Luzzu, the Maltese film telling the fictional story of a struggling fisherman, has been nominated to the longlist for the feature film section of the European Film Awards.
The film follows the protagonist, Jesmark, as he is forced to turn his back on generations of tradition to provide for his wife (played by Michela Farrugia) and newborn baby, risking everything by entering the world of black-market fishing.
The honour joins several others won by the production, including being the first local film to be exhibited at a major international festival - Sundance, the USA’s renowned independent film festival.
There, lead actor Jesmark Scicluna, a Siggiewi-based fisherman, won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award in Acting, thanking director Alex Camilleri and casting director Edward Said for “taking a leap of faith” in selecting him for the role.
The film now looks set to continue its successful run at the European Film Awards, with the production team “thrilled” about its selection for the Feature Film section.
“We're thrilled to announce Luzzu has been chosen for the European Film Awards Feature Film selection!” they said.
“Congratulations to our cast & crew, and thanks to Memento International, Screen Malta and our partners around Europe!”
The film is currently being screened at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in “Horizons,” a selection of the most remarkable contemporary films in world cinema.
KVIFF, as the festival is popularly known, is one of the oldest leading film festivals in Europe, hosted in the Czech Republic.
Luzzu has won overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics, with film industry and review outlet IndieWire also naming it as one of autumn’s ’45 Must-See Movies’.
Wendy Ide at Screen International, one of the leading voices in international cinema, praised the Maltese film as "an exploration of masculinity in crisis, of the attrition of traditions by the forces of progress and of the agonies and uncertainties of new parenthood."
It has been described as a “poignant and deeply touching tale of humanity” by Screen Anarchy’s Ryland Aldrich, while Jordan Mintzer, writing for Hollywood Reporter, called it “a moving tale of real-world strife… part observational drama, part social-thriller.”
Guy Lodge from Variety called the film “an honest, affecting slab of working-class portraiture…The film’s striking lead is Jesmark Scicluna...his sturdy, undemonstrative but quietly potent presence largely sets the tone for the film around him.”
The film’s Malta premiere on 3rd September is sold out, but tickets are currently on sale for its limited one-week run at Eden Cinemas in St Julian’s, starting on Wednesday 8th September.
