Somewhere – a short animated film produced by Filfla Studio and directed by Fabrizio Ellul – has been selected to feature at two Spanish film festivals.

The independent short film is part of the official selection at the Barcelona Indie Filmmakers (BARCIFF) and Madrid Indie Filmmakers (MADRIFF) festivals. Screenings for each take place on a monthly basis throughout the year.

Ellul has also been nominated for best director.

Filfla Studio was established in 2020 and has since produced three short animations and a graphic novel (Sarangu: The Sack Man). 

“I am very happy with the selection to the Barcelona Indie Filmmakers and Madrid Indie Filmmakers festivals and I hope Somewhere will get through a few more before we release it to the public,” says Ellul, who directed the short film and founded the studio.

Director Fabrizio Ellul. Photo: Filfla Studio

Both festivals are members of the Iberia Indie Film Festivals, which celebrates and showcases new productions and independent artists from all over the world.

The BARCIFF is also an IMBD award listing festival.

“It is always exciting when your work gets to have an international audience, especially with frame-by-frame based animations since the work involved is very laborious and takes a considerable amount of time to just finish a scene,” says the director.

“There is no money to be made from shorts, so I am also very grateful for the support provided by the Malta Film Commission to fund this project. Without such funding, it would not be possible to produce such work.”

‘Somewhere’ is a story about memory, remembering and loss. Photo: FIlfla Studio

Ellul describes the film as ‘a story about memory, remembering and loss’.

Somewhere follows Vincent – a researcher at the Halo Space Research Centre – who makes a detour to Planet Earth to retrieve an item.

Wars, pandemics and the acceleration of climate change have forced a selection of human civilisation to find refuge on the Cuboid – a gigantic structure just outside Earth’s atmosphere – while the rest of humanity is left to survive on a hostile planet.

Still from the short animated film ‘Somewhere’. Photo: Filfla Studio

Follow Filfla Studios on their website. Somewhere is supported by the Malta Film Commission with a production grant.