Earlier this year, our Media on Demand distributor handling the production of the Cats of Malta DVD and Blu-rays had a bit of a hiccup with the file, causing the sales to pause. Good news is that the issue has been fixed and both items are back on sale via Amazon, as well as other retailers. Get your collectors item today, the whole 69 minutes, including bonus features.
Find all the details where to watch Cats of Malta on the film’s website.
We’re thrilled to announce that our 15 min Croatian language film, Roniti has been selected for the 21st IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival.
Part of NPG’s Life Improvised Series, the performances by the small cast were improvised, working off a concept written by Ivan Malekin. The story for Roniti was inspired by summers watching divers at Kolovare beach in Zadar and explores the tension filled relationship between a mother and her teenage daughter while away on a weekend trip.
IN THE PALACE IFF is an Academy Award qualifying film festival that has been running for 22 years and takes place at the Palace of Culture, in the town of Pernik, Bulgaria from June 29th to July 6th, 2024.
At this stage we are not sure when Roniti will screen, but we are planning to be in attendance.
Roniti trailer
Last week in Brussels we were part of a history making event that was breaking the silence on women's rights in Malta. On Valentines Day, Malta's ban on abortion was discussed within the European Parliament for the first time.
At the same event, our film No Woman is An Island screened and was followed up by a panel consisting of MEPs, activists, doctors and artists. To say it was an honour to attend EU Parliament in Brussels and stand with around 80 Maltese activists is an understatement.
We feel so proud of our collective efforts and no matter where you stand on the debate of abortion, it's a fair argument to state that women's body autonomy shouldn't be anyone else's business besides the woman.
After many similar discussions within EU Parliament laws were passed regarding LGBTQ rights and divorce in Malta. Now we’re waiting for the day that those responsible for European decision-making will do the same regarding the dire issues facing women and girls in Malta, particularly abortion.
The power of activism and the power of film are sometimes one and the same and both are not to be overlooked.
Thanks goes to MP Cyrus Engerer — the only Maltese politician to have voted in favour of abortion being declared a fundamental human right. Cyrus invited 'No Woman is an Island' and us, the producers to Brussels to stand with the Maltese activists within EU Parliement and on the streets at such a prestigious event.
WANT TO KNOW MORE? Read Sarah Jayne’s blog post talking about her experience in Brussels with No Woman is an Island here.
We're happy to announce you will soon be able to stream Friends, Foes & Fireworks in Belgium, as the ink has just dried on a deal to bring our 2018 mumblecore drama to Pay TV platform Pickx.
For us it highlights the long shelf life of a film with FF&F now six years old but still attracting new platforms and ways to watch.
Introducing our latest short Life Improvised short film 'Roniti.’
Filmed over summer in Zadar Croatia, the synopsis is as follows; During a summer holiday, a mother and her teenage daughter must learn to navigate their strained relationship after a family scandal.
Roniti stars:
Mia Zara as Petra
Lucija Milojčić as Lorna
Ivano Črep as Andre
Dejan Marcikić as Kris
Roniti is written, directed, edited and filmed by Ivan Malekin and produced by Sarah Jayne and Ivan Malekin for NPG.
Poster designs by Sarah Jayne Portelli, featuring a mix of digital and analog formats taken on set during filming.
We’re thrilled to share a selection of posters we recently designed as we begin to submit to festivals from this week.
Now in its 36th year, the 2023 AFI European Union Film Showcase continues its tradition of bringing the best in European cinema to DC-area audiences.
Cats of Malta will have three screenings at the showcase:
Friday, December 01, 2023 05:30 PM
Sunday, December 03, 2023 11:20 AM
Tuesday, December 05, 2023 05:00 PM
Find out more here. Don’t miss out on this special event.
This month we did some reshoots and pickups for our feature film ForeFans in Budapest, reuniting with actor Nicolas Hackenberg. The feature is almost at the picture lock stage, but there is some complicated VFX to finish and song rights to secure, both of which could effect the timing of edit, so we are reluctant to declare the film "locked" until those aspects are solved. Still, we are closer to the finish line and we can wait for you to see this film. Stay tuned.
