Mediterrane Film Festival Sets Jury and Special Programming for Third Edition

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The 2025 edition of the Mediterrane Film Festival is falling into focus.

As a devoted admirer, I can’t contain my excitement for the upcoming film festival in Valletta, Malta from June 21st to the 29th! This year’s event has assembled an impressive jury featuring Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight), Rick Carter who won an Oscar for Avatar, costume designer Charlese Antoinette from Air, set decorator Elli Griff from Napoleon, production designer James Price from Poor Things, and Maltese director Mario Philip Azzopardi of ZOS: Zone of Separation. This esteemed panel will be selecting the fortunate recipients of the Golden Bee Awards, which will be revealed at a grand gala on June 29th.

The 2021 Mediterranean Film Festival, now overseen by a fresh creative team headed by festival director Ray Calleja and curator Mark Adams, showcases three primary areas of film selection: competitive entries (films hailing from various Mediterranean regions), non-competitive selections (movies from around the world) and Mare Nostrum or “Our Sea” (a category dedicated to environmental sustainability themes). The latter’s judging panel includes Grainne Humphreys, a seasoned artistic director of the Dublin Film Festival, and Ania Trzebiatowska, an experienced programmer at the Sundance Film Festival.

In addition to the main movie screenings at the festival, there will be a variety of events such as discussions, debates, and workshops led by prominent figures in the film industry. This year, jury member Hardwicke will be participating in two activities; she’s already scheduled for a conversation about her film, “Lords of Dogtown,” which is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a special screening. Previous speakers at these events have included directors like Mike Leigh and Yorgos Mavropsaridis (of “Poor Things”), Oscar-winning production designer Nathan Crowley (“Wicked”), casting director Margery Simkin (“Top Gun”), and composer Simon Franglen (“Avatar: The Way of Water”).

This year’s festival is being designed around the theme “We Are Cinema,” symbolizing our commitment to bring together filmmakers and viewers while celebrating the global language of cinema. Notably, this theme coincides with a significant event in Malta’s history – 2025 will mark the centennial of filmmaking in the region, tracing back to its first feature film, “Sons of the Sea” from 1925. In the past hundred years, Malta has transformed into a thriving film production location, attracting productions with its unique architecture, stunning landscapes, and the facilities at Malta Film Studios. Some of the films shot in this area include “Gladiator,” “Troy,” “Game of Thrones,” “Napoleon,” and many others.

In commemoration of 100 years of film production in Malta, we’re proud to bring together an outstanding group of judges whose backgrounds mirror the breadth, variety, and international influence of modern cinema. Working alongside our festival director, Mark Adams, we are dedicated to creating a lineup that acknowledges Malta’s cinematic heritage while fostering fresh talent from the Mediterranean region and beyond. This was expressed by Calleja in a statement.

Johan Grech, the film commissioner of Malta, stated, “The Mediterrane Film Festival emerged from a straightforward yet potent concept – to link imaginative thinkers from the Mediterranean and Europe, and help transform their ideas into tangible realities. We advocate for opportunities, teamwork, and creativity.

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2025-05-28 02:54