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CULTURE FILM maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 DECEMBER 2019 6 NOTHING says Christmas like Vampires and our dark- est obsessions, so finally two of our latest short films make it to Youtube to be shared with family and friends. Shadeena Entertainment presents two short films by debut filmmakers Stephanie Sant and Samuel Sultana. Over the past years Shadeena has invested in new talents to help them bring their visions to the screen and gain expe- rience. Stephanie Sant is an ex- perienced artist and gradu- ated from Central Saint Martins - University of the Arts London - UK, with an MA in Photography. She co- wrote 'Camilla' with Teodor Reljic and directed a stellar cast made up of Steffi Thake (Laura), Peter Galea (Sheri- dan) and Irene Christ in the titular role of Camilla. Based on award winning author Clare Azzopardi's short sto- ry 'Camilla' from 'Kullħadd ħalla ismu warajh', the adap- tation was the winner of the Short Film Contest organised by the Malta National Book Council in 2018. Stephanie Sant's adaptation turned the story into a dark gothic thriller set against Malta's scorching summer heat. After multiple screen- ings in Malta, 'Camilla' is now available on Youtube for everyone to watch. Samuel Sultana is a well known Maltese-French artist with numerous exhibitions around Malta and his work forming part of numerous private collections world- wide. His first foray into film- making resulted in the short film 'Raġel tal-Klieb' based on the short story by the same name, by award win- ning author Oliver Friggieri. Philip Mizzi, a well estab- lished actor on both theatre and screen, plays the titular role as the man descends deeper into his obsession, skillfully directed by Samuel Sultana into a horrifying and dark short film that probes man's descent into self-de- struction. The short film was funded by the Malta Film Fund under the auspices of the Malta Film Commission and has been screened in Malta, Morocco and the UK amongst other countries. It is now available for everyone to watch on Youtube. Since 2010 Shadeena En- tertainment has championed the production of innova- tive and challenging short films aimed at both a Maltese and international audience. Our short films have been screened around the world and in the coming months more will be shared on You- tube in a drive to make Mal- tese short films more acces- sible to young audiences. "What had attracted me in both Le Fanu's Carmilla and Azzopardi's Camilla was how the titular character's independence triggered the community to shroud her in mystery to the point of de- monising her and viewing her as a sort of 'saħħara' or even worse, a 'barranija'," Stephanie Sant says. "In the filmic adaptation I preferred to present her in a less village-gossipy, more in- timate setting with the intro- duction of Laura, who is as much a victim as she is a pro- tégé of Camilla. As I played with the eroticism, intimacy and tension that come with this inter-generational sis- terhood, the effects were as seductive and stifling as in a Maltese summer day." Samuel Sultana says Raġel tal- Klieb is a story that he first encountered in a Mal- tese literature lesson in sec- ondary school. "The theme of obsession in the form of such energetic creatures as dogs that in the end liter- ally consume the protagonist shocked me and stayed with me for a long time. "It was the first text that came to mind when I was presented the opportunity to direct a filmic adaptation of a Maltese literary work. I was determined to articulate the chaos from the move- ments of the dogs that had lingered in my mind for all these years." Two debut short films released on Youtube Stephanie Sant's 'Camilla' and Samuel Sultana's 'Raġel tal-Klieb', released online directed by Stephanie Sant Steffi Thake Irene Christ Peter Galea Left: Directors Stephanie Sant, and Samuel Sultana (right) Stills from Camilla, left, featuring Irene Christ and Steffi Thake (left), and below, Ragel tal-Klieb with actors Philip MIzzi and Maryann Muscat SEE THEM HERE at https://bit.ly/34eIjBZ and https://bit. ly/2RLgQ8c or scan QR codes with your smartphone