Malta's Mediterrane Film Festival to Feature ‘The Return,' ‘Compulsion,' ‘Hot Milk'
Competition films will include Uberto Pasolini's 'The Return,' starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche; Rebecca Lenkiewicz's directorial debut, 'Hot Milk,' 'For the Love of a Woman' (Per amore di una donna) from Italian director Guido Chiesa; 'Harvest' from Athina Rachel Tsangari; and Maltese director Joshua Cassar Gaspar's 'The Theft of the Caravaggio.'
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Out of competition special screenings will include Ira Sachs' 'Peter Hujar's Day' with Ben Wishaw and Rebecca Hall, the Malta-set erotic thriller 'Compulsion' by Neil Marshall, 'Four Letters of Love' with Pierce Brosnan, Helena Bonham Carter and Gabriel Byrne and 'Time Travel is Dangerous,' narrated by Stephen Fry.
A sidebar section with FilmItalia will celebrate new Italian women filmmakers, with selections including 'Diva Futura,' 'Gloria!' and 'Love and Glory – The Long Deledda.'
The Mare Nostrum section, meaning 'Our Sea,' returns with six films exploring the climate crisis and environmental themes including 'Lowland Kids,' 'How Deep is Your Love' and 'Transamazonia.'
Elli Griff, Rick Carter and Catherine Hardwicke are among the jury members who will also participate in Masterclasses during the festival along with director Joe Carnahan, producer Jeremy Thomas and Glenn Gainor, head of physical production at Amazon Original Movies.
The Golden Bee Awards on June 29 will celebrate 100 years of cinema in Malta, held at the historic 18th century Fort Manoel. The festival is led by the new creative team of Festival Director Ray Calleja and Festival Curator Mark Adams, and the theme of this year's event is 'We Are Film.'
See the full film program below:
MAIN COMPETITION
The Return (dir. Uberto Pasolini)Uberto Pasolini's The Return reunites The English Patient co-stars, Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes and Academy Award winner Juliette Binoche in a powerfully original and psychologically revealing adaptation of Homer's Odyssey. After 20 years away, Odysseus (Fiennes) washes up on the shores of Ithaca, haggard and unrecognizable. The King has returned from the Trojan War, but much has changed in his kingdom. His beloved wife Penelope (Binoche) is a prisoner in her own home, hounded by suitors vying to be king and planning the death of Telemachus, the son he never knew. Shattered by his experience of war, Odysseus must rediscover his strength in order to win back all that he has lost.
Hot Milk (dir. Rebecca Lenkiewicz)Adapted from the acclaimed novel by Deborah Levy, this directorial debut by Rebecca Lenkiewicz sees Sofia and her ailing mother, Rose, travel to the Spanish seaside town of Almería to seek the help of Dr. Gómez, an enigmatic healer who may hold the key to Rose's mysterious illness. As long-buried tensions simmer between them, Sofia finds herself drawn to the magnetic and free-spirited Ingrid.
For the Love of a Woman (Per amore di una donna) (dir. Guido Chiesa)Written and directed by Guido Chiesa: A strong and independent woman who hides a painful past.
Harvest (dir. Athina Rachel Tsangari)Athina Rachel Tsangari's (Attenberg, Chevalier) striking adaptation of Jim Crace's acclaimed novel finds an idyllic rural community coming under threat from outsiders. Over seven hallucinatory days, a village with no name, in an undefined time and place, disappears. Townsman-turned-farmer Walter Thirsk and befuddled lord of the manor Charles Kent are childhood friends about to face an invasion from the outside world: the trauma of modernity.
The Theft of the Caravaggio (dir. Joshua Cassar Gaspar)Orpheus wakes to discover a priceless Caravaggio painting stolen from St. John's Cathedral in Valletta while under his watch. With the city on edge, a detective is brought in from Washington to aid the local police in solving the case.
Where The Wind Comes From (dir. Amel Guellaty)Amel Guellaty's long-awaited feature debut is a robust and cinematic feast. The Tunisian-born director, screenwriter and photographer, who directed the critically acclaimed short Black Mamba follows rebellious 19-year-old Alyssa and shy 23-year-old Mehdi who dream of escaping their reality. Upon discovering a contest offering a chance to flee, they embark on a road trip to southern Tunisia, overcoming obstacles along the way.
Fiume o Morte! (dir. Igor Bezinovic)Winner of the IFFR 2025 Tiger Award, director Igor Bezinović's meta documentary restages a bizarre episode in Rijeka's history, when it was placed under nationalist occupation by the Italian poet Gabriele D'Annunzio. On 12 September 1919, a troop of some 300 soldiers under the leadership of the flamboyant war loving poet D'Annunzio swooped into the port town of Fiume, now Rijeka, wanting to annex the city to Italy. Over the course of 16 months, during what is regarded as one of the most bizarre militant sieges of all time, his official photography team captured over 10,000 images. A century later, Rijeka-born filmmaker Igor Bezinović, along with some three hundred citizens, orchestrates a direct-action history lesson focused on the siege and its modern-day implications.
