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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 JULY 2025
NEWS
Gozo-shot film heads to Los Angeles
for Hard Faith film festival
A short film shot entirely in
Gozo near the Ta' Pinu Sanctu-
ary is heading to Los Angeles as
a finalist in the prestigious Hard
Faith™ Film Festival, taking place
from July 17 to 19, 2025.
Titled Stations of the Cross, the
experimental faith-based film
was created by Serbian-born,
Malta-based filmmaker Alek-
sa Ristovic, who will attend the
festival and its U.S. premiere ful-
ly self-funded, with no support
from government or sponsors.
"This nomination alone is a
major milestone," the filmmaker
told GozoToday. "To represent
Malta with a project made entire-
ly in Gozo is a personal and pro-
fessional achievement."
Stations of the Cross has already
received international attention,
winning Best International Short
at the Washington DC Interna-
tional Cinema Festival and Best
Religion & Faith Short at the Ro-
ma Short Film Festival. It was al-
so broadcast five times on TVM
during Holy Week 2025.
The filmmaker has worked in
Malta's media industry for over a
decade and is proud to fly the flag
for Malta at one of the few glob-
al festivals focused on faith and
spirituality in film.
A follow-up feature will run af-
ter the festival, including behind-
the-scenes content from the LA
event.
Serbian-born, Malta-based filmmaker
Aleksa Ristovic
A Gozo-made short film by a Malta-based independent filmmaker is heading to Los Angeles as a
finalist at the Hard Faith Film Festival, where it will have its US premiere later this month.
