''Luzzu'' is a 2021 Maltese

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by Alex Camilleri. The film stars Jesmark Scicluna, Michela Farrugia and David Scicluna. ''Luzzu'' had its world premiere at the

2021 Sundance Film Festival The 2021 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 28 to February 3, 2021. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 15, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Utah, the festival combined in-person screenings at the Ray ...

on January 29, 2021. It was selected as the Maltese entry for the Best International Feature Film at the

94th Academy Awards The 94th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Los Angeles. The awards were scheduled after its u ...

Plot

To support his wife and child, a Maltese fisherman enters the world of black market fishing.

Cast

The cast include: * Jesmark Scicluna as Jesmark * Michela Farrugia as Denise * David Scicluna * Frida Cauchi * Uday McLean * Stephen Buhagiar

Release

''Luzzu'' had its world premiere at the

on January 29, 2021 in the ''World Cinema Dramatic Competition'' section. The following month,

Kino Lorber Kino Lorber is an international film distribution company based in New York City. Founded in 1977, it was originally known as Kino International until it was acquired by and merged into Lorber HT Digital in 2009. It specializes in art house films, ...

acquired the US distribution rights to the film, while Peccadillo Pictures acquired the UK distribution rights.

Reception

On the

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website

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, the film has an approval rating of 98% based on reviews from 60 critics, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's consensus reads, "Beautifully filmed and emotionally impactful, ''Luzzu'' uses one man's story to capture the struggles of a region at a cultural crossroads." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, the film has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 based on 16 critical reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Malcolm Scerri-Ferrante, writing for the ''

Times of Malta The ''Times of Malta'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Malta. Founded in 1935, by Lord and Lady Strickland and Lord Strickland's daughter Mabel, it is the oldest daily newspaper still in circulation in Malta. It has the widest circu ...

'', commended the film's story, cinematography, score, and sound design, as well as Scicluna's performance: "Sometimes a filmmaker needs to strike gold and some luck is usually needed. Jesmark Scicluna was Camilleri's strike." He added, "Camilleri managed to create a story that resonates or is easily imaginable. Adding the fisheries industry into the background was a smart move as there are not enough films that reveal the world of traditional fisherman. ..I find the making of a successful film is about reaching two goals. Does the film tell me something I did not know and does the film touch my heart? ''Luzzu'' managed to do both, easily." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' Natalia Winkelman praised Camilleri's direction, writing that he "demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of how small moments can build a sense of place: sandals on the salty floor of a fishery; a metal scraper peeling paint from a hull; a priest blessing boats for safe passage. Malta's views are arresting, but the images Camilleri chooses would never be found in a travel brochure. In his subtle, vérité approach, he captures something special — not one man's crisis, but a community's culture." Carlos Aguilar of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' called the film a "terrific debut", lauding Scicluna's performance, as well as the cinematography and score. He concluded that the film is "made vividly compelling in the hand of a new storyteller with classically honed sensibilities."

References

External links