Cats of Malta
Cats of Malta celebrates the island's stray cats and the locals — who through volunteering, art and folklore—show the cats unconditional love and support.
Interview with Director Sarah Jayne Portelli
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
We kept meeting stray cats everywhere and we wanted to tell their story. We also wanted to make an entertaining film that showed off the wonderful Maltese community spirit and explore how it and cats have the power to bring people together. What started out as a camera test following stray cats around a park during the start of a pandemic presented an opportunity to create something unique. We chose to pursue it as we wanted to tell a Maltese story that hasn't been told before. Plus we love cats!
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
A great reason to watch Cats of Malta is to be entertained. Our perfect audience member is purely looking to escape into a unique story and landscape. Cats of Malta will surprise audiences and make them feel a rainbow of emotions as they go on an unforgettable journey into the lives of stray cats and Maltese locals. Cats of Malta is not just a film for cat people; its themes of animal welfare, community spirit, and mental health are universal.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Through a series of carefully selected interviews with Maltese locals, Cats of Malta has universal appeal as each story is relatable – community, travel, and unconditional love are all universal themes explored in the doco. Cats of Malta is also a personal journey that I took, meeting the cats and talking with locals more about their connection to the stray felines.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Due to the documentary genre there was no script. Cats of Malta did however start off as a camera test after we had purchased new equipment. The pandemic restrictions meant we weren't sure if we were able to film with a group of people, so we couldn't actually make a film. Instead we started filming stray cats at Independence Garden, this massive garden in Malta that has cat colonies. From there the story came to us after finding that artist Matthew Pandolfino painting his giant cat sculpture in the garden. We spoke with Matthew to get the background on his cat-inspired work and the film evolved from there.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The film is yet to be officially released, but so far the feedback has been positive from test screenings. People have enjoyed the stories and become smitten with the characters we chose to interview. Audience members laugh in the right spots and react as we had hoped.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Neither at this point – we knew Cats of Malta would be viewed as a fun film, and it seems to be hitting the mark. At a test screening, where we showed a rougher and unfinished cut of the film, our audience members kept returning to the idea that Cats of Malta could be educational. That didn't surprise us so much, but it did tell us that we were on the right track.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Exposure to grow our audience, more signups on the films newsletter and also an interest in the upcoming free public screening at Federation Square as part of the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
As part of our distribution plan we are seeking like-minded sponsors for various events this year and next, including virtual and live events. So should anyone out there within a suitable company, educational provider, or NGO within the tourism, animal welfare or mental health industries want to reach out about working with us, we would love to discuss opportunities with you.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We would love the reception towards Cats of Malta to be positive. On a larger scale we were always keen on Cats of Malta having an impact in an educational sphere and enough of an impact to makes audience think about animal welfare, responsible pet ownership, and how important it is to be mindful of how human actions towards the environment can affect animals.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How can humans work with stray cats to create a harmonious living environment that is not harmful to the well being of the animals, while also positively impacting the environment we both inhabit?
Would you like to add anything else?
Cats of Malta has a newsletter -- we only send mail when we have news -- so it's a spam free way to keep in the loop with the progress of the film. Go to www.CatsofMaltaFilm.com and leave your details.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We have just released our psychological thriller film Machination out into the world and are looking at that film hitting larger platforms soon. Ivan and I are both working on an outline for our next feature, which we will shoot this summer, somewhere in Europe. My focus has very much shifted to selling and distributing of Cats fo Malta, and seeking buyers and sponsors.
Interview: June 2022
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
Length:
1:09
Director
SARAH JAYNE is an Australian film director and writer based in Europe. As a storyteller, SARAH JAYNE is naturally drawn to visually showcasing and exploring raw, truthful experiences and the complex nature of relationships and human connection. Cats of Malta is her first solo directorial debut under her production Nexus Production Group -- she has co-directed three other feature films prior.
Producer
IVAN MALEKIN is one half of independent film production company Nexus Production Group. The director and editor is based in Croatia, after relocating from his hometown Australia. Being in the indie film scene for over fifteen years, IVAN MALKIN has solid experience in many roles, and Cats of Malta is not IVAN's first producer credit. In 2017 IVAN produced the indie feature film Choir Girl, which is distributed by Leomark Studios. In total IVAN has produced a handful of short films and six feature films.
Key cast:
Matthew Pandolfino, Polly March, Isaac Muscat, Roza Zammit Salinos, Karmen Coleiro, Michelle Deguara & Saviour Gilson
Looking for:
journalists, buyers
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/CatsofMaltaDoco
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/CatsofMaltaFilm
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/cats.of.malta.doco/
Hashtags used:
#CatsofMaltaDoco #MeowFromMalta
More info:
Where can I watch it?
Melbourne Documentary Film Festival July 25th Federation Square 6.30pm