Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1337056
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 FEBRUARY 2021 5 FILM Malta film Luzzu shines at Sundance, as lead actor clinches Dramatic Special Award FISHERMAN turned actor Jesmark Scicluna, lead actor in the Maltese film Luzzu, has won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award in acting at the Sundance Film Festival. The film, directed by Alex Camilleri, premiered at the fes- tival over the weekend. The announcement was made during the awards ceremo- ny on Wednesday, hosted by actor and comedian Patton Oswalt, ending the festival's seven-day run. Scicluna plays a struggling fisherman, who is forced to turn his back on generations of tradition and risk everything by entering the world of black market fishing to provide for his wife and new-born baby. Upon receiving the award, Scicluna thanked the director, as well as the casting director, "for taking a leap of faith in me." Scicluna also thanked his co- stars David Scicluna, and Mi- chela Farrugia, as well as the producers Rebecca Anasta- si, Ramin Bahrani and Oliver Mallia. He also thanked his family and wife MariaCarla and four- year-old daughter Cheryl. Since the film's premiere on Friday, it has received positive reviews from audiences and critics. Sundance praised the film, describing it as a "poignant, humanistic portrait of an eclipsing way of life", and com- plemented Camilleri's choice in "the quiet power of small moments and the underlying intensity of ordinary people pushed into untenable posi- tions." Camilleri congratulated Sci- cluna, saying he elevated Luzzu with a "subtlety and soulful- ness" that reminded him of the very best screen actors. The Maltese film went toe- to-toe with other critically acclaimed films, marking an important milestone for the Maltese film industry. The Sundance Festival is the largest American film festi- val, claiming to have launched numerous careers of directors such as Quentin Tarantino, the Coen Brothers, and Wes An- derson. The festival has also show- cased other great films such as Get Out by Jordan Peele; Whiplash by Damien Chazelle; and Mike Newell's Four Wed- dings and a Funeral. Luzzu is set to feature in se- lect screenings in the US and the international industry and press, with a Maltese premiere taking place later on in 2021. Luzzu was supported by the Malta Film Commission and the government of Malta. Director Alex Camilleri, lead actor Jesmark Scicluna, producer Rebecca Anastasi, along with others who had a hand in making the film, took part in a Q&A livestream hosted by the Sundance Festival answering questions from the public