Cats of Malta
Cats of Malta celebrates the Mediterranean island’s stray cats and the people who, through volunteering, art and folklore show the cats unconditional love and support.
Interview with Filmmakers Sarah Jayne Porteli and Ivan Malekin
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
At the time of filming Malta was in limbo in regards to what was going to happen with Covid restrictions. Offices and businesses were putting in place safety measures to protect staff and all was uncertain on the island. We had just brought a camera and we wanted to test it out, so we started to film cats in Independence Garden, Sliema. We shot day and night. Then we had collected a bit of cat footage. Coincidently I was scrolling through my Instagram feed at work during lunch and someone I was following had posted a picture with the caption stating that local artist Matthew Pandolfino was repainting his statue. It was all white it's usually not. So I frantically did some research on my phone and told Ivan. We contacted Matthew, I chatted with him on the phone and I set up a time to go chat with him as he re-painted. Ivan and I went about three or four times to hang out with Matthew, talk about his work and the cat sculpture. During that time we then got the idea that there must be others like him celebrating cats.
The next person I found was Polly as she was posting on Facebook that she couldn't go feed her three colonies due to restrictions that were focused on the older population. I had just worked with her on a short film - so I contacted her. It snowballed from there! Then we realised that we were filming a doco. Somewhere along the line, we settled on Cats of Malta as the title name.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
You should watch Cats of Malta because it is not just a film about cats. Cat's of Malta is a film about humanity and the connection between humans and cats set on an island that is unique and charming. It's also very entertaining, features adorable cats and stories we hope are highly addictive like cat nip!
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Cats of Malta is a film with a universal theme - the unconditional love of animals and the connection between animals and their carers or owners. This works well in Cat of Malta because without human involvement in the stray cat's lives we would not know the cat's personal stories. It works vice-versa as well without the cats, there would be no personal human story to share. It's a universal fact too that people all over the world love cats.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
There was no script at all for Cats of Malta because it's a documentary. Of course, as the director, I went into each interview with a list of questions and an idea of where I wanted to lead the conversation with our subjects. There were themes I wanted to discuss as I wanted to talk about a wide range of aspects - education, pet ownership, the stray cat stories, some Maltese history, government support and so on. What guided my direction and gave me a focus was getting to know what was the most interesting thing I could get the subject to talk about.
My questions came from researching their situation, what they do and any interesting stories I already knew about them and their stray cat colonies or their work. So much more did come out of these questions, there was a lot of the development and the evolution of the film's story happened organically. In the edit, like any doco, was when we, the filmmakers had the best chance to shape the story, as we created the story thread from what had evolved in front of the camera.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Locals in Malta, our audience around the globe and our Kickstarter supporters are all anticipating the release. We do get people asking us when it will be finished and when I ask people for certain things related to the film, people ask me where and when it can be viewed. On Facebook when I promote the film in cat groups I do get some people in the cat community comment honestly that they hope that the film shows some of the challenges that the community faces, not just fluffy stories.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The feedback so far (we are still in post-production) has been good. Our co-producers who helped us make some editing decisions gave us positive feedback for the story and the cinematography overall. What they also did, which we are super grateful for, is provide positive criticism. It changed the way we viewed the project overall and how we connected the interviews. Some of the feedback also helped us to confirm some things we already were not convinced by.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We would love a larger reach and to expand our audience, get more subscribers to the Cats of Malta newsletter and our course sponsors and influencers attacthed - that would be really cool!
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Right now what we need are sponsors to jump on board. We want to reach a wider audience before we release Cats of Malta. We have a sponsor deck and any business, company or individual who wants to chip in a small amount (we have two reasonable sponsor levels) in exchange for some coverage on our channels is much appreciated. There are some wonderful incentives for doing so and a chance to be in the opening credits of the film.
Of course, partnerships are also good, as cross-promotion between us, Nexus Production Group and a partner can really send the film to more corners of the world. Anyone who wants to contribute to helping us send the world a big meow from Malta is a massive support right now.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would like Cats of Malta to do a number of things - tug on the heartstrings of the viewer, show the positive impact cats (not just in Malta) have on mental health, educate subtlety on the importance of education and of correct pet ownership, highlight Malta as a cat-loving island and the efforts of our subjects, attract tourists and of course, entertain. We want to brighten peoples day - the world needs more positive films right now.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Is enough being done by the Maltese government to support volunteer feeders and animal-focused NGOs, or is there still much more that needs to change in order to better the welfare of stray cats, and in turn make the lives of the volunteers easier? Does the large population of stray cats steam from a lack of public education or awareness?
Would you like to add anything else?
There is a website for Cats of Malta: www.CatsofMaltaFilm.com and there is also a newsletter you will find on the website page. After the social media pages that is the best way to keep up with the film. Find Cats of Malta on socials - Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We have another feature film we shot in 2020, just after we wrapped Cats of Malta called Machination. Machination is a psychological thriller also shot in Malta with a Maltese cast and crew. It will be released in 2021 like Cats of Malta.
Interview: September 2021
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Cats of Malta
Writer/Producer
IVAN MALEKIN
Ivan Malekin is a prolific producer, director and editor whose short and feature films have screened and won awards all over the world. Named part of the Australian New Wave of Indie Filmmakers, Ivan has been making films since 2007, serving as producer on over 30 projects to date.
SARAH JAYNE
Since 2006, Sarah Jayne Portelli has worked in various roles within the film industry, predominantly as an Art Department all-rounder. SJ switched her focus to directing in 2013 with her first short film, Dusk, followed by another short, Anniversary. From 2015 onwards, SJ wrote, directed and produced her most recognised body of work, including the educational short film Daughter, starring Katherine Langford, plus three feature films.
Director
SARAH JAYNE
Since 2006, Sarah Jayne Portelli has worked in various roles within the film industry, predominantly as an Art Department all-rounder. SJ switched her focus to directing in 2013 with her first short film, Dusk, followed by another short, Anniversary. From 2015 onwards, SJ wrote, directed and produced her most recognised body of work, including the educational short film Daughter, starring Katherine Langford, plus three feature films.
Key cast:
Matthew Pandolfino (interviewee) Polly March (interviewee) Karmen Kolerio (Interviewee) Isaac Muscat (interviewee)
Looking for:
sales agents, journalists, film festival directors, distributors
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/CatsofMaltaFilm
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/cats.of.malta.doco/
Twitter:
Hashtags used:
#catsofmaltafilm #catsofmaltadoco #meowfrommalta
More info: