CINEMA AND STAGE REGULATIONS

SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 10.17

CINEMA AND STAGE REGULATIONS

28th September, 1937

GOVERNMENT NOTICE 430 of 1937, as amended by: Government

Notices: 54 of 1939, 504 of 1940, 108 of 1943, 66, 202, 240 and 440 of

1944, 384 of 1945, 730 of 1949, 349 of 1953, 552 of 1954, 334 of 1956, 495

of 1957, and 54 and 265 of 1958; Emergency Ordinance VII of 1958; Legal

Notices: 49 of 1959, and 22 and 46 of 1960; Ordinance XXV of 1962;

Legal Notices: 72 of 1968, 43 of 1973 and 5 of 1975; Act XVI of 1977;

Legal Notice 94 of 1981; Acts XIII of 1983 and VIII of 1990; Legal Notices

82, 126 and 194 of 2000, 407 and 435 of 2007, 346 of 2008, 335 of 2009, and

415 of 2012; and Act XXXIV of 2014. Incorporating also GOVERNMENT

NOTICE 418 of 1957.

The title of these regulations is the Cinema and Stage

Regulations.

No building shall be used for cinematograph exhibitions

unless -

(a) the premises in respect of which a licence is applied

for are, in the opinion of the Commissioner of Police,

not open to objection on the ground of proximity to a

church; and

(b) it is provided with waiting rooms and adequate

permanent and emergency exits, to the satisfaction of

the Director of Public Works. The exits shall be at all

times maintained in the manner approved by the

Commissioner of Police and shall be provided with

luminous red or semi-obscured signs (EXITS and

EMERGENCY EXITS). All doors shall open

outwards

Provided that where in some particular case the

Commissioner of Police, with the advice of the

Director of Public Works, considers it expedient so to

do, he may dispense with such requirement in writing

and may impose such conditions as he may deem fit.

The seating in the building shall be comfortable and so

arranged as not to interfere with free access to the exits. The

gangways and the passages leading to and from the exits shall have

no steps, and shall, during the presence of the public in the

building, be kept clear of obstructions. During the performance, the

public shall not be permitted to stand in the gangways or passages.

(1) Every seat in any building licensed for the giving of

cinematograph exhibitions shall be marked with a number and seats

shall be so arranged that the number marked on them proceed in

consecutive order beginning with number one (1).

(2) Every ticket issued in respect of any cinematograph

exhibition by or on behalf of the licensee of that building shall have

a number corresponding to that of the seat to be occupied by the

person to whom the ticket is issued.

(3) The licensee of any building licensed for the giving of

cinematograph exhibitions shall, by every booking office, put up a

plan showing the seating accommodation in the building and the

prices payable for each set of seats.

(4) The number of persons admitted to any cinematograph

exhibition shall in no case exceed the number of persons indicated

in the licence in terms of regulation 35.

Fire appliances adequate for the protection of the building

and especially on the stage, where one exists, shall be provided.

Near the entrance to the stage there shall be a chemical fire

extinguisher, of not less than three gallons capacity, with spare

charges, a hydrant under pressure complete with flexible hose and

nozzle, two large buckets of water and other two buckets filled with

dry sand and ready for immediate use. In the enclosure for the

cinematograph apparatus there shall be similar fire appliances and a

damp blanket; but the hydrant shall be installed outside and close to

the door of the enclosure.

Hoses and nozzles shall be kept in the immediate vicinity

of the hydrant for which they are intended, and in a way as to be

readily accessible.

The hoses provided with each hydrant shall be of sufficient

length to convey the water to the whole area to be covered by the

hydrant.

A bucket hand pump of a type to be approved by the

Commissioner of Police shall be held in readiness near the buckets,

as provided for in regulation 5.

A trained fireman licensed by the Commissioner of Police,

or in his absence a member of the Police Force detailed to act as

such by the Commissioner of Police, shall be in attendance at all

the performances. The fireman is to wear a distinctive uniform to

be approved by the Commissioner of Police. The expense

incidental to the attendance of such fireman or policeman shall be

borne by the management.

The cinematograph apparatus shall be placed in an

enclosure of substantial construction, made of or lined internally

with fire resisting material and of sufficient dimensions to allow

the operator to work freely.

The enclosure is to be properly ventilated. The vent holes to be

communicated to the exterior of the auditorium and to have metal

shutters that may be easily closed from outside the enclosure so as

to stop any escape of fire or smoke.

The entrance to the enclosure shall be suitably placed, and

shall be fitted with a self-closing door, constructed of fire resisting

material.

The openings through which the necessary pipes and cables

pass into the enclosure shall be efficiently bushed.

