Maltese Film History: Notable Figures from the 20th Century

Malta's film history is an underappreciated part of our national heritage. Multiple figures over the last century have tried their hand at filmmaking in a nation that did not attend to, and even censored the medium. In this article we'll look at three of these personages which have contributed to the limited but growing filmic culture of our isles. (Banner photo sources clockwise: MaltaToday, Filmed in Malta, TVM)

Cecil Satariano

Cecil Satariano (1930–1996) was a Maltese film-maker, critic, censor and author. He started making films in 1969 using a Super 8mm Canon 518 which he had bought for himself as a Christmas present.

Satariano was entirely self-taught but despite this managed to gain the recognition of  UK Film Magazine Movie Maker, who awarded him one of their Ten Best awards for his first film I'm Furious ...Red (1970). 

The following year, Satariano released Giuseppi (1971), which won him the first prize award in the same competition. Giuseppi was Satariano’s most successful film as it was awarded over a dozen Awards from around the globe including Nagasaki, London, Cannes, Tokyo, New York, Lisbon, Hiroshima, and others, besides grabbing also the Kodak Award for best photography.

Satariano also directed The Beach (1973), Ilona (1974), and Katarin (1977). Maltese actor Frank Pisani was a frequent collaborator of Satariano's, playing lead in all but one of his films (Ilona). 

Satariano's last film was Katarin. Originally shot on 16mm, the film was later blown up to 35m by EMI and was released in cinemas in Malta and London.

Mario Philip Azzoppardi

photo source: MaltaToday

Mario Philip Azzopardi (1950- ) has gone down in Maltese film history for releasing what is thought to be the first full-length feature entirely in Maltese: Gaġġa (or Il-Gaġġa) (1971). 

Gaġġa explored the relationship between the vitriolically religious Maltese society of the 70s and the young adults which inhabited it. It has since been hailed a 'masterpiece', and as one of the cornerstones of Maltese cinema. Azzopardi worked on it while still a student at the University of Malta, which cost him that semester's exams. Around the same time, Azzopardi also assisted Satariano in the creation of Giuseppi.

Following Gaġġa's completion, Azzopardi emigrated to North America and worked on several TV shows abroad, such as The Outer Limits, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. He has since returned to his native Malta and has been involved in a number of controversies which have unfortunately overshadowed his seminal work in the 70s. An unfortunate additional case where one does well to separate the art from the artist.

Elio Lombardi

While perhaps not the most well-known, Elio Lombardi (1933-) is perhaps one of the most prolific writer/directors to have hailed from our isles, with more than 100 films under his belt. Most of these films were shorts, shot in a spirtu pront (improvised) fashion, but others, including more than 20 half-hour shorts involved much more planning. 

Lombardi is perhaps most well known for his film adaption of the popular Madonna taċ-Ċoqqa story, originally penned by Ġużè Diacono. Lombardi's films are known for their slightly off-kilter and somewhat improvised nature. From a personal meeting with him while shooting the interview linked above, I can say he's a wonderful person with a real passion for film, and the arts in general, ready to start shooting and storyboarding scenes for a project at a moment's notice.

Lombardi and myself, 2020

Lombardi has also recently recieved Ġieh ir-Repubblika, a national honor, for his work in the arts (he is also a novelist and a painter).

While these three figures were not solely responsible for Malta's filmic history, they have definitely helped in building a foundation for it. We hope this short article has inspired you to learn more about the isles' cinematic endeavours of the past through this mere dipping of the toes into some of the people that have helped build it!