On 7 March, Eden Cinemas will screen one of the most controversial films in recent Maltese history. Gagga is a socio-political film based on Frans Sammut’s novel Il-Gagga, part of the 6th form and university required reading.

The film outlines the hot social, political and religious issues that created unwritten parameters for all those living in the early 1970s.

The story evolves around Fredu, a young man who is struggling to cope with the countless difficulties he encounters. Social and religious prejudice, political differences, taboos concerning intimacy and urban to rural dissimilarity, make Fredu feel caged.

Although university students produced this film in 1971, it remains extremely topical and influential today. It is also one of Malta’s first cinematographic masterpieces that had a long list of local talents included Ray Camilleri, Vitorin Galea, Charles Arrigo, Victor Apap, Marilena Borg, Karmen Azzopardi, Rosette Fenech, Josephine Zammit Cordina, Charles Thake, Gemma Portelli and Lino Briguglio.

Directed by acclaimed local talent Mario Philip Azzopardi, of international fame, Gagga is a 75-minute feature movie filmed over 35 years ago that was transferred to digital format and enhanced by Studio 7 Productions from 2005 till 2007.

Distributed by Studio 7, this film will officially launch the EU Film Festival on Saturday at Eden Cinemas and will be released on Wednesday 7 March to the public.

A symposium is being organised at Eden Cinemas on Monday 5 March. Schools, the film industry and the interested public can see the first public screening of the film and have the opportunity to discuss and question the director Mario Philip Azzopardi, producer Sammy Cremona and the author Frans Sammut.