When a group of volunteers last summer set out to make a short film, they were thinking of a small flick that would provoke discussion. But when Stenbaħ! was premiered at the Salesian Theatre in January, the feedback was so good they decided to try promote it at a festival.
Fast forward a couple of months, and the film, 21-year-old student director James Spiteri’s first, has been selected for a short film showcase corner at none other than the Cannes Film festival.
The short film corner is a section of the prestigious festival where upcoming directors and producers have their films shown after being vetted by the festival. It acts as a bridge between short films and the far costlier world of feature films.
It also increases the chances of films being selected by international festivals and exposes talent and ideas to potential partners or distributors. Last year, more than 1,700 films from 86 countries took part in the showcase.
Barely 11 minutes long, Stenbaħ! (Wake Up) deals with the impact of domestic violence and broken families on their children and victims.
Shot in Senglea, Mount Carmel Hospital and private homes, it was produced by Boscocrew, an audiovisual unit of the Salesians in Malta, where youngsters as young as 15 can develop their talents in cinema.
One of the Salesians’ main concerns is children who come from broken families, and this is reflected in the film’s content.
“It is based on several true stories we encountered, and the main theme is that if we don’t deal with the problems of our past, they will keep haunting us,” said Fr Eric Cachia, the film’s producer. Aged 34, Fr Cachia is by some distance the eldest person working on the film.
“There is also the idea of the family, that it is natural that a person from a broken home suffers emotional and psychological problems,” Fr Cachia said.
Mr Spiteri wants to use his first film as a passport to a directorial career once he completes his course at University.
“It is intended to provoke discussion, because our intention is to take it into schools. The vibe was that there’s quality, and we thought why not?” the lively youth said.
Filmed with no budget and using equipment on loan and a camera from the Salesians in Turin, the production faced problems when trying to tap funding – mostly because they were not professionals.
“All the work on set was done by students – with no budget at all, and when we came to talk to the EU media desk about funding, we realised that all the opportunities were given to already established companies, which we feel is unfair,” Mr Spiteri said.
Two follow-ups are in the pipeline, but the Stenbaħ! producers aim to take it to other festivals.
But whatever happens on the festival front, Fr Cachia thinks the film is a winner.
“Firstly, we put people’s talents to good use while making the film, but we’re discovering that through this medium, we’re reaching out to kids who otherwise would not bother with discussions or the Church.
“It’s all about respect towards the human person and finding things which unite us,” Fr Cachia said.
Stenbaħ! is not the only Maltese production to make it to the prestigious French festival. There is also Daqqet ix-Xita by Lighthouse & Ashley, funded by the Malta Film Fund.
Directed by Kenneth Scicluna, Daqqet ix-Xita deals with a boy trying to escape his bleak surroundings.