Luzzu | |
---|---|
Directed by | Alex Camilleri |
Written by | Alex Camilleri |
Produced by |
|
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Léo Lefèvre |
Edited by | Alex Camilleri |
Production company | Memento Films International |
Distributed by | Kino Lorber (United States) Peccadillo Pictures (United Kingdom) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 94 minutes |
Country | Malta |
Language | Maltese |
Box office | $39,948 [2] [3] |
Luzzu is a 2021 Maltese drama film written and directed by Alex Camilleri. [4] The film stars Jesmark Scicluna, Michela Farrugia and David Scicluna.
Luzzu had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 29, 2021. [5] It was selected as the Maltese entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards. [6]
To support his wife and child, a Maltese fisherman enters the world of black market fishing. [4]
The cast include: [7]
Luzzu had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 29, 2021 in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section. [5] [8] The following month, Kino Lorber acquired the US distribution rights to the film, while Peccadillo Pictures acquired the UK distribution rights. [9]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 98% based on reviews from 60 critics, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's consensus reads, "Beautifully filmed and emotionally impactful, Luzzu uses one man's story to capture the struggles of a region at a cultural crossroads." [10] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 based on 16 critical reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [11]
Malcolm Scerri-Ferrante, writing for the Times of Malta , commended the film's story, cinematography, score, and sound design, as well as Scicluna's performance: "Sometimes a filmmaker needs to strike gold and some luck is usually needed. Jesmark Scicluna was Camilleri's strike." [12] He added, "Camilleri managed to create a story that resonates or is easily imaginable. Adding the fisheries industry into the background was a smart move as there are not enough films that reveal the world of traditional fisherman. [...] I find the making of a successful film is about reaching two goals. Does the film tell me something I did not know and does the film touch my heart? Luzzu managed to do both, easily." [12]
The New York Times ' Natalia Winkelman praised Camilleri's direction, writing that he "demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of how small moments can build a sense of place: sandals on the salty floor of a fishery; a metal scraper peeling paint from a hull; a priest blessing boats for safe passage. Malta's views are arresting, but the images Camilleri chooses would never be found in a travel brochure. In his subtle, vérité approach, he captures something special — not one man's crisis, but a community's culture." [13] Carlos Aguilar of the Los Angeles Times called the film a "terrific debut", lauding Scicluna's performance, as well as the cinematography and score. [14] He concluded that the film is "made vividly compelling in the hand of a new storyteller with classically honed sensibilities." [14]
Sliema Wanderers Football Club, nicknamed "tax-Xelin", is a professional Maltese football club. It is the most successful team in Malta and hails from the seaside town of Sliema. It currently plays in the Maltese Premier League.
L-Għanja tal-Poplu is a popular Maltese song competition first organized by Youth Travel Circle (YTC) on 5 May 1973 at the St. Albert College in Valletta. The founder of YTC is Rev. Maurice Mifsud. Initially the contest had to register as YTC members. From 1987 onward, the contest took a national dimension. The competing songs are sung primarily in Maltese and are written either by the singers themselves or other songwriters. In the 1990s the contest started being transmitted on local television stations. This contest is today organised by the voluntary organisation L-Għanja tal-Poplu and is also supported by Arts Council Malta.
Balzan Football Club is a Maltese football club from the village of Balzan that competes in the Maltese Premier League, the top tier of Maltese football. The club was founded as Balzan Youths in 1937 and has been playing in the top division since 2010. They were renamed Balzan FC in June 2012.
Undertow is a 2009 romantic drama film directed, written and produced by Javier Fuentes-León in his directorial debut. Initial financing came from Germany and France with additional financing from Peru. The film shot in Cabo Blanco, Peru, won the World Cinema Audience Award in the Dramatic category at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S.A. Other Audience Awards included Cartagena, Montreal, Miami, Chicago, Utrecht, Lima, and Galway, as well as Jury Awards in Madrid, San Francisco, Seattle, Toulouse, and Philadelphia. It received a nomination as Best Latin American Film at the 2011 Goya Awards in Spain.
Mużika Mużika is the national song festival of Malta.
Anya Camilleri is a British film and television director and screenwriter of Maltese descent.
