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
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