Calling all film enthusiasts! Luzzu, directed by Alex Camilleri, will be the first Maltese feature film in the island’s history to be selected for the highly competitive World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival, which will run from the 28th January to 3rd February 2021. Massive congrats!

A little bit about the fiction film

The film stars real fishermen, Jesmark and David Scicluna, as well as actress Michela Farrugia, in the main roles. It was produced by Rebecca Anastasi, Ramin Bahrani (The White Tiger, 99 Homes), Alex Camilleri and Oliver Mallia, and was made with the support of the Malta Film Fund and the financial incentives provided by the Malta Film Commission and the Government of Malta.

Luzzu tells the fictional story of Jesmark, a struggling fisherman, who is forced to turn his back on generations of tradition and risk everything by entering the world of blackmarket fishing to provide for his wife and newborn baby.

"Filming took five weeks, over October and November last year, and took place in and around the Marsaxlokk and Birzebbuga areas,” shares producer Rebecca Anastasi with GuideMeMalta. “We were immensely lucky to have Jesmark and David as our collaborators, and we found great cooperation with all the local authorities, businesses and communities of the area. We really couldn't have made the film without the immense support we were given. This film is also credit to our amazing cast and crew - these are very dear dear friends of ours - our film family. There's also just so much talent and skill on this island. We were lucky to be working with some of the very best in the business."

"We couldn't be more thrilled,” she said, when asked how the team felt about the film being accepted to Sundance. “It's the first time in Malta's history that a film from our small island made it to Sundance, and I hope this means great things for the entire film community on the island."

This is Camilleri’s debut feature film, which he developed over three years through in-depth research and rehearsals with this cast. Jesmark and David Scicluna were key collaborators in helping Camilleri capture an immersive look at the world of traditional fishing in Malta. Luzzu was shot last year in and around Marsaxlokk and Birzebbuga, featuring many local faces and establishments from the area.

Sundance praises the film as a “poignant, humanistic portrait of an eclipsing way of life” with Camilleri’s neorealist approach finding “the quiet power of small moments and the underlying intensity of ordinary people pushed into untenable positions.”

The acclaimed Sundance Film Festival

Sundance is America’s largest independent film festival. It was set up in 1978 by Robert Redford and has launched the careers of some of the world’s most highly-acclaimed filmmakers, such as the Coen Brothers, Quentin Tarantino, and Wes Anderson.

It has also showcased some of the best in American and world cinema, including Reservoir Dogs, by Tarantino; Get Out by Jordan Peele; Whiplash by Damien Chazelle; and Mike Newell’s Four Weddings and a Funeral.

The 2021 Sundance International Film Festival will run at select screenings in the United States and online for U.S. audiences, international industry and press. Luzzu will premiere in Malta in 2021.