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"The Jury was unanimous in its praise
of this excellent programme"
- Jury chairman for the Malta Broadcasting Authority's BEST DOCUMENTARY AWARD
"The documentary of the
year.......The editing was first class"
- The Times
WATCH VIDEO CLIP (Windows Media Player)
“A Gentleman from Malta” is a 50-minute documentary produced in 1997
with a budget of 1150 Euros or Lm500. Co-produced
between Malta and Austria it takes a deep look into the personal
life and works of the late Francis Ebejer, a renowned Maltese
playwright and novelist of international acclaim.
In 1996 rare and exclusive footage of Ebejer was discovered in Vienna.
The tapes, containing unused scenes, had been relegated to the basement
of a producer's weekend log-house in the outskirts of the city. The
recordings, filmed shortly before his death, showed Ebejer playing
himself in a rare attempt to reveal his private life. It was the
discovery of this footage that led producer Malcolm Scerri-Ferrante to
create this documentary.
Over the span of his career, Ebejer wrote more than 50 plays for theatre
and television, and his novels have been translated into nine languages
including Japanese. He received many awards, both locally and abroad,
amongst them France's Medaille d'Honeur de la Ville d'Avignon.
"A man ahead of his time"
- International theatre critics talking
about Francis Ebejer
Actress Carmen Azzopardi explains her
're-birth' on stage in one of Ebejer's plays.
Ebejer explored novel means of expression in dramatic literature. In his
works one can trace a fascinating and intriguing development which is to
this day debated in various universities across Europe. Critics
have described Ebejer as a man ahead of his time.
Despite his achievements Ebejer never postured as the international
figure he was, though this lack of self-confidence was thought to
actually spur his success. He was known to be an unhappy man with a
complex and reserved personality, and his life was marred by tragedy
that included the break-up of his marriage and tragic deaths in his
family Like many writers, Ebejer used these downfalls as a form of
inspiration for his work, but he was to remain an extremely private and
introverted character
This documentary explores who Francis Ebejer really was.
Maurice Tanti Burlo' (centre)
talks about his friendship with Francis Ebejer and his anger
for "having left so suddenly". Dr. Paul Xuereb (right)
is a theatre critic who praised Ebejer's works and believes he
was 'a very touchy kind of person'.
Director/Writer/Editor: Malcolm Scerri-Ferrante
Executive producers: Malcolm Scerri-Ferrante & Dr.
Brita Kettner
Music Composer: Peter
Kaizar
Screen-time: 50 minutes
Format: Beta
SP / DVD
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