21174Luzzu photo10

LUZZU

Year 2021
Runtime 95 mins
Language Maltese
Subtitles English Subtitles
Canadian Premiere
Availability
  • Online & In-Cinema

Jesmark, a Maltese fisherman, contends with a newfound leak in his wooden luzzu boat. Barely getting by, he sees his livelihood—and a family tradition from generations before him—imperilled by diminishing harvests, a ruthless fishing industry, and a stagnating ecosystem. Desperate to provide for his wife and their newborn son in need of medical attention, Jesmark gradually slips into an illicit black-market fishing operation.

LUZZU won a Sundance Jury Prize for its nonprofessional lead actor Jesmark Scicluna, a real-life Maltese fisherman, and heralds the arrival of writer-director-editor Alex Camilleri.

Countries

Malta
Awards
Winner, Special Jury Prize for Acting (Jesmark Scicluna) – Sundance Film Festival 2021
Festivals
Sundance Film Festival 2021, Hong Kong International Film Festival 2021, Melbourne International Film Festival 2021, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2021
Director
Alex Camilleri
Producer
Rebecca Anastasi, Ramin Bahrani, Alex Camilleri, Oliver Mallia
Screenwriter
Alex Camilleri
Editor
Alex Camilleri
Cast
Jesmark Scicluna, Michela Farrugia, David Scicluna