The Wound (dir. Seloua El Gouni)Leila, a young Moroccan girl who just entered the workforce, tries to pursue her passions and ambitions while navigating the thorny societal constraints imposed on women under the guise of tradition and cultural normalcy. Winner – Best Debut Feature Film at the Athens International Art Film Festival, Greece
Reflection in a Dead Diamond (dir. Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani)John D, a septuagenarian living in a luxury hotel on the French Riviera, is intrigued by his female neighbour who reminds him of the wild times spent there during the 1960s, when he was a spy in a changing world full of promise. One day, his neighbour mysteriously disappears and leaves John to face his demons again: are his former adversaries back to sow chaos in his idyllic world?
8 (dir. Julio Medem)Octavio and Adela were born on the same day, April 14th, 1931. During the following 8 decades, their lives will intertwine through intense encounters and misunderstandings in 8 episodes. A passionate love story between a brave and fighting woman and a man confronted with his contradictions. They will have to face coming from families on opposing sides of a country slowly heading towards a Civil War, along with the history of Spain and Europe as a background.
OUT OF COMPETITION
Peter Hujar's Day (dir. Ira Sachs)Based on a richly cinematic rendering of a conversation recorded in 1974 between photographer Peter Hujar and writer Linda Rosenkrantz the film, starring Ben Whishaw and Rebecca Hall, re-imagines their talk that day in a single 24-hour period in the life of Hujar, the brilliant and famously uncompromising artist who was one of the most important figures in downtown New York's legendary cultural scene of the 1970s and 1980s.
Compulsion (dir. Neil Marshall)On the island of Malta, two women become involved in an intense affair, a deadly game of cat and mouse and a string of horrifying murders.
Four Letters of Love (dir. Polly Steele)A heartfelt adaptation of Niall William's bestselling novel, starring Pierce Brosnan, Helena Bonham Carter and Gabriel Byrne. Nicholas (Fionn O'Shea) and Isabel (Ann Skelly) were made for each other but how will they ever know it? As destiny pulls them together, family, passion, and faith drive them apart. They follow their own individual journeys of heartache and misplaced love, before fate contrives to pull the threads of their lives together. When they meet, it will become a miracle.
Time Travel is DangerousReal-life best friends Ruth and Megan run a vintage shop in Muswell Hill. When they stumble across a time machine, they start taking short trips into the past to 'borrow' unique items to sell in the present. They're not out to change history or rob banks — just on the hunt for the perfect vintage lamp… all while trying to avoid the terrifying time-space vortex known as the Unreason. Ruth Syratt and Megan Stevenson play themselves, with their actual vintage shop, Cha Cha Cha, featured in the film. The film features an all-star British comedy cast, including Johnny Vegas, Jane Horrocks, Sophie Thompson, Mark Heap, Brian Bovell, Tony Way, Guy Henry, and Tom Lenk — and is narrated by Stephen Fry.
The Extraordinary Miss Flower (dir. Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard)The Extraordinary Miss Flower brings to life the remarkable story of Geraldine Flower and the discovery of a suitcase full of passionate, heartfelt letters of love sent to her in the 60s and 70s that inspired acclaimed Icelandic singer/songwriter Emilíana Torrini to return to the studio and record an entire album of new songs. Part film, part theatre, part fever dream, the film takes the form of a series of specially designed performances of these songs by Emilíana and her band, combined with dramatic scenes and readings from the letters by well-known actors and musicians (including Caroline Catz, Nick Cave, Alice Lowe and Richard Ayoade).
The Wedding Banquet (dir. Andrew Ahn)More than just a remake of the 1993 hit movie, The Wedding Banquet is a joyfully loving and fresh reimagining of a classic comedy of errors about a family navigating cultural identity, queerness, and family expectations as they live, love, fight and make up again. Frustrated with his commitment-phobic boyfriend Chris and running out of time, Min makes a proposal: a green-card marriage with their lesbian friend Angela in exchange for her partner Lee's expensive IVF. Elopement plans are upended, however, when Min's grandmother surprises them with an extravagant Korean wedding banquet… With a pitch-perfect multigenerational cast that includes the great Lily Gladstone, The Wedding Banquet boils over with humour and heart and a reminder that being part of a family means learning to both accept and forgive.
Diva Futura (dir. Giulia Louise Steigerwalt)In 1980s-1990s Italy, Riccardo Schicchi's agency Diva Futura turns free love into porn, making stars of Ilona Staller, Moana Pozzi and others. Their fame leads to Cicciolina's election and Pozzi's mayoral run.