The openings in the front face of the enclosure shall not be

larger than is necessary for effective projection and shall not

exceed three in each enclosure. Each such opening shall be fitted

with a screen of fire-resisting material, which can be released both

inside and outside the enclosure, so that it automatically closes

with a close-fitting joint.

The door of the enclosure and all openings, bushes, and

joints shall be constructed and maintained as to prevent, so far as

possible, the escape of any smoke into the auditorium.

If the enclosure is inside the auditorium, effectual means

shall be taken to prevent the public from coming into contact with

the enclosure.

No smoking shall at any time be permitted within, or in the

vicinity of, the enclosure, or on the stage. Posters to this effect

printed in Maltese and English and shall be put in conspicuous

places.

No inflammable article shall unnecessarily be taken into,

or allowed to remain in the enclosure or on the stage.

Lanterns shall be placed on firm supports, constructed of

fire resisting material, and shall be provided with a metal sliding

shutter which can be readily inserted between the source of light

and the film-gate.

The film-gate shall be of massive construction and shall be

provided with ample heat-radiating surface. The films shall be

placed in metallic boxes so constructed as to prevent flame

travelling upwards or downwards from the light opening.

Cinematograph projectors shall be fitted with two metal

film-boxes of substantial construction, and not more than thirty-

five point five centimetres in diameter, inside measurement, and to

and from these the films shall be made to travel. The film-boxes

shall be made to close in such a manner, and shall be fitted with a

film-slot (fissure) so constructed as to prevent the passage of flame

to the interior of the box.

The spools may be chain or gear driven, and the films shall

be wound upon spools so that the wound film shall not at any time

reach or project beyond the edges of the flanges of the spool.

Only that film in use can be kept in the enclosure during

the exhibition; all other films shall be stored in closed metal boxes

in a safe place outside and away from the enclosure. No material

that is not essentially required in the enclosure shall be stored

therein.

(1) There shall be separate and independent means of

control of the general lighting of the auditorium, exits, and

enclosures, from a convenient place at or near the main entrance of

the building.

(2) There shall also be a sufficient number of red or semi-

obscured lights in the auditorium during the exhibitions. Candle

lanterns shall be kept ready for immediate use in the auditorium in

the event of failure of the electric light.

All emergency lamps shall be kept alight whenever the

building is open to the public.

The exit and emergency exit lanterns shall be illuminated by

means of candles or paraffin lamps, the lanterns to be made entirely

of non-combustible material.

No combustible material shall be allowed within a radius

of one point five metres of the exit lanterns.

When combustible material is necessarily placed above a

lantern, a one point two metres square asbestos sheet is to be

provided at a height of not less than one metre above the lantern.

No illuminant other than electric light or lime light shall be

used within the lantern.

Within the enclosure the insulating material of all electric

cables, including leads or lamps switches, fuses, terminals and all

other electric materials shall be covered with fire resisting material

and each lamp shall have its own fuse.

There shall be no unnecessary slack electric cable within

the enclosure.

Repealed by Act XXXIV. 2014.21.

All metal work carrying cables or in any way connected

with the electricity supply are to be firmly connected to earth or to

a water main of not less than three point eight centimetres diameter,

earthing wire being not less than 7/16 S.W.G., all joints being well

soldered.

Where lime light is used in the lanterns, the gas cylinder,

containers and tubing shall not be used without the previous

approval of the Commissioner of Police.

The gas cylinder and containers shall be installed outside

the enclosure.

The owner of a cinema theatre shall submit for approval a

design of the whole building showing all details including the

seating accommodation, gangway, passages and exits.

(1) No licence for the use of a building for cinematograph

exhibitions shall be granted or renewed except on a report signed

b y t h e D i r e c t o r o f t h e P u b l i c Wo r k s , s h o w i n g t h a t a l l t h e

requirements of these regulations have been complied with.

(2) The licence shall indicate the number of persons to be

admitted in the pit, galleries and boxes.

No such licence shall be granted unless the premises are

r e p o r t e d b y t h e C h i e f G o v e r n m e n t M e d i c a l O ff i c e r t o b e

satisfactory from a sanitary point of view.

It shall be the duty of the licensee to keep every part of the

b ui ld in g i n a g oo d an d pr op e r s t a t e a s r e g a rd s ve n ti la ti on ,

cleanliness and all other conditions that affect health. In particular,

it shall be the duty of the licensee or his representative to furnish

the auditorium with electric fans or other similar devices to the

satisfaction of the Chief Government Medical Officer and to cause

them to be kept working at all necessary times.

(1) It is prohibited to hold any interval of more than eight

minutes’ duration during a cinematographic exhibition, and an

interval shall in no case be held during the showing of the main

feature film without the written permission of the Commissioner of

Police.

