VALLETTA: Maltese director/producer Shirley Spiteri Mintoff is preparing her feature film Waiting to Hear from Julia, which will be shot in Malta and Italy in 2027.
Matteo Dimech (49), a disciplined chauffeur for the Maltese Prime Minister, lives in quiet torment following the death of his beloved wife, Julia. Once a man of order and duty, Matteo now drifts between alcohol and obsessive ritual, reciting prayers, tending a small shrine to the Virgin Mary, and preparing for what he calls “their anniversary together.” His entire life revolves around that sacred date, the day he plans to spend alone “with Julia.”
When the COVID-19 lockdown is announced in March 2020, Matteo’s solitary world is abruptly disturbed by the return of his estranged daughter, Katy (26), a passionate activist recovering from illness. Their forced confinement inside the apartment, a space Matteo treats like a shrine, turns into a volatile emotional trap. Katy resents her father’s detachment during her mother’s illness, while Matteo disapproves of her chaotic life. Between them lies Julia’s ghost, felt in every silence, every prayer, every object that hasn’t moved since she died.
Mark Doneo penned the script and plays the main character, being the only actor confirmed so far.
“This is a film about what grief does to time. Mateo has organised his whole life around one date in the calendar, and when a message arrives from his dead wife’s phone he stops being able to tell what he hopes from what is real, and the person who pays for that is his daughter, the one living thing still in the room with him. We wanted to make something small and exact rather than something large: one apartment, two people, and a lockdown that gave a very private kind of isolation a shape everybody now recognises”, producer Stanley Agius told FNE.
Stanley Agius and Shirley Spiteri Mintoff are producing through Maltese Motion Blur with the support of Arts Council Malta, through the Screen Support Scheme with 347,000 EUR. Other supporter is the Malta Film Commission with the 40 per cent cash rebate on eligible local spend.
The executive producer is Paul Parker from Paul Parker Films. The line producer is Felicity Babao.
Roughly 38 per cent of the 967,909 EUR budget is confirmed before the cash rebate is counted. A minority coproducer is being sought in any territory participating in Creative Europe – MEDIA and eligible under Eurimages.
The film is scheduled to shoot over 25 days in 2027, with locations in Malta (Marsaxlokk, Għargħur, Valletta’s Auberge de Castille, Ħal Luqa, and the Marsaxlokk parish church), and also in Italy (Cefalù, Sicily).
“It matters to us that the film is in Maltese, and set in Marsaxlokk, because Malta is filmed constantly and almost never seen. As Malta joined Eurimages this January, we would like this to be one of the first Maltese films to travel out through that door”, Stanley Agius added.
The project is currently applying to several European industry programmes and markets.
Postproduction will take place in 2027 with an international festival premiere targeted for late 2027. The festival strategy prioritises first- and second-feature strands: International Film Festival Rotterdam, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Sarajevo Film Festival, and Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
The Maltese premiere will follow, either at a local festival or as a standalone theatrical event.
Shirley Spiteri Mintoff is a Masters of Fine Arts graduate, who has worked in the media industry for the past 18 years. She is the co-founder and managing director of Motion Blur. She has produced numerous TV series, adverts, corporate videos and short films. Within the film industry, Shirley has taken up mainly the roles of fixer for small productions and of local casting director and extras coordinator for feature films.
Production Information:
Producer:
Motion Blur (Malta)
Stanley Agius: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Shirley Spiteri Mintoff: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Credits:
Director: Shirley Spiteri Mintoff
Screenwriter: Mark Doneo
DoP: Matthew Muscat Drago
Production designer: Kyle Sammut
First assistant director: Beppe Abela
Hair and make-up supervisor: Krista Paris
Casting director: Shirley Spiteri Mintoff
Composer: Mario Sammut
Cast: Mark Doneo