Gloria! (dir. Margherita Vicario)In singer-songwriter Margherita Vicario's beautiful and rousing musical film, a group of confined young women in 18th century Venice use their musical talents to break free. Gloria! is a soaring feel-good musical reimagining of history about a group of young women musicians who invent pop music in Baroque-era Venice. Set in a convent boarding school, the film follows Teresa who has visionary musical abilities but whose gift remains unsung. Ahead of a visit to the convent by the Pope, Teresa helps to create a musical uprising and leaps across the centuries to defy the dusty old regime by inventing a rebellious, light, and modern music: pop!
Love and Glory – The Young Deledda (L'amore e la gloria – La giovane Deledda) (dir. Maria Grazia Perria)Screenwriter and documentary filmmaker Maria Grazia Perria's narrative feature directorial debut is a sensitive, intelligent and arresting biopic of the early life and artistic struggles of Sardinian novelist Grazia Deledda. The first Italian woman to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, she is portrayed here with no small amount of passion by Marisa Serra.
The Ballad of Wallis Island (dir. James Griffiths)The Ballad of Wallis Island follows Charles (Tim Key), an eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island and dreams of getting his favorite musicians, McGwyer Mortimer (Tom Basden & Carey Mulligan) back together. His fantasy turns into reality when the bandmates and former lovers accept his invitation to play a private show at his home on Wallis Island. Old tensions resurface as Charles tries desperately to salvage his dream gig.
This City is a Battlefield (Perang Kota) (dir. Mouly Surya)Isa, a taciturn school teacher working for the resistance, is tasked with carrying out an assassination with the help of Hazil, a charming rebel who finds himself falling for Isa's wife, Fatimah. An exquisite period thriller that marries sensual romantic drama with propulsive action spectacle, Mouly Surya's fifth feature recreates life in Jakarta under colonial occupation in fastidious detail, unveiling it in all its seductive and brutal textures.
About a Hero (dir. Piotr Winiewicz)After a local factory worker named dies under mysterious circumstances, Werner Herzog travels to Getunkirchenburg to investigate his perplexing death. But Herzog, our narrator, is not who he seems, and the film is not what we expect. About a Hero is an adaptation of a script written by AI, trained on Herzog's body of work. Opening the prestigious 2024 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), and co-starring Vicky Krieps and Stephen Fry, the documentary is ironically self-reflective. As the mystery unfolds, director Piotr Winiewicz intertwines the narrative with a series of 'real' interviews with artists, philosophers and scientists reflecting on the notion of originality, authenticity, mortality and soul in the age of AI.
MARE NOSTRUM
How Deep is Your Love (dir. Eleanor Mortimer)Scientists explore the mysterious deep sea to collect and name undiscovered species. As they uncover mesmerizing creatures and ecosystems thriving in darkness, a looming threat emerges: the prospect of deep-sea mining in this untouched wilderness. British director Eleanor Mortimer's film weaves wonder with urgency, challenging us to balance the drive for resources with the intrinsic value of an ecosystem. As we journey through this breathtaking realm, we are left to ponder – how deep is our love?
Transamazonia (dir. Pia Marais)In the eerie quiet of the vast, verdant Amazon jungle, a young girl stirs to life. Rescued by the local Indigenous tribe, the child, Rebecca, is the only survivor of a plane crash. Years pass, and Rebecca (Helena Zengel) has become something of a local celebrity after her father (Jeremy Xido), an American missionary, has cast the teenager as a faith healer capable of miracles. Just as Rebecca is beginning to have a will of her own, doubting her father and the role in which she's been cast, another crisis emerges when illegal loggers encroach on the land, threatening the livelihoods of the local tribe, and forcing emotional, familial, and racial reckonings. South Africa–born director Pia Marais has fashioned a mesmerizing, entrancingly photographed moral tale with no easy answers that is also a singular coming-of-age fable.
Black Butterflies (dir. David Baute)David Baute's beautifully animated film tells the individual stories of Tanit, Valeria and Shaila, three women from very different parts of the world who face the same problem: climate change. They will lose everything because of global warming effects and they will be forced to emigrate to survive.
Miyazaki: Spirit of Nature (dir. Léo Favier)A documentary exploring the life and influential works of Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, known for films like My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away, focusing on his passion for animation and advocacy for the natural world.
Only on Earth (dir. Robin Petré)Spain's Southern Galicia is one of the most wildfire-prone zones in Europe. Wild horses have roamed these mountains for centuries and play a crucial role in fire prevention by keeping flammable undergrowth low. But their numbers are dwindling. Petré's film takes the audience on an immersive and visually striking journey into the hottest summer on record while inextinguishable forest fires rage for days. Only on Earth is about the fragile balance of our natural world and the relationship between humans and animals.
Lowland Kids (dir. Sandra Winther)The film follows the story of the last two teenagers and their uncle—on Louisiana's once thriving Isle de Jean Charles: their strikingly beautiful ancestral home that is now being swallowed by the sea. Part of the community deemed America's First Climate Refugees, they face an uncertain future as the U.S. government makes an unprecedented effort to resettle their entire community before the island succumbs to the sea. The film is directed by Danish filmmaker Sandra Winther and executive produced by Darren Aronofsky.
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