Internationally acclaimed director Arev Manoukian will be in Malta shooting a short film at the end of this month entitled The Maltese Fighter.

The film is set in the 1970s and chronicles a father and son relationship through their passion for boxing.

The project is being undertaken with Maltese co-producer Maltafilm, which has a full complement of Maltese crew, and similar collaborations are what the industry on the island is trying to nurture, Film Commissioner Peter Busuttil said.

Speaking in the Hilton Hotel foyer, Mr Busuttil said that, through the Malta Film Fund, producers were able to attract big names such as Mr Manoukian to collaborate with Maltese companies.

The idea is to not only give assistance through funding but to help distribute the film and showcase it at international festivals, giving Malta some good exposure.

Mr Manoukian was catapulted onto the international stage with his short film Nuit Blanche in 2010 and was asked to direct a short 3D cinematic spot by Sony called Two Worlds, which was based on his short film.

Nuit Blanche was in the top 15 most-watched videos on Vimeo and has almost one million views on You Tube.

The Maltese Fighter is also being produced by Carlo Trulli, who was involved in the short film Alive In Joburg, which later went on to become the blockbuster District Nine released in 2009.

Maltafilm director Joshua Cassar Gaspar said renowned Canadian producers SpyFilms were also involved.

“The film project will promote the beautiful textures of Valletta. The story is Maltese, and the film is entirely based in Valletta,” he said.

“To have a Maltese company working at such a level is brilliant,” Mr Cassar Gaspar added, saying this was an opportunity for Maltese crew to step up their standards and servicing.

Mr Busuttil said the film commission was spending some €500,000 in training Maltese involved in technical filmmaking.

“Malta is trying to create an indigenous film industry and the Malta Film Fund is the first step to create and promote coproduction between Maltese and international producers,” Mr Cassar Gaspar said.

The Maltese Fighter is due to start production at the end of March.

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