alex camilleri sundance film festival winner general condition studio

bio

graphy

Alex Camilleri

is a Maltese-American writer,

director, and producer.

His debut feature, LUZZU, premiered to wide acclaim at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Award for Acting. The film has been released in cinemas around the world (rated “100% Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes®) and was Malta’s submission to the 94th Oscars®. Camilleri is the winner of the 2022 “Someone To Watch” Independent Spirit Award and a 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship. He is repped by WME and is currently preparing his sophomore feature.

Luzzu

Luzzu

reviews

“An unaffected triumph with a simmering power...a stirringly nuanced and dazzlingly shot humanistic drama.”

“Crafted with humanistic grace... Understated in a way that would make the gods of neorealism proud. A ravishing portrait of tradition in transition.”

“This accomplished debut from Maltese-American filmmaker Alex Camilleri profiles little-represented lives with intelligence and integrity.”

“Alex Camilleri's locally made vérité tale discovers a knockout performance in a real-life fisherman from Malta.”

“Cinematic magic. Stunning newcomer Jesmark Scicluna... will remind you of Daniel Day-Lewis.”

“A moving tale of real-world strife... part observational drama, part social thriller.”

“The kind of film Roberto Rossellini would have made if he were still alive today.”

“One of my favorite discoveries out of Sundance this year”

"A poignant and deeply touching tale of humanity.”

“Alex Camilleri's Luzzu truly is the real deal”

"Crafting an intimate drama… Alex Camilleri is making an incredibly promising debut."

“Gritty yet quietly powerful drama”

Awards

Jesmark, a Maltese fisherman, contends with a newfound leak in his wooden luzzu boat. Barely getting by, he sees his livelihood— and a family tradition from generations before him— imperiled by diminishing harvests, a ruthless fishing industry, and a stagnating ecosystem. Desperate to provide for his wife and their newborn son, who’s growth impediment requires treatment, Jesmark gradually slips into an illicit black-market fishing operation.