Malta Film Fund 2011 Award recipients announced

Eight projects have been granted funding totaling €184,500 under the Malta Film Commission grants to emerging filmmakers through the Malta Film Fund.

A total of 16 applications were received with a total amount of assistance requested reaching over €500,000.

These projects include 4 development actions for three feature films and one animation feature and 4 production actions of which include two short films, one feature film and one documentary.

Recipients of the Malta Film Fund 2011 include David Serge's feature film Sqaq l-Infern, Carmel Bonnici's animation feature The Golden Calf, Marie Briguglio's MOO and Joshua Cassar Gasper's Letters to a Bus Driver.

Other beneficiaries were Nichole Cuschieri's short film Bews il-Bahar, Rebecca Cremona's feature film Simshar, Kenneth Scicluna's documentary Hatja, and Ryan Gatt's and Paul de Leonardo's short film Moondance.

The independent evaluation panel of highly esteemed professionals from the film industry was composed of Claire Downs, Jane Rogoyska, Anton Calleja and Charlie Cauchi.

Clare Downs was Director of International Creative Affairs for the Ladd Company/Warner Bros (1981-1983) and has her own Script Development consultancy, writing reports and working on individual projects with both film funds and filmmakers throughout the world.

Jane Rogoyska is the author of two books on history of art, Klimt and Modigliani, published by Parkstone Press.

Anton Calleja graduated Doctor of Laws with a thesis on fiscal and financial incentives for the film industry, and today has joined the Eurimages Secretariat in August 2006.

Charlie Cauchi is a doctoral candidate in the department of Film Studies at Queen Mary, where she also currently acts as a teaching assistant for Introduction to Film and Contemporary Italian Cinema.

Simshar - Teaser Trailer from Martin Bonnici on Vimeo.