Commission Floor, Mediterranean Film Studios, Kalkara - Malta
E-mail: production(at)pcpmalta.com 
   (+356) 3550-0678  / (+1) 818 850 5387 

 

A GENTLEMAN FROM MALTA 

50 minute documentary                         

"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

 

"Excellent for a micro-budget documentary" - TV Docs Guide

“A Gentleman from Malta” is a 50-minute documentary produced in 1997 with a budget of $1800.  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' (left)) 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

 

 

Designed by Bernard Schembri
© 2004 PCP Ltd.