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EXCLUSIVE: Maltese American director Alex Camilleri’s second feature Zejtune premieres in competition in the Goteborg Film Festival this week and Deadline can reveal a first teaser.
Michela Farrugia stars as Mar who is planning to quit her native Malta for good following the death of her estranged mother, using the proceeds from the sale of farmland she’s inherited to fund the move.
As she travels the island to claim her land, she meets Nenu, an irrepressible 80-year-old folk singer whose music and spirit challenge her desire to escape. An unexpected connection between past and present grows as Mar slowly warms to the homeland she wanted to turn her back on..
Farrugia is joined in the cast by Nenu Borg, Michael Azzopardi and Frida Cauchi
Born in the U.S. shortly after his parents emigrated from Malta, Camilleri has maintained strong links with the Mediterranean island, which is renowned as a shooting hub for big international productions such as Gladiator, Troy, and Jurassic World: Dominion
Camilleri is one of the few local Maltese directors making films to have achieved recognition on the international stage, with his first film Luzzu debuting in Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic lineup in 2021, with Jesmark Scicluna winning the Special Jury Award for acting.
His new feature is produced by Oliver Mallia (Pellikola), Ramin Bahrani (Noruz Films), with Camilleri also taking a producer credit under his Solari Productions banner. Co-producers are Fred Burle and Sol Bondy (One Two Films) and Rebecca Anastasi.
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English (US) ·