Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1544723
1. What's been the most defining moment in your career so far It hasn't happened yet. 2. As an artist, how do you navigate the world and speed of social media? Aimlessly. I prefer to sit back and watch it all unfold. For me, that's actually a crucial part of my practice. With ZafZifa, the stories weren't shaped by invention, but by lived encounters. For instance, there's a scene in the chicken shop where Kevin (played by Joseph Chetcuti) argues with an ex-em- ployee who comes to collect her final pay packet. A small dispute unfolds, and we discover she didn't have a work permit. That wasn't written—it happened while I was scouting locations. The whole film is built from these kinds of observations. Things were constantly shifting, from the writing process through to the shoot. Leaving space for that is essential for this kind of work. As for social media, I don't know—it depends how you use it. It's a good way to hear what people are doing. You just have to sift through the dirt to find the gold. That's nothing new. 3. Do you consider artificial intelligence a threat to your career, or an opportunity? It's there to remind us of the limitless beauty of human creation. Model col- lapse. It feeds on itself eventually. 4. How do you stay motivated and inspired, especially during tough times or when the work feels hard? I'm always on the lookout for films, and I'm fortunate to be on Karagarga, a members-only file-sharing archive spe- cialising in rare and obscure cinema. For music, I listen to WFMU, a listener-funded freeform radio station in New Jersey. Ba- sically, I try to stay clear of the streamers and the algorithms that come with them. Other than that, I make films and music. When one isn't working, I turn to the other. 5. How do you balance your creative instincts with the expectations of your audience or collaborators? I tend to play with expectations, espe- cially that of the audience. When you play a record, CD, or what have you, most people expect music. When watching a film, they expect a story. For me, it's more about asking what happens when we disrupt that? The melody and the stories as they sit lower in the pecking order. For instance, there's the Zafzifa soundtrack. Well, actually there's two. The first is the sounds you hear in the film, not just the musical type pieces, but also a lot of the ambience recordings of traffic and waves and other various sound effects I created using old tape machines. The other is a guitar/drum duo by Ivan Sant, myself and Ivan Hoe. For this, the tracks were composed spontaneously during the time I was writing the film, and subsequently some made it into the soundtrack. We had a kind of brief: There's a song in there somewhere but we're not going to let them have it. That was the idea at least. Both are out on vinyl 13 May. As far as collaborators go, we're usually on the same wavelength. 6. How do you approach a new project? Do you have a specific process or routine you follow? I like to set limitations. With film, some are already there such as budget and time, but I usually try to impose more. With Zafzifa, I decided to work with open sets and non-actors. It wasn't easy, but with patience it worked. Cement trucks roaring past, people walking through scenes on their phones at full volume – rather than control it, we let it happen. Sometimes we'd start rolling simply because a bus or an interesting group of people were approaching. That's what gives the film its life. It's how it captures something of the spirit of Bugibba. We met a lot people when casting Zafzifa, it's hard to find people with depth—peo- ple that when you look into their eyes you can see a history, a struggle. That's why I choose to work primarily with non-actors. The right person can do nothing at all but say so much. But it takes time, you have to build a certain trust that works both ways. I always set out to relinquish control as much as possible, allowing space for the unexpected and to work with cast as collaborators. There's this whole idea of a film director that I hate. The same applies to music. In the bands I'm part of—Hunters Palace and Spino- za's Dog—of course there's no leader, but the same thinking applies. A skeletal structure exists, but there's always room to react to the moment and it's those moments that matter most. Also, there is the struggle. So many films you see go to great lengths to conceal it, but I love that stuff. I like it when the focus lags, when you can feel the camera person busting a gut to get the shot, when the framing is corrected mid-shot. Even with music, missing notes, mic pops etc. etc. That, for me, is what makes it real. 7. Can you let us in on some of the future projects, works? I'm currently working on a new film based on Manwel Dimech. Don't worry, it's not a biopic. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 MAY 2026 Culture Fiordaliso at Pjazza Teatru Rjal for Notte Italiana 2026 ARTS • TV • WHAT'S ON BY LAURA CALLEJA suggestions by email lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt The Q & A PETER SANT 7 questions for... Extra round Who are your biggest influences, and how have they shaped your work? Francis Picabia. He refused to commit to a single style, so many artists stick to what they do as a kind of brand, Picabia was con- stantly messing with stuff. Bahar zmien even opens with one of his quotes. Peter Sant is an Australian- born, Malta-based filmmaker and artist. His new film, Żafżifa, premiered at the Cairo International Film Festival in late 2025 and is showing in Malta from the 13 May at the Eden Cinemas, Embassy Cinemas, and Citadel Cinemas in Gozo. His debut feature Baħar Żmien (2018) premiered at FIDMarseille, and his short film Zero (2020) screened at Rotterdam Film Festival Culture Borrowed Territories by Jade Zammit opens in Sliema PAGE 2 PAGE 3 MaltaToday is supported by Arts Council Malta A still from the movie Zafzifa directed by Peter Sant I tend to play with expectations, especially that of the audience