The 2020–21 Maltese Premier League was the 106th season of the Maltese Premier League, the top-flight league football in Malta. Floriana were the defending champions, having won their 26th title the previous season.
Night of the Kings is a 2020 fantasy drama film written and directed by Philippe Lacôte. The film is produced by Delphine Jaquet, Yanick Letourneau, Ernest Konan, and Yoro Mbaye. It was selected as the Ivorian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, making the shortlist of fifteen films. The film is also nominated for Best international film at the Independent Spirit Award 2021.
Whirlybird is a 2020 American documentary film by Matt Yoka. It competed in the US Documentary category at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
CODA is a 2021 coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Sian Heder. An English-language remake of the 2014 French-Belgian film La Famille Bélier, it stars Emilia Jones as Ruby Rossi, the child of deaf adults (CODA) and only hearing member of her family, who attempts to help her family's struggling fishing business while pursuing her aspirations to become a singer.
One for the Road is a 2021 Thai-language drama film directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya and produced by Wong Kar-wai. It is a Chinese/Hong Kong/Thai co-production, and is written by Puangsoi Aksornsawang, Nottapon Boonprakob and Nattawut Poonpiriya. The film stars Thanapob Leeratanakajorn, Natara Nopparatayapon, Ploy Horwang, Siraphun Wattanajinda, Violette Wautier and Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying.
Hive is a 2021 Kosovan drama film written and directed by Blerta Basholli in her directorial debut. The film stars Yllka Gashi, Çun Lajçi and Aurita Agushi. It premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 31, 2021 and became the first film in Sundance history to win all three main awards – the Grand Jury Prize, the Audience Award and the Directing Award – in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. It was selected as the Kosovan entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.
Unclenching the Fists is a 2021 Ossetian-language Russian drama film directed by Kira Kovalenko. In July 2021, the film won the Un Certain Regard award at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. It was selected as the Russian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Drunken Birds is a 2021 Canadian drama film directed by Ivan Grbovic who co-wrote with Sara Mishara. The film stars Jorge Antonio Guerrero as Willy, a Mexican drug runner in a crime cartel who travels to Canada in search of his girlfriend Marlena after she disappears, and takes a job as a migrant worker on a farm in the Montérégie region.
Carmen is a 2021 drama film written and directed by Valerie Buhagiar. Inspired in part by the real experiences of Buhagiar's own aunt Rita, the film stars Natascha McElhone as Carmen, a Maltese spinster who has spent her adult life serving as a caretaker for her brother, who is a Roman Catholic priest, but who finds herself feeling free to explore her own desires and goals in life as she nears age 50. The cast also includes Steven Love, Michaela Farrugia, Peter Galea, Mikhail Basmadjian, Henry Zammit Cordina, and Richard Clarkin.
Girl Picture is a 2022 Finnish coming-of-age film directed by Alli Haapasalo from a screenplay by Ilona Ahti and Daniela Hakulinen. It premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Audience Award in the World Dramatic Competition. It was released in Finland on 14 April 2022.
Summering is a 2022 American coming-of-age drama film co-written, directed, and produced by James Ponsoldt. It stars Lia Barnett, Lake Bell, Sarah Cooper, Ashley Madekwe, Madalen Mills, Megan Mullally, Eden Grace Redfield, and Sanai Victoria. It was released on August 12, 2022, by Bleecker Street.
Klondike is a 2022 Ukrainian drama film written, directed, and edited by Maryna Er Gorbach. The film stars Oksana Cherkashyna as a pregnant woman living near the Ukrainian-Russian border during the Russo-Ukrainian War and the shooting of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. Klondike premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2022, where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Competition for directing. At the Berlin International Film Festival, it won the second place in Panorama Audience Award category. This film was selected as the Ukrainian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards.
Drift is a 2023 drama film directed by Anthony Chen from a screenplay by Susanne Farrell and Alexander Maksik. It is based on the novel A Marker to Measure Drift by Maksik. A French, British and Greek co-production, it is Chen's first English-language feature. The film stars Cynthia Erivo, Alia Shawkat, Ibrahima Ba, Honor Swinton Byrne, Zainab Jah and Suzy Bemba. Drift had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 22 January 2023. It was featured at the 54th IFFI 2023, where it won the ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal-Special Mention for Best Film on peace and inter-cultural dialogue.