The Malta Film Expo promises two more days of film-related activities, including talks, short films and film screenings.
Today
Among today’s highlights are the screening of Winston Azzopardi’s film Head, which will be followed by a discussion. The film is about a sailor who is locked inside a sailing boat he is delivering and which is steaming ahead on autopilot.
Head is showing at the St James Cavalier cinema at 7.10pm. Admission is free and no booking is required.
This will be followed by the screening of 20,000 Reasons, directed by Jameson Cucciardi and written by Malcolm Galea.
The romantic comedy is about a hard-working perfectionist named Sophie Bellizzi, who is obsessed with getting her company off the ground. She has a strained relationship with her younger sister Juliana and an even more difficult one with her grandmother who is obsessed with seeing her only grandchildren married so as to protect the family’s wealth. When Sophie breaks it off with her cheating boyfriend, she is abruptly faced with her grandmother’s cunning plan to pass her substantial inheritance on to her sister, unless she marries before her 30th birthday, which is in three months’ time. The film is certified 12.
20,000 Reasons is showing at 8pm. It will be followed by a discussion. Admission is also free but booking is required.
Joseph Calleia (left) with Glenn Ford in Gilda.Tomorrow
The Malta Film Expo will tomorrow host a tribute to Maltese-born American actor and singer Joseph Calleia. He took part in more than 50 Hollywood films with roles varying from a mobster to a priest opposite actors such as Orson Welles, Charlton Heston, Mario Lanza, Dean Martin and Anthony Quinn.
The event will start at 6pm with a panel discussion by Joseph Borda, Eman Bonnici and Charles Mizzi and moderated by Joyce Grech. This will be followed by excerpts from 11 films in which Calleia had a starring role, such as Tough Guy, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Gilda, My Little Chickadee and Touch of Evil.
The main film screenings tomorrow include that of Jamie Vella’s Arcadia. The film is about a father and son who finally achieve their dream of living in the idyllic Maltese countryside. Yet this dream of peace and simplicity soon turns into a nightmare, as the booming and unforgiving construction industry of the country quickly sets its sights on their land. Arcadia is showing at 7pm, admission is free and no booking is required.
The last screening of the festival will be that of Hail, Caesar!, which is also the closing event of the Triq Cinemoon Festival. Directed by Ethan and Joel Coen, the comedy revolves around a Hollywood fixer in the 1950s who works to keep the studio’s stars in line. The all-star cast includes George Clooney, Josh Brolin, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson and Jonah Hill. The film, certified 12, is showing at 8pm. The event is sold out.
For a more detailed programme and for tickets where booking is required, visit www.maltafilmfoundation.com/maltafilmexpo.