Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1544603
2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 APRIL 2026 CULTURE Cairo-premiered Maltese feature film Żafżifa opens in local cinemas Screenings of Żafżifa will be available at selected local cinemas from 13 May, following a press premiere and Q&A at Eden Cinemas on 1 May LOCAL audiences will soon have the chance to see Żafżifa, the new Maltese feature film written and directed by Peter Sant and co-produced with An- gelique Muller, on the big screen in Malta and Gozo. Following its global premiere at Cairo International Film Festival, the film opens in Mal- tese cinemas on 13 May, with screenings at Embassy Cinemas in Valletta, Eden Cinemas in St Julian's and Citadel Cinemas in Gozo. Set in Buġibba, Żafżifa fol- lows a man who returns to the island to find that his friends have taken advantage of the changing economy and moved on with their lives. Haunted by a mysterious past, he tries to free himself from the relentless pro- gress reshaping the town. Shot on 16mm film, using open sets and with a cast largely made up of non-actors, the film offers a corrosive portrait of a place and a people in flux. "The idea of progress was cen- tral to the film," says writer-di- rector Peter Sant. "This belief in an upward trajectory toward a future somehow better than the present was something I wanted to explore." The cast is led by Dimitrios Gi- annakoudakis (Malta), alongside Crishelle Medrano (Philippines), Mehdi Aoumi (France/Tuni- sia), Zohaib Anjum (Pakistan) and Emilia Figiel (Poland). The film also marks the final screen performance of the late Marylu Coppini – Sant's mother-in-law – who brings her signature wit to a poignant bookend to a long and distinguished career. The Australian-born, Mal- ta-based Sant completed his MA at the Slade School of Fine Art and works as an educator, filmmaker and musician. Żafżi- fa is his second feature, follow- ing his 2018 debut Baħar Żmien (Of Time and the Sea), which premiered at FIDMarseille, and which was described by Mat- thew Boas (Cineuropa) as a film that "…confirms Sant as a name to watch on the arthouse cinema circuit." Żafżifa has already received acclaim, with one reviewer in Cairo describing the film as "a quietly devastating achievement – one of the most intellectually engaging works to emerge from this year's festival." Ahead of the general Malta re- lease, a special press premiere and Q&A with the filmmak- ers will take place on 1 May at Eden Cinemas, St Julian's, giving members of the press the chance to engage directly with Sant, Muller and the cast following the screening. Tickets are available from Eden Cinemas in St Julian's, Embassy Cinemas in Valletta and Cita- del Cinemas in Gozo. For more information, visit hereonin.org/ zafzifa. Żafżifa is a Hereonin production, supported by Cre- ative Malta and Arts Council Malta. BBC Ghosts star Kiell Smith-Bynoe to lead Malta improv masterclass for local performers KIELL Smith-Bynoe, star of BBC's Ghosts and Task- master, and Ed MacAr- thur, a multi-instrumental- ist comedian whose credits include Ted Lasso, will lead an improvisation and characterisation workshop at Theatre Next Door on Sunday 10 May. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity offers per- formers at all levels the chance to train with two of Britain's most in-demand comedy talents, alongside award-nominated theatre director George Chilcott. The three-hour session covers character building, improv techniques, musi- cal and physical comedy, scene dynamics and comic timing. "It's a real coup to be bringing a cast of this cal- ibre to Malta, and an op- portunity local perform- ers won't want to miss. Anyone with an interest in comedy will absolutely love what this trio bring to the stage," says producer Jo Caruana at Finesse Events. The workshop draws from the creative process behind String V SPITTA, the five-star musical com- edy that has sold out at London's Soho Theatre and the Edinburgh Fringe – and makes its Malta de- but at Theatre Next Door for one weekend only on 9-10 May. Workshop places are strictly limited to 30 and priced at €65, which in- cludes a ticket to watch String V SPITTA. Book- ing is essential – reserve a place by contacting Jo Caruana on +356 9946 2273. More information and show tickets availa- ble at www.fmt.com.mt/ tnd.