LUZZU / Film School Radio interview with Director Alex Camilleri, Actor Jesmark Scicluna

In this beautifully rendered tale, LUZZU, follows a hardworking Maltese fisherman, Jesmark (Jesmark Scicluna) facing an agonizing choice. He can repair his leaky luzzu – a traditional, multicolored wooden fishing boat – in the hopes of eking out a meager living at sea for his wife and newborn son, just as his father and grandfather did before him. Or he can decommission it in exchange for an EU payout and cast his lot with a sinister black-market operation that is decimating the Mediterranean fish population and the livelihoods of the local families who depend on it. 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. His gripping film operates in the neorealist tradition of Luchino Visconti, Roberto Rosselini, and the Dardenne brothers and calls to mind the work of his mentor Ramin Bahrani (Man Push Cart, The White Tiger), also a producer of the film. Director Alex Camilleri and actor Jesmark Scicluna join us for a conversation on the challenges of working with a largely non-professional cast, including Jesmark’s brother and staying true to the story of a traditional culture under pressure from global economic forces to change its ways. 
For news, updates and screenings go to: luzzufilm.com For news, updates and virtual screenings go to: kinolorber.com/film/luzzu Award: Winner: Special Jury Prize for Acting (Jesmark Scicluna) – Sundance Film Festival Luzzu will release theatrically in New York (Oct. 15) and in Los Angeles (Oct. 22) from Kino Lorber, followed by a national rollout.