Blood on the Crown Wins Big at 2022 Malta Film Awards

Commemorating the historic, and deadly, riots which took place in protest against the actions and policies of the colonial government on 7^th June 1919, which would prove to be instrumental in pushing Malta along the path towards independence, Blood on the Crown had its official premiere on the 13^th of December at the Eden Cinema complex in St Julian’s, where it was immediately met with acclaim from audiences and critics alike.

The movie, which came about thanks to a public-private partnership between various government institutions including the Malta Film Commission, Arts Council Malta, and Fondazzjoni Celebrazzjonijiet Nazzjonali (Foundation for National Celebrations), and private enterprises like the European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC), marked the largest financial investment of any local film production to date, and boasted the talents of many internationally-acclaimed professionals from around the world, including the celebrated contemporary composer Alexey Shor, and Hollywood legends Harvey Keitel and Malcolm McDowell, amongst others.

This star-studded cast and crew endowed Blood on the Crown with an international appeal that stretched far beyond our shores, with the film being selected for screening at various prestigious film festivals, including the annual Torino Film Festival in Turin, Italy. The degree of foreign appreciation for this production has now also been matched within the local scene, with Blood on the Crown being nominated for a record 13 awards in 12 different categories at the first edition of the much-anticipated Malta Film Awards. These included nominations in all the major categories, namely for Best Film, Best Director (Davide Ferrario), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Leeshon Alexander), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Nicola Mangion), and two separate nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role for both Harvey Keitel and Malcolm McDowell.

Marking the first time that the Maltese film industry has ever been acknowledged and rewarded in such a manner, the award ceremony itself, hosted by the beloved English comedian David Walliams, was held on Saturday 29^th January and saw the Sette Giugno film walk away with 7 awards from its 13 nominations, more than any other production across the course of the evening. These included the major awards of Best Director – which was won by Davide Ferrario – and Best Actor in a Leading Role – which was awarded to Harvey Keitel – as well as an award for Best Music ­– which was won by Alexey Shor for Musical Score, and Laurent Eyquem for Sound Effects.

^{Composer Alexey Shor}

Other awards meanwhile, consisted of Best Screenplay (Jean Pierre Magro), Best Production Design (Mela Melak), Best Hair and Makeup Design (Christian Kotey and Jannie Stax), and Best Post-Production (Pedja Miletic, Claudio Cormio, Vito Martinelli, Aaron Briffa, and Nikita Argunov).

^{Jean Pierre Magro}

Blood on the Crown is currently screening at Eden Cinemas, and is also available for international streaming on Amazon Prime.