Welcome to Luzzu

A FILM BY

ALEX CAMILLERI

A FILM BY
ALEX CAMILLERI

Maltese Premiere September 3

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  • Followed by Q&A
  • Proceeds go to Charity
  • Limited seating available

SYNOPSIS

  • 95 minutes
  • Malta
  • Maltese (English subs)
  • Sound 5.1
  • Aspect ration 1.85:1

Jesmark, a Maltese fisherman, contends with a newfound leak in his wooden luzzu boat. Barely getting by, he sees his livelihood—and a family tradition from generations before him—imperiled by diminishing harvests, a ruthless fishing industry, and a stagnating ecosystem. Desperate to provide for his wife and their newborn son, whose growth impediment requires treatment, Jesmark gradually slips into an illicit black-market fishing operation. 

the

CREW CREW CREW CREW CREW CREW

  • Writer, Director & Editor: Alex Camilleri
  • Producers: Rebecca Anastasi, Ramin Bahrani, Alex Camilleri and Oliver Mallia
  • Director of Photography: Léo Lefèvre
  • First Assistant Director: Beppe Abela
  • Production Designer: Jon Banthorpe
  • Casting by: Edward Said
  • Costume Designer: Martina Zammit Maempel
  • Music Supervisor: Blake Jessee
  • Original Score by: Jon Natchez
  • Sound Mixer: Robert Bonello
“The kind of film Roberto Rossellini would have made if he were still alive today.”
– Jordan Ruimy,World of Reel
– Jordan Ruimy,
“A ravishing portrait of tradition in transition… teems with old-world beauty.”
Carlos Aguilar,RogerEbert.com
Carlos Aguilar,
“A moving tale of real-world strife... Part observational drama, part social-thriller.”
Jordan mintzer, The Hollywood reporter
Jordan mintzer,
“The kind of film Roberto Rossellini would have made if he were still alive today.”
Jordan Ruimy, World of Reel
Jordan Ruimy,
“Alex Camilleri's locally made vérité tale discovers a knockout performance in a real-life fisherman from Malta.”
Ryan Lattanzio,Indiewire
Ryan Lattanzio,
“An affecting neorealist drama…profiles little-represented lives with intelligence and integrity."
Guy Lodge,Variety
Guy Lodge,
“A ravishing portrait of tradition in transition… teems with old-world beauty. LUZZU brings Malta to the forefront.”
Carlos Aguilar,RogerEbert.com
Carlos Aguilar,
"Jesmark Scicluna delivers a magnetic performance that ignites the screen and commands our attention.”
Mehdi Balamissa,Film Fest Report
Mehdi Balamissa,
“...packs a quiet emotional punch"
Jordan mintzer, The Hollywood reporter
Jordan mintzer,
“...[a] brilliant first feature film by Maltese director Alex Camilleri...”
Fabien Lemercier, Cineuropa
Fabien Lemercier,
"A poignant and deeply touching tale of humanity.”
Ryland Aldrich,Screen Anarchy
Ryland Aldrich,
“Cinematic magic. Stunning newcomer Jesmark Scicluna… will remind you of Daniel Day-Lewis.”
Kurt Brokaw,The Independent Magazine
Kurt Brokaw,
“A simple, yet beautiful film due to this sense of place, Luzzu highlights a story that’s rooted in tradition and particularity.”
Michael Frank, The Film Stage
Michael Frank,
“Manages to be both self-contained, in its depiction of an embattled community, but also unexpectedly far-reaching in its themes.”
Wendy Ide,Screen Daily
Wendy Ide,
“Crafted with humanistic grace… Understated in a way that would make the gods of neorealism proud"
Carlos Aguilar,RogerEbert.com
Carlos Aguilar,
“To think this cast isn’t filled with professional actors is mind-blowing. They are beyond phenomenal. Jesmark Scicluna will tear at your soul.”
Liz Whittemore,Reel News Daily
Liz Whittemore,
“With mastery and flair, Alex Camilleri crafts a delicate, intimate drama"
Mehdi Balamissa, Film Fest Report
Mehdi Balamissa,
“Many films aspire to be ‘slice-of-life,’ but Alex Camilleri’s Luzzu truly is the real deal"
Shane Munro, Flickering Myth
Shane Munro,
“A heartbreaking neorealist fishing drama about a man caught in the tides of change."
Hoai-Tran Bui,Slash Film
Hoai-Tran Bui,
“Luzzu is a piece of film history.”
Ernesto Valenzuela, Full Circle Cinema
Ernesto Valenzuela,
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Director

ALEX

luzzu film movie malta alex camilleri

CAMILLERI CAMILLERI CAMILLERI CAMILLERI CAMILLERI CAMILLERI CAMILLERI

Alex Camilleri is a Maltese-American writer, director, and producer. His debut feature, LUZZU — a rare, locally-made Maltese film — premiered to wide acclaim at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Award for Acting in recognition of Jesmark Scicluna, a real fisherman appearing in his first-ever acting role. The film has been an audience favorite and won awards from an ongoing list of prestigious festivals. LUZZU will be released in 2021 in over a dozen territories worldwide. Camilleri is repped by WME and currently preparing his sophomore feature, also to be set in Malta.

VIDEOS

Videos

2 Videos

Meet Alex Camilleri, director of LUZZU, which is playing in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Presented by Dropbox.

latest

news

Discover the latest news about LUZZU.

200 films to be showcased at the La Rochelle Film Festival

  • June 25, 2021
Today marks the start of the 49thLa Rochelle Film Festival (FEMA), a non-competitive event that pulls off the enviable feat of being both highly popular (with almost 87,000 admissions taken in 2019) and extremely demanding in terms of artistic quality.
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Memento International Closes More Deals on Sundance-Prizewinning ‘Luzzu,’ SXSW Title ‘The Drover’s Wife’

  • June 22, 2021
Memento International (“Call Me By Your Name”) has closed a raft of sales on Leah Purcell’s Australian revenge tale “The Drover’s Wife, The Legend of Molly Johnson,” and Alex Camilleri’s “Luzzu” which world premiered at SXSW and Sundance.
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Maltese Film Luzzu Sold to Major Territories

  • March 11, 2021
Luzzu, the low budget Maltese film by Alex Camilleri, has secured distribution in major territories, including the USA, the UK, France, China, Spain, Scandinavia, Portugal, Greece, the former Yugoslavia, and Eastern Europe.
Discover more

WME Signs ‘Luzzu’ Director Alex Camilleri

  • March 4, 2021
WME has signed first-generation Maltese-American filmmaker Alex Camilleri, whose directorial debut Luzzu premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the first Maltese feature to compete in a major international festival.
Discover more

Sundance Hit ‘Luzzu’ Acquired by Kino Lorber For North America; Memento Seals Major Sales

  • March 1, 2021
Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to Alex Camilleri’s feature debut, “Luzzu,” which world-premiered at Sundance where it won the Special Jury Award for its lead actor, Jesmark Scicluna. The movie is being sold by Memento Intl.
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A FILM BY
ALEX CAMILLERI

Maltese Premiere September 3

Eden Cinemas, Malta

#savethedate

get your ticket here

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The film was made with the support of Screen Malta and the financial incentives provided by the Malta Film Commission and the Government of Malta.

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