This year’s edition of the Golden Knights Festival saw two Maltese productions among the winners, making it a unique moment for Maltese filmmakers… for in the 53-year history of the festival only two local productions had won a Golden Knight award – in 1972 and 2004.

The Maltese Fighter by Joshua Cassar Gaspar, a graduate of the University of Malta, and Sheila by Vicki Kisner, Guy Horlock and Matthew Muscat Drago, an Mcast (Institute for the Creative Arts) graduate, won this year’s awards, while The Nazarene won in 1972 and The Legionnaire’s Spear in 2004.

The year’s festival result, which attracts some of the best short filmmakers from around the world, is a reflection of the great strides achieved by Maltese producers in recent years.

The festival, sponsored by the Malta Tourism Authority, was held over two evenings and the awards were presented by MTA chairman Gavin Gulia.