Maxime Durand’s connection with Malta was an instant affair: “I fell in love with this rock at first sight.” Now, heading towards his sixth year of residency on the island, Maxime has found the island to be a great source of beauty, warmth, culture and heritage, all elements which have influenced him to singlehandedly create a web series in Malta.

The filmmaker admits that inspiration for the series hit when he first stepped foot on Comino. His initial reaction was “this is a cowboy scene right here” and three years later, this thought has now turned into reality. It is hard to describe Maxime’s series Coming Soon, and even more difficult to classify it under one genre, but one thing that is certain is that it is a cinematographic feat.

A quirky mixture of humour, action, romance and drama, the series not only showcases Malta’s best facets and passes subtle digs at local scenarios but also sees it double as multiple other locations – and all with a budget of €60 per story. Maxime classifies the Maltese landscape as “visually orgasmic” and explains that the locations (described as “golden eggs in a golden basket wrapped in golden paper for cinema”), coupled with the widespread yet sometimes hidden talent available on the island has helped him carry out this ambitious project.

Coming Soon morphed into a mini social project through Maxime's large network of friends, who have been crucial to the web series over the period of 18 months it took him to visualise, shoot, edit and publish it.

The structure of the series is not a traditional one. There are 20 separate narratives packed into 7 episodes, with each instalment varying in length. The filmmaker doesn’t let the island’s beauty blind his opinions and is fully aware of the country’s issues, to the extent of featuring them extensively in his series – such as a public transport zombie apocalypse taking over one passenger at a time with their “MUWV BAK” chant.

The filmmaker reveals he is essentially a one-man film crew but despite the logistical and creative pressures such a project incurs, his directorial approach is organic: “I leave room for spontaneity and adaptation without distancing from the original script,” he explains. Having never attended film school, Maxime believes the distance from what he refers to as “academic indoctrination” has enabled his success.

Although the episodes can fluctuate between experimental and professional techniques, one particularly complex yet visually stunning chase scene from episode 3 would leave Bollywood gawking at the apparent ease in which it is shot. Maxime reveals it took a total of 24 days to shoot over a period of 10 months. "It is very challenging and hard work but we can make stuff, without constantly being stuck by the idea of financing it," he explains.

Asked about future projects, Maxime reveals his next venture will be a on a comparatively smaller scale. The growth he has experienced through the series is undeniable and he hopes to extend it further into the future. "Ultimately, I've learnt to not be afraid of pushing the limits and imagining big."

Can't wait to see more from Maxime!