‘Midnight Express’ was mostly filmed in Valletta.
45 years ago today, locally shot Hollywood hit ‘Midnight Express’ was released in cinemas.
The Oscar-winning film was pre-dominantly filmed in Malta, specifically in the Fort Saint Elmo area in Valletta. Other parts of the capital, such as Merchants’ Street and St Paul’s Street, also featured in the film.
The ‘Midnight Express’ story is actually set in Turkey, however the filmmakers were not granted permission to film there. The team, therefore, resorted to the Maltese islands due to their aesthetic similarity to Turkey.
A number of scenes were also shot at the Malta International Airport in Luqa and at the Dominican Monastery in Rabat.
‘Midnight Express’ was directed by the well-renowned Sir Alan Parker and featured veteran actors of the likes of Sir John Hurt and Brad Davis.
The film went on to be nominated for six Academy Awards: Best Director, Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Score, and Best Film Editing.
Writer Oliver Stone and composer Giorgio Moroder took home the Best Screenplay and Best Score awards, respectively.
‘Midnight Express’ follows an American student who gets wrongfully imprisoned in Turkey after being caught with drugs.
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