw on a network of local and foreign industry veterans to help with film production services and business development when a job needs them. Their aim is to build and lead a company that serves both local and foreign productions.

The directors learned their craft at the Mediterranean Film Studios, and those years made them experts in the world-famous water tanks with their marine special effects possibilities. They also became experienced in organising and co-ordinating marine and other set constructions, set dressing, scale model fabrication, location shooting and production co-ordination. Since going independent the team has kept the same dedication, passion and professionalism that it brought to those earlier productions.

Film production services

Twenty13 Productions is a full-service company able to look after films at any level of cost or complexity. A film-maker can use Malta as the base for an entire production or as a single location, and the team aims to offer very good and cost-effective services either way.

The service list is practical. The company can act as the service production company, meaning the local business that employs crew and pays suppliers on behalf of a visiting producer. It manages schedules and budgets, negotiates deals with local cast, crew and suppliers, handles visa and work permit questions, organises location scouts and obtains location permits. Past credits show it has also assisted incoming companies with company set-up and VAT registration, and a production thinking about a longer-term local structure may find our guide to Malta's corporate tax structure and the featured CLA Malta advisory firm a helpful starting point.

Selected credits cover feature films, television series and mini-series, television commercials, documentaries, music videos and fashion shoots. Productions came from Finland, Germany, the UK, the United States, France, Canada, Japan, Norway and elsewhere, and recent entries include production servicing and co-ordination for a Finnish television series in 2020 and a German feature film in 2016.

Set construction and boat building

Set construction is a speciality. Twenty13 Productions builds for film, television and stage, and takes pride in high-quality finishes delivered on time and to budget. Its skills include set building, boat building, model making, metalwork, sculptural and scenic art, poly-carving, mould-making and casting, and prop fabrication. The business is an accredited, specialist construction company working mainly in the entertainment industry, and it is happy to talk through ideas even when designs are at an early stage.

The portfolio gives a sense of scale. Examples include a siege tower constructed for the television series The Dovekeepers, a cave for an underwater set, a reef, a Roman town, interior cabin sets and a water dragon. Earlier credits from the studio years include life-size ship sections built in the water tanks, Viking ships, pirate ships and a cargo ship, as well as a viking ship used for a sea shoot and a scale model of a sailing ship for an advert. Anyone interested in the dramatic coastline that suits such scenes can read our Gozo guide, since a Viking ship was filmed on location at Dwejra in Gozo.

Props, studio hire and events

The prop service helps you locate or fabricate almost anything a set needs, from tableware, rugs, barrels and baskets to glassware, lanterns and other accessories for interiors and exteriors. It covers feature films, television, stage productions and themed parties, and credits include prop rental for television commercials and a reality game show.

The team has also rented out an infinity cove at The White Studio for commercial and video shoots, a seamless white backdrop that is popular for product and advertising work. In addition, Twenty13 Productions offers event management from first concept to onsite co-ordination, for corporate events, anniversary parties, conferences, fashion shows and product launches. With more than 1,000 period props in-house, it can furnish a themed event for team-building, Christmas or any other occasion. Services include planning and production, audio-visual, staging and lighting support, entertainment and talent, logistics, show direction, venue selection, travel and accommodation, vendor negotiation and video coverage. If events are your main interest, our page for 242.group Malta Offices shows another local event planner.

A closer look at past work

The credits list is long and varied, which is useful if you want proof of range. Under the Twenty13 name, 2016 brought production servicing and art department co-ordination for a UK television series, and 2015 included location set construction and supervision for a French feature and production servicing plus set construction for a UK feature. In 2014 the team handled construction buying for a United States feature film, built the siege tower and co-ordinated construction for a Canadian mini-series, and supplied prop and ship rigging rental shipped to a shoot in Bulgaria, with a rigging crew co-ordinated between Malta and Bulgaria.

The earlier Mediterranean Film Studios credits show the water-tank expertise at work. They include production servicing, set construction and tank shoot management for a United States feature in 2012, where a skiff, a lifeboat and a life-size cargo ship were built, and for a French feature in 2011 that needed a pirate ship and a boat for a Roman ruler. A 2009 German mini-series called for a life-size section of a whaling ship and a whale, and a 2008 German feature used a Viking ship on location in Gozo. Fashion and still work features too, including location construction for a magazine photo shoot in 2014. For a producer, this record is the best guide to what the team can build and manage.

Valletta office and local setting

The company has its office in Valletta, the capital, which was founded by the Grand Master of the Order of St John, Jean Parisot de Valette, and whose foundation stone was laid in 1566. The fortified city stands on the Mount Sciberras peninsula above Marsamxett Harbour and the Grand Harbour, and the best way to see it is on foot. Our Valletta guide covers the city in detail, including the Upper Barrakka Gardens and St John's Co-Cathedral, both singled out by the company as must-see sights, and our Knights of Malta guide tells the story of the order behind the city.

The Maltese islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino cover 315 square kilometres, halfway between Sicily and North Africa. The varied architecture and landscape mean the archipelago has stood in for Iraq, Kuwait, Egypt, Turkey, Peru and, of course, Italy, and Spielberg's Munich used it to double for Rome, Beirut, Athens and other places. Visiting crews can find rooms through our guide to hotels in Valletta and plan arrival with the flights to Malta page.

How to start a project

Start by sending a short brief through the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page. Say what you are making, the dates you have in mind, how many people are travelling and which services you need, whether that is full production services, a set or boat build, props or an event. We pass your message to the business, and the team can reply to you directly about scope, timing and cost.