Cats of Malta is now available to watch thorough Amazon, Hoopla, Plex and TUBI across the US and Canada.
Find the direct links to all the platforms and territories where the film can be watched everywhere else except in the US and Canada directly on the website.
Cats of Malta is also on some US cable providers and will continue to pop up. Our US distributor does not have the full list yet, but check your cable providers. You may find it.
Please leave a Rotten Tomatoes and/or IMDB review. If you watch on Amazon, please review there to help us beat the algorithm to get more people watching on that platform . Doing reviews this way assists NPG in getting Cats of Malta seen by more people, and to rise in the rankings.
So far we are doing well on Rotten Tomatoes:
Fingers crossed the love we have been receiving from our audience and the critics keeps coming. Either way, that’s show-business. No work is perfect and you can’t please everyone, art is a subjective medium.
No Woman is an Island is coming to Malta!
This screening and panel event is proudly supported and made possible by the Australian High Commission Malta and the University of Malta.
Opening the event is her excellency Deputy High Commissioner and Consul of the Australian High Commission Malta Jennifer Kingsman.
After the film screening, a panel including director Sarah Jayne, Sarah Portelli, professor Marceline Naudi and Lara Dimitrijevic (Women’s Rights Foundation Malta) will discuss the film and women’s rights in Malta.
The event will close with complimentary refreshments supplied by the Australian High Commission Malta.
The full details are as follows:
Date and time: Friday September 22nd 6pm - 8.30pm
Venue: University of Malta, Msida, Lecture Theatre 2
Cost: Free, but registration is required. Register here.
Check out the trailer below and if you are in Malta, we hope to see you there!
Yesterday we wrapped on After the Act, our fifth improvised narrative feature in the same number of years and our third time filming in Berlin.
After the Act Cast & Crew
We’re still buzzing with pride and contentment, thinking about some of the amazing performances we captured and the beautiful cinematography. The entire cast and crew were a joy to work with, the energy on set so positive, yet another reminder of why we love being on set and making films. It’s not just the stories we get to share, it’s the people we meet and create with along the way that makes this so special. Post production now begins and we can’t wait to bring you the completed film in 2024!
BTS photo of a dance club scene.
Sam (Jacob Wolf Lefton) and Mia (Laura Petracco) share a vulnerable moment.
Reviewing the shot
Sam (Jacob Wolf Lefton) contemplates his choices.
At the end of August we're shooting our latest feature After the Act, a narrative drama following a couple over a single day and night as they grapple with the aftershocks of infidelity in their relationship.
Pre-production has been insane as we organise everything from Croatia, but building the characters with our wonderful cast of three has been our favourite part of the process.
Who are our cast?
Cast L-R: Jessica Sy as Becca, Laura Petracco as Mia and Jacob Wolf Lefton as Sam
Jessica Sy starred in the film "Survival in Brandenburg" directed by Zoltan Paul. She appeared on ZDF as a detective on "Aktenzeichen XY". Her first international advertising campaign took Jessica to Estonia under the direction of director Bugsy Steel. Currently, Jessica can be seen in the supporting role Andrea in "Bad Friday" (ZDF) directed by Tim Trageser.
Laura Petracco recently graduated from the Vienna English Theatre academy where she received classical training, performing from Shakespeare to original ensemble based shows. Currently she is part of the Spanish Theatre association in Vienna, Soles del Sur.
Jacob Wolf Lefton has a varied path in the performing arts, starting with youth with theater, improvisation and theatrical roleplay. He has studied storytelling, theater, commedia dell'arte, and circus arts. He completed a two-year intensive program and teacher training at the Michael Chekhov International Academy in Berlin.
We can’t wait to get to Berlin and start the rehearsals with these talented people.
We shot Cats of Malta many moons and a whole pandemic ago. And now, on International Cat Day, we are thrilled to share our European release dates + territories.
Our award-winning family (and feline) friendly documentary will be released on Apple TV and Amazon on the following dates and in the following territories:
September 21st — Malta + Spanish-speaking Latin American territories
September 25th — UK and Ireland
October 11th — France , Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland
A week before these dates there will be a pre-sale, so we will send another update closer to the date as a reminder. The documentary will be available in English, Spanish, and French.
