War Sailor, the drama partly produced by a Maltese studio will be premiering at the Eden Cinemas on Sunday, with director Gunnar Vikene joining other cast and crew members for the film chosen as Norway’s film for the Oscars. 

The film's premiere will take place at the Eden Cinemas at 10am, with the screening taking place at 11am,  followed by a Q&A session with Vikene.

Another screening will be held in the evening, followed by another Q&A session.

Just five screenings will take place in November, also the month of European Film, an initiative of the European Film Academy in partnership with Europa Cinemas. 

Based on true events, War Sailor is a period drama that tells the story of how two Norwegian sailors try to survive when German submarines attack their merchant ship during the outbreak of World War II. 

Back in August, the film had been selected for screening at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival, and since then over 360,000 people have seen it in Norway.

War Sailor poster

Written and directed by Vikene, the production was led by Maria Ekerhovd of Mer Films and was partly produced by Maltese studio Falkun Films, led by producers Anika Psaila Savona and Pierre Ellul. 

Psaila Savona and Ellul are also the producers of the Maltese-Canadian film Carmen, which also has been chosen as Malta’s entry to the best international film category at the Oscars. 

“We found out that War Sailor is Norway’s choice for the Oscars around the same time that our film Carmen was Malta’s pick for the international feature,” Psaila Savona told Times of Malta. 

“Pierre is the lead producer on Carmen, and all around it has been incredibly exciting and a wonderful acknowledgement of our work.”

They praised director Gunnar, the “heart” behind the story, and their lead producer, Maria, who worked behind financing the project. 

The film tells the story of Alfred, a working-class sailor working in the Atlantic Ocean when World War II breaks out. 

As Alfred fights to survive, his wife Cecilia is alone in Bergen to raise their three children as British aircraft descend to attack a German submarine bunker in the village. 

“So many people in Norway have a personal connection to this story, however, it is a universal story in that whenever there is a war, civilians are affected,” Psaila Savona said.

“In Toronto, there were standing ovations every time the film was screened.”

While Falkun Films are working on a number of “beautiful” stories on some other co-productions, they said planning has been a difficult task since the local funding scheme has not been made available yet. 

“The co-production fund has been closed since the end of 2018 and there has been no call for Screen Malta for 2022 yet,” they said. 

“Consistency and reliability are key to planning. Film-makers across Europe rely on public funding in order to tell stories and make films. Yet, here every film made is a little miracle."

Tickets for the premiere can be purchased here and tickets for the evening show can be purchased here.