With characters that have become a mainstay in Maltese living rooms, the Deċeduti series has claimed a stronghold in local culture and earned many fans. Rachel Agius speaks to the creators of the show about the upcoming full-length film Deċeduti: Wara l-Aħħar tad-Dinja.
The ever-popular Deċeduti characters are set to take on a larger-than-life quality, springing from our small screens to the majesty of the cinema, courtesy of a full-length feature movie that hits theatres on Thursday. What are fans to expect from the transition?
“The most difficult thing to do is to give a synopsis,” Carlos Debattista starts off sheepishly.
“There is so much going on that I find it hard to condense it down to a few words.”
Debattista is well-known on the local television circuit. He has also written for several well-known series, including Ġiżelle and Evanġelisti.
On both these projects he worked with Abigail Mallia, who has also contributed to this project on the editing and script-writing side of things, besides occupying the director’s chair.
“I’ve been working in TV for the last 13 years now; I started out working with Xarabank,” she says.
Deċeduti was a break from the genre of both the previous series Mallia has worked on and from the talk-show format of Xarabank.
“As an experience, it was quite a tough one, since comedy is not really my genre. Still, I think on a professional level, being part of it all has taught me possibly more than any other previous experience,” she admits.
Over 30,000 Facebook fans agree, proving this team is definitely doing something right. So what should fans expect from the full-length feature that they didn’t get in the series? The film picks up, in part, where the television show leaves off, with a few crucial twists.
“This movie will be an all-in-one Deċeduti bonanza, played against an end-of-days setting,” explains Debattista.
The audience can look forward to posthumous love affairs, financial crisis and an Armageddon that doesn’t quite deliver. A host of new characters will join more familiar faces in an example of their creator’s own impatience.
“I need endless change in my life and I find it impossible to stay in one place or situation for a long time.
“One of the reasons why all our TV projects span two years and not more is that I need to change characters and setting after two seasons,” he explains.
Still, once the personalities are written, they are by no means complete. After an actor is cast into a role, Debattista refines that character to better fit the person.
“Once a cast is in place, the character acquires qualities particular to that actor,” he explains.
Still, as actor Maruska Mallia admits, there are some key differences between her and the characters she plays, Gladys and Mariella.
“I love playing Gladys, partly because I get to say and do things I normally wouldn’t.”
The cast has, by their own admission, become a community.
“I love everything about acting and being in a production, but I would say one of my favourite aspects is the sense of camaraderie between the actors,” says Stephen Mifsud, who plays Karmelo in the film. Even the newbies seemed to fit right in.
“I was afraid I would feel out of place or not welcome but was happy to find that this was not so,” says Alice Cassar, who juggled the role of Alice in the film with her academic commitments. Mallia’s process for turning words on a script into something entertaining is not one she takes lightly either.
“Directing requires a lot of thought as many elements, not only the script, come together to deliver the story in the best way possible,” she says.
“Often the process must be condensed when working within financial limitations.”
As is the case for many local creative endeavors, there are obstacles to overcome. Funding is always a concern and, says Debattista, “everything in this industry depends on it”.
Tiny budgets mean equally tiny production teams, often stretched to the limit with a multitude of roles to fulfill. Take actor Jonathan Caruana, who had another role before stepping in front of the cameras as Dranko; he worked on the series’ visual effects.
“When we left our jobs to pursue the acting dream, everyone thought we were mad, and perhaps to some extent they were right. But I believe that at the time it was the only way, to do it,” he says.
Nowadays, although the team still feels money to be one of the major stumbling blocks, they also believe it’s a challenge that they’ve conquered.
“I am very proud of what we do with the little budget we have, and I am grateful for the team’s support as well as our audience’s overwhelming response,” he says.
Debattista agrees, “People often come up to me and tell me how they wait for the next Deċeduti episode, how it helps them cope with life and brings laughter and a measure of joy to their lives. That, to me, is priceless.”
The film premiere will also offer fans the opportunity to meet their favourite characters on the red carpet before the main event kicks off at Eden Cinemas.
“It is important that fans understand that this is a feature film that will not be shown on television,” Debattista says. “It is both a continuation of the series and a new story in its own right.”
For Deċeduti fans, hitting the cinema theatre will not be a tough decision – Debattista and Mallia are confident that this latest chapter in the tale will deliver the laughs and action that followers have grown to expect from the Deċeduti brand.