Of course there are more territories to come, including the US and Australia. But for now, if you live in one of the territories above, mark the dates in your diary.
Find out more and join the Cats of Malta mailing list here.
We just wrapped on our latest short film in the Life Improvised series, called Roniti, and we couldn’t be more thrilled. Roniti means "diving" or "swimming underwater" in Croatian and is about a mother and daughter holidaying in Zadar while navigating their strained relationship after a family scandal.
The team was small but amazing, wonderful camaraderie, and when dedicated people come together for the common goal of creating art we can all be proud of, it always serves as a beautiful reminder of why we make films. Here is a fun behind the scenes video about the shoot.
Opening the 2023 Women's World Cup of Shorts Thursday, July 20 are Australia and Ireland and our short film, Daughter is representing our home country.
Directed by Sarah-Jayne, 'Daughter' stars Katherine Langford (13 Reasons Why; Love, Simon; Knives Out), and is a thought-provoking drama about a trio of women whose lives are irrecoverably damaged by patriarchal violence.
Watch the film in the Women's World Cup of Shorts presented by ShortsTv and TVCortos on July 20 at the following times:
>> ShortsTV (US): 9pm ET/PT
>> ShortsTV (Europe): 9pm CEST
>> ShortsTV (India): 9pm IST
>> Shorts (UK/US): 9pm BST/ET
>> ShortsTV+ App (UK/US): On demand!
Or catch the repeats on August 5/6, August 12/13, and August 20!
Women Deliver Conferences are one of the world’s largest multi-sectoral convenings to advance gender equality. The theme for WD2023 is Spaces, Solidarity, and Solutions and this year the festival is held in Kigali, Rwanda.
No Woman is an Island is an insightful sit down chat with five of Malta’s influential female trailblazers who are paving the way for change. The film addresses many topics affecting the lives of women and girls and instigates a much needed discussion about women’s rights on the island.
Between July 17-20th, No Woman is an Island will be showcased and screened virtually (register here) at the conference and the full unreleased trailer will be screening on the Arts & Film Festival big screen on July 17th between 10.00-10.30am.
BIG NEWS!
We have signed with our second distributor for Cats of Malta, Under the Milky Way, who will be handling European distribution as well as South America and Asia.
Cats of Malta was selected to be part of UMW's European Originals series, which qualifies for direct support from the European Commission for technical and marketing expenses.
UMW will also be creating Spanish and French subtitles for the documentary and encoding has already begun. Expect more news about a Cats of Malta release date in very soon.
North American release date also to be announced, but expect that later in the year.
Our psychological horror film Machination is now streaming on YouTube through horror channel Watch Movies Now. There’s already been 13k views on the film and some great and positive comments, so check out what the fuss is about and watch Machination free on Youtube here.
In Corpore, our female-led drama that delves into the grey areas of relationships and personal desire, has been selected to be promoted on Vudu in June for Pride Month.
Look out for more news on our socials as we blast the announcement far and wide. You can follow the film on Instagram here.
We also recently closed a deal for In Corpore to stream on The Slay Network app, an all LGBTQIA streaming service, so there are now even more ways to watch.
And for collectors out there, In Corpore will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 13th. Pre-orders are now available and you can find all the links here.
We’ve been working on a new poster for Cats of Malta in anticipation of its worldwide release this year. We commissioned Chris from The Robot Eye for the job and we are absolutely thrilled with not just the results, but the entire collaborative process. We can’t recommend The Robot Eye enough. In fact, Chris gave us a few different comps to choose from and they were all so good we couldn’t even settle on one design. So we went with two different posters, one for the US release (the dark blue) and one for the rest of the world. Check out our new posters below.
Our sensual, sex-positive, female led film, which delves deep into the grey areas of relationships is now streaming on AppleTV.
This news comes just a couple of weeks after the film landing on VUDU and we can’t be any more happy with this great news. Since its 2021 release, In Corpore has become available on a number of other platforms. Check them out here.
