Written and directed by Mario Philip Azzopardi, ‘Saul: Journey to Damascus’ is the very first joint Maltese/ Canadian feature film, which tells the story of the conversion of Saul, played by Canadian actor Kyle Schmid.

Produced by Cittadella Malta Films and Starfield Independent Studios, the movie stars both local and foreign actors; including acclaimed British actor John Rhys-Davies who is known for his roles in ‘Indiana Jones’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’. Also featured in the film are a number of Maltese actors, including Godwin Scerri, John Suda and Larissa Bonaci.

“In the 40 years that I was away in Canada, my bread and butter was cinema, TV and fiction,”  Mr Azzopardi says, “Originally, ‘Saul: Journey to Damascus’ was going to be produced in Israel, but I convinced them to come here. One thing that certainly helped was that I found a sizeable private investment here in Malta, which clinched the deal.”

Originally, Mr Azzopardi said, the script was very heavy on the religious side; very ‘right-wing Christian’ as he calls it.

“I didn’t particularly like the original script,” he admits, “In fact, I rewrote the whole thing. It took me about six months. I wanted to portray the characters in the film as human beings, not simply as religious zealots. Here, we don’t see we don't simple see Saul as a maniac who is out there to spew venom, which is the way he is often portrayed.

As Mr Azzopardi continued to write the script, he realised that the whole crux of the film rested on the themes of love and faith.

“‘Saul: Journey to Damascus’ is not a film about religion. It is a film about ‘the understanding of things not seen’. What is faith? What is love? What is the meaning of believing in god? These questions ended up being embodied by the characters in the film,” he explains.

Mr Azzopardi says that he was an atheist for many years but this film got him thinking.

“From a commissioned job, it became an obsession. From an obsession, soon it became a need to know and understand more,” he says, “You don't have to be a philosopher to understand life. Love explains it all. Saul is basically a love story about two young people with conflicting beliefs. It is about how the power of love can affect you in so many ways.”

According to Mr Azzopardi, the distributors of ‘Saul: Journey to Damascus’, E1, are very happy with the way the film has turned out and the plan is to release it as a feature film all over the world. In fact, they are already in discussion with movie companies such as Lionsgate and Goldwyn.

So, with over 400 hours of TV and film under his belt, what’s next for Mr Azzopardi?

First of all, he definitely will be working on his greatest passion – theatre. As the founder of Fondazzjoni Avventura, which produces original scripts in Maltese to be performed at the Manoel Theatre, he is very satisfied with the fact that in the past couple of years he has managed to get six original Maltese productions onto the stage. And there are at least another six in the pipeline.

“My mandate is that the script has to be in the Maltese language, about the Maltese and the Maltese experience,” he states, “I believe a script is not devoid from the rehearsal process. It matures as much as a character does. Some writers prefer to develop on their own. We are a bit more 'controlling' in that there is a vision of a producer… me. I work very closely with the writers. We are not inventing the wheel here. We are just doing things a little differently by concentrating on the script first and foremost. When we are happy with the script we go on with the rest of the production. As a producer I want the script to be up to my standards. Why? Because I am forking out the money.  If you don't like what I am offering, don't come and watch.”

Up till now, this kind of thinking seems to have translated into ‘bums on seats’ with the large majority of the productions produced by Fondazzjoni Avventura having very large audiences.

“‘Jiena Nhobb, Inti Thobb’ had between 95 and 97 per cent capacity, which is unprecedented for a Maltese play at the Manoel Theatre,” he says, “Malta has a jewel in the Manoel. The theatre talent is phenomenal and can be presented anywhere. How can it be that so many people don't even know where the Manoel is or anything about the theatre scene in Malta?”

As for film and TV, Mr Azzopardi’s says that his next film will most likely focus on Mary Magdalene.

“It would concentrate on her role as ‘the apostle to the apostles’,” he explans, “I would also like to do one on Lazarus and what happened to him after he was raised from the dead. And I have a few more ideas in mind. None of these will be ‘popcorn movies’. But within the budget we work with, we know we can make these movies, sell them, make a small profit and make the next one. Plus we will be putting money in the local film industry as they would all be shot here.”

Also in the pipeline is a television series based on the Knights of Malta which should start shooting in Autumn 2015.

Finally, referring to ‘Simshar’, directed by Rebecca Cremona, Mr Azzopardi says:

“Isn't it wonderful that this April we have two Maltese movies of international value coming out? This tiny island produced two films this year. I wish Rebecca all the best and am sure it's going to be absolutely great. We have amazing potential here in Malta. Just as an example, 99 per cent of the crew on ‘Saul: Journey to Damascus’ was Maltese. We have to realise that we must not accept mediocrity so easily… and then, the sky is the limit.”

 

Tickets for ‘Saul: Journey to Damascus’ may be purchased from the Eden Cinemas box office or online from www.edencinemas.com.mt