(2) Between one cinematograph exhibition and another there

shall be an interval of not less that ten minutes during which the

hall in which the cinematograph films are projected onto the screen

shall be kept clear of every person other than permanent employees

and members of the Police Force or other than government officers

on duty. During this interval all ventilating, openings in or leading

to the hall shall be kept wide open and electric fans shall be kept

working.

(3) Where any hall in which any cinematograph film is being

p r o j e c t e d i s p r o v i d e d w i t h a n e f f i c i e n t a n d a d e q u a t e a i r-

conditioning system to the satisfaction of the Superintendent of

Public Health, the provisions of sub-regulation (2) shall not apply

if such system is efficiently maintained and is in operation during

the projection of such film.

The Sanitary Authority shall have a right of entry at all

times to any part of the premises to ascertain that the ventilation of

the building, the cleanliness and all other sanitary conditions are

satisfactory.

It is prohibited to introduce dogs into the auditorium or to

keep or allow to be kept any dog therein.

Licences shall be issued by the Commissioner of Police

and shall be valid till the 31st December of the year of issue unless

previously suspended or revoked for any infringement of these

Regulations, or for any alteration made in the building or enclosure

without the sanction of the Commissioner of Police.

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Examination by

classifiers.

Amended by

G.N. 730 of 1949;

L.N. 22 of 1960;

L.N. 5 of 1975;

L.N. 126 of 2000;

L.N. 435 of 2007.

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Issue of certificate.

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Review of decision

of examining

classifiers.

Added by

L.N. 22 of 1960.

Amended by

L.N. 46 of 1960;

L.N. 126 of 2000;

L.N. 335 of 2009.

(Deleted by L.N. 335 of 2009).

Observance of the

principles of good

administrative

behaviour.

Added by

L.N. 346 of 2008.

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Where film has not

been passed by

Board.

Added by

L.N. 22 of 1960.

Amended by

L.N. 126 of 2000.

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Exhibition of film.

Amended by

G.N. 54 of 1939;

G.N. 504 of 1940;

G.N. 384 of 1945;

G.N. 495 of 1957;

G.N. 49 of 1959;

L.N. 126 of 2000.

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Admission to film

exhibition.

Substituted by

G.N. 730 of 1949.

Amended by

L.N. 5 of 1975.

Substituted by

L.N. 126 of 2000.

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Films which may

be shown in the

same programme.

Added by

G.N. 240 of 1944.

Substituted by

G.N. 730 of 1947.

Amended by

G.N. 495 of 1957;

L.N. 5 of 1975.

Substituted by

L.N. 126 of 2000.

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Proof by licensee.

Added by

G.N. 349 of 1953.

Amended by

L.N. 46 of 1960;

L.N. 126 of 2000.

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Commission of

offence.

Added by

G.N. 349 of 1953.

Amended by

L.N. 46 of 1960;

L.N. 126 of 2000.

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Exhibition of

poster.

Amended by

G.N. 730 of 1949;

L.N. 5 of 1975.

Substituted by

L.N. 126 of 2000.

Amended by

L.N. 194 of 2000.

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Stills.

Amended by

L.N. 126 of 2000.

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Meaning of ''film''.

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Reservation of

stalls for

classifiers.

Substituted by

G.N. 334 of 1956.

Amended by

L.N. 126 of 2000.

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Responsibility of

licensee.

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Suspension of

exhibition.

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Duration of

exhibition.

Added by

G.N. 334 of 1956.

Substituted by

G.N. 54 of 1958.

Amended by

VII. 1958.2;

XXV. 1962.5;

L.N. 72 of 1968;

L.N. 126 of 2000.

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Closing time of

cinematographs.

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Extension of

closing time.

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Where film is

shown in two

cinemas.

Added by

G.N. 334 of 1956.

Amended by

G.N. 265 of 1958.

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Dramatic and other

stage productions.

Added by

L.N. 22 of 1960.

Amended by

L.N. 126 of 2000

(Deleted by Legal Notice 415 of 2012).

Use of cinema for

dramatic or other

stage production.

Added by

L.N. 22 of 1960.

Any person who is found guilty by the Court of

Magistrates (Malta) or the Court of Magistrates (Gozo) of an

o ff e n c e a g a i n s t t h e s e r e g u l a t i o n s s h a l l b e l i a b l e t o a f i n e

(ammenda) of not less than eleven euros and sixty-five cents

(11.65) for each contravention, provided that in the case of a

second or subsequent offence committed within six months from

the date of any previous conviction under these regulations or any

other regulations relating to cinemas, such fine shall be of not less

than twenty-three euros and twenty-nine cents (23.29) and not more

than forty-six euros and fifty-nine cents (46.59) for each

contravention.