A pearl of sandstone set in the middle of the Mediterranean sea between Sicily and North Africa, Malta is known by the film industry the world over for its awe-inspiring historical locations and shooting facilities, its three giant water tanks and a collection of impressive forts built centuries back by the Knights of St. John. What it is less known for – until now – is a film festival.
The second Mediterrane Film Festival took place from June 22 to 30, under the patronage of film commissioner Johann Grech and the deep pockets of the Malta Film Commission, which has included the event in its strategy for attracting investments, upskilling and bringing more jobs to the island.
As the festival wrapped at a lavish black-tie closing night at Fort Manoel, where all the glitz and technical wizardry of Malta’s film services were brilliantly on display, Commissioner Grech brightly affirmed the festival would be back next year to celebrate the island’s 100-year film anniversary.
Adding weight to this project was an address by the President of the Republic of Malta, Myriam Spiteri Debono, who underlined the primary importance of promoting the film industry and developing it into one of the pillars of the Maltese economy.
Actually, the Mediterranean-themed event is not the first festival to regale the island’s residents with new films. The pre-Covid years saw a decade of small, audience-friendly fests including the Valletta Film Festival, the Malta Youth Film Festival and the Malta Short Film Festival, which largely (but not exclusively) concentrated on promoting local films and talent. Instead of reviving these initiatives, the film commission chose to invest its not inconsiderable funds – over €3.7 million, according to a public spending report – in a much bigger and more far-reaching event aimed at attracting attention and, eventually, investments.
Judging by the second edition, it certainly has the know-how to get there once some basic teething problems are overcome, mainly by publicizing the film program, which was generally quite strong, and growing the audience. Only the open-air screenings held in St. George’s Square in the historic center of Valletta were full, thanks to a popular film program that included the People’s Choice award winner The Count of Monte Cristo. Perhaps because the main venues were scattered around the sprawling city, the general public was scarce at the indoor cinemas, where screenings were attended mostly by festival guests and journalists.
Working on venues and on increasing audiences is going to be the main challenge going forward. While Cavina reeled in some fine films overlooked by the critics (Brandt Andersen’s intensely emotional The Stranger’s Case, about the refugee crisis caused by endless wars, won the best director and the best acting prize for Yasmine Al Massri), other titles proved too arty and marginal for unprepared viewers. (Journalists present might well include on their future wish list a dedicated transport desk to simplify the task of navigating the far-flung venues.)
Yet the level of hand-picked festival films, some as recent as Cannes, was high. Curated by the experienced Italian programmer Teresa Cavina, Mediterrane showed itself to be a festival that has set its sights high on the international front, The main competition was won by the Turkish film Life (Hayat), an uncompromising rumination by auteur Zeki Demirkubuz on toxic masculinity, ingrained sexism and existential despair. Nabbing second prize was Mahdi Fleifel’s To a Land Unknown, which raised the bar for Palestinian exile movies with its harsh but empathetic description of being a Palestinian refugee in Greece.
In the Mare Nostrum sidebar, a jury composed of festival directors chose the Indian film Nocturnes by Anirban Dutta and Anupama Srinivasan as Best Narrative Story. There was even a Virtual Reality section, which British Simone Fougnier won with his Tales from Soda Island.
In addition to the 45 recent films screened, a steady stream of masterclasses, round tables, workshops and panel discussions drew top guests like British director Mike Leigh to the podium. Leigh’s masterclass, affectionately moderated by British Film Commission head Adrian Wootton, attracted a large audience to festival headquarters in the historic Grandmaster’s Palace in Malta’s quaint capital, Valletta. Other guests included production designer Nathan Crowley (Interstellar), casting director Margery Simkin (Erin Brockovich, Star Trek), composer Simon Franglen (Avatar: The Way of Water) and editor Yorgos Mavropsaridis (Poor Things).
Among the celebrities present at the glitzy closing ceremony were Hollywood lights like writer-director Colin Trevorrow, whose connection to Malta goes back to three blockbusters in the Jurassic Park franchise, and actor Heather Graham, as well as British soul singer Heather Small MBE, Britain’s Got Talent’s Calum Scott and Maltese opera singer Joseph Calleja. The event was warmly hosted by British comedian David Walliams, who opened the proceedings before an 800-strong audience on the parade grounds of Fort Manoel by presenting a mid-length film, starring himself as a lost time traveler searching for the festival’s Golden Bee award amid the Knights of St. John. Highlights of the evening were Mike Leigh receiving a Career Achievement Award and celebrated Maltese veteran production coordinator Rita Galea (World War Z) being presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
