A short film in Maltese called Sħab (To My Little Turtle) by award-winning production company Shadeena Films will shortly be shown at this year’s Cannes Short Film Corner (CSFC).

The 15-minute-long production is the second project funded by the Malta Film Fund to make it into this highly-competitive market and the only Maltese entry to make it into this year’s CSFC.

“This project has been in the pipeline since 2011 and we’re very excited to finally be in a position to promote it,” says Martin Bonnici, the film’s producer and director.

“It was a difficult project on various levels and we couldn’t have made it this far without our commercial partners, Turbulence Films, Pasmania Entertainment and Panalight Nexos Mediterranean, as well as the European Short Pitch, Invex Malta and the Malta Film Fund.”

Sħab is a Maltese/Swiss co-production about what happens to those left behind after death.

The film introduces us to an old farmer, Joe (played by Joe Cortis), who is mourning the passing of his wife (Ċettina Scicluna) while still trying to fulfil her lifelong wish of rising above the clouds and looking down on the surrounding white.

He does this on their anniversary as his own struggles and thoughts of regret push him to take a leap of faith. Local actors Peter Galea and Jules Darville complete the film’s small cast.

The project was developed by Bonniċi and Chris Galea at the 2011 edition of the European Short Pitch, a short-film development and co-production workshop run by Nisi-Masa, a non-profit organisation promoting young professionals in the European film-making industry.

Although Shadeena Films is based in Valletta, the short film was shot entirely in Gozo.

It then entered an extended post-production period, which saw the editing and visual effects completed in Malta.

The colour grading took place in Los Angeles thanks to Turbulence Films.

www.shadeena.com