The Maltese-Canadian film Carmen has failed to make the Oscars nominee shortlist, a hill Malta has yet to climb.

Announced on Wednesday evening, the academy released shortlists for 10 categories for the 95th Academy Awards including International Feature Film.

However, Malta’s submission for the category, Valerie Buhagiar’s Carmen, was notably absent.

The country needs to come behind the film to campaign- Producers of Carmen

This was Malta’s third submission to the Academy Awards, Simshar and Luzzu having been the previous entrants.

Despite winning the Special Jury Award in Acting at Sundance, Malta’s 2021 entry, Luzzu, was also overlooked by the academy.

The issue is national support, Carmen producers Anika Psaila Savona and Pierre Ellul told Times of Malta.

Carmen is a Maltese-Canadian production by Falkun Films. PHOTO: FACEBOOK/CARMEN

“We did have an eligibility issue on Carmen, however the broader issue for any Maltese film submitted is that it is extremely expensive to run an Oscar campaign,” they said.

“The country needs to come behind the film to campaign. It is the country’s submission after all. Only then can it be brought to the attention of the academy’s members.”

“Here in Malta, we are a long way away from having a vision for Maltese film.”

The production couple emphasised that, for the local film industry to grow, the government needs to have a broader and more cohesive vision and needs to start investing in local talent.

Ellul compared Malta’s industry to Iceland’s, an island which has a much smaller population than Malta’s yet produces around 20 projects a year including films, documentaries and TV series. Meanwhile, Maltese filmmakers are struggling.

“We are already heavily restricted due to the limited funds available to us,” Ellul said as Psaila Savona pointed out that the local scene lacks “wider vision”.

“Everybody wants their own little fiefdom when there needs to be collaboration across the board. We don’t even have the public broadcaster behind our films. Having a licence from the broadcaster would be a win-win for everyone.

“What we need, as of yesterday, is a working group with stakeholders who know and understand the local realities to draw up a cohesive policy for film. Only then can we start building a local film industry.”

International acclaim

Carmen, based on Buhagiar’s own family, is an easy-going, feel-good flick that looks back on the island in the 1980s and follows the titular Carmen as she tries to find her place in the world once her brother, a priest, passes away.

Starring Natasha McElhone (The Truman Show, The Crown), the film was co-produced locally by Psaila Savona and Ellul, the creative minds behind Falkun Films, and had already received international critical acclaim when their Oscars bid was announced in September.

Carmen previously won the best feature film award at the Canadian Film Fest in April  and, in June, won Best of Show at the Female Eye Festival, also in Canada. Last year, it was awarded Best Cinematography at the Canadian Whistler Film Festival. 

Malta has yet to make the academy’s prestigious shortlist, let alone a nomination.

Although not considered a Maltese film, Falkun Films was hoping to get another into the shortlist yet it also failed to make the cut.

Two films in the running

War Sailor, written and directed by Gunnar Vikene, was Norway’s entry for the category yet was partially produced, shot and set in Malta.

“It was unprecedented that we had two films in the running,” Psaila Savona said, “Our other film War Sailor, Norway’s submission, was able to campaign primarily because of the strong support it had from the Norwegian Film Institute. Without a campaign, it is a non-starter for a Maltese film, or any film.”

Also inspired by true stories, Vikene tells a human-focused tale set in the throes of World War II that combines a Homeric plot with eerie cinematography and long but thrilling edits. 

The 95th Academy Awards nominees will be announced on January 24.