The Mediterrane Film Festival’s second edition, will be taking place from the 22nd of June to the 30th June, 2024 in Malta, and it recently confirmed its new Artistic Director, renowned programmer and industry insider Teresa Cavina.

Last year 2023, the Mediterrane Film Festival in its inaugural year, screened 24 films in selection, with nine films competing for the Golden Bee Awards. The festival welcomed over 300 film professionals and there were over 7,000 participants in total. Among the talent attending were Eric Bana, Annabelle Wallis, Jared Harris, Natascha McElhone, Daniela Melchior, Joaquim de Almeida, Darko Peric and David Walliams. This year, the festival boasts some international hits among its lineup.

This time around, the festival will include four programming strands: In Competition – featuring films from across the Mediterranean, Out of Competition - featuring films from the rest of the world, Mare Nostrum - 'Our Sea', showcasing narrative and documentary films dedicated to sustainability and the environment, and Future Visions - a selection of experimental VR projects. Alongside screenings, the festival will include an industry strand with a series of panels, roundtables, and masterclasses from notable industry figures – which last year included hair & make-up designer Ivana Primorac, production designer Grant Montgomery and composer Daniel Pemberton.

During this year’s Berlinale, the festival made an announcement that it will be curated by new Artistic Director, Teresa Cavina – who joins with over twenty years of experience in programming and artistic roles which have included Locarno International Film Festival, El-Gouna Film Festival, Rome International Film Festival, Venice Film Festival and Abu Dhabi Film Festival.

At that time, Cavina said: “It is an incredible honor for me to lead the artistic direction for a festival devoted to all Mediterranean countries and beyond. We are proud to open this event to the diverse international voices within our In and Out of Competition sections, in Mare Nostrum - a new strand devoted to the well-being of our precious environment and Future Visions – where we will be offering a platform for virtual reality and experimental films. Our jurors, panelists and protagonists will be coming from everywhere. We want Mediterrane to be a place of culture and global exchange, a place that enables films to get made and careers to be launched. We want it to be an unmissable event that will contribute to shaping the future of Mediterranean filmmaking.”

The festival whose motto this year is “Mediterrane - Unity through Film” will present in the main Competition section Backstage by Afef Ben Mahmoud and Khalil Benkirane; Hayat, directed by Zeki Demirkubuz; Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness; The Strangers’ Case, by Brandt Andersen; Tuesday by Daina O. Pusić; Sweet Dreams directed by Ena Sendijarević; and Meryam Joobeur’s Who Do I Belong To.

Out of Competition titles are Dear Jassi by Tarsem Singh, The Devil's Bath directed by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz and Jane Schoenbrun's I Saw the TV Glow.

In Mare Nostrum, Shambala by Min Bahadur Bham and Los Ultimos by Sebastián Peña Escobar will compete, along with One needs a town - Zavattini, Luzzara and the Po River, directed by Francesco Conversano and Nene Grignaffini.

Johann Grech, Malta Film Commissioner said: “The art of filmmaking embodies the spirit of cooperation that is at the heart of our national story. With Malta’s unique geographic position, throughout our history, we have been a bridge between the different nations of the Mediterranean. A bridge between the continents of Europe and Africa. A bridge between Europe and the world. Building further on last year’s edition, the Mediterrane Film Festival will emphasize unity through the power of film.”

Jury members this year will include Indian Canadian filmmaker Richie Mehta; Academy Award and BAFTA-nominated Production Designer Nathan Crowley; Maltese director, producer, and writer Mario Philip Azzopardi; the cinematographer behind 2023's Oscar and Golden Globes-nominated Spanish-language film Society of the Snow, Pedro Luque; and esteemed Hollywood casting director Margery Simkin.

The Mediterrane Film Festival is a celebration of film and creativity that brings together the best of the Mediterranean region and beyond. Established in 2023, the annual event takes place in the beautiful islands of Malta and aims to unite countries to foster collaboration, opportunity, and a shared love for film.

The festival showcases exceptional films from the region and serves as a platform for filmmakers, industry professionals, and enthusiasts to connect, exchange ideas, and create partnerships for future projects.

Clayton Bartolo, Malta’s Minister for Tourism concluded: “The Mediterrane Film Festival promises to celebrate the vibrant diversity of Mediterranean cinema, showcasing the rich array of stories, culture and talents from across the region. The Maltese Islands will be an ideal backdrop for such a prestigious festival highlighting an unforgettable journey of cinematic excellence and innovation at the Mediterrane Film Festival.”

Addendum on 5/31: The festival also selected 13 immersive virtual reality projects for its Future Visions programme strand, which is headed up by the independent interactive story architect Michel Reilhac. The international projects will span360 Videos, VR Standalone and Immersive Installation categories – sitting under the Mediterrane Film Festival’s overall theme for 2024: ‘Unity through Film’. 

Michel Reilhac is an immersive storyteller, making films in Virtual Reality, creating participatory experiences in real life and across media. He is the founding curator of Venice VR, the official competition of creative VR content for the Venice Biennale International Film Festival. He is Head of Studies for the Venice Biennale College Cinema and for the Venice Biennale College Cinema VR, alongside the curator of the VR section for Series Mania. 

Michel Reilhac, Future Visions Curator and also Head of Studies for the Venice Biennale College, said: “Complementing the prestigious line up of excellent international films in the festival with a new program of immersive narrative experiences is proof of how forward-looking the festival and the Malta Film Commission are. Immersive experiences engage us in a very powerful new way, expanding the cinema setting in new directions, and there is nothing more exciting than experiencing the birth of a new art form in the making - welcome to Future Visions!”

The Future Visions strand will award one prize from the works across different categories – which will be judged by a specialised jury, among them Allison Crank - a UX designer and researcher who specializes in crafting interactive and inclusive stories using new media as well as Alina Mikhaleva – founder of Less Media Group to drive change in the media industry and utilize technologies to create deep human connections.

To learn more about the festival, check out their website.