The Malta Cine Circle celebrates its 55th anniversary this year, looking back with pride and satisfaction over the years during which members of the Circle produced film and video productions that have provided a unique visual record of the Maltese way of life.
The Golden Knight Festival launched Malta onto the international scene as a result of which hundreds of film makers from all over the world have chosen the Golden Knight Festival as a venue to screen their works. Many of them have actually come to Malta to receive their awards.
The first Golden Knight Festival was born of a desire to showcase the work of local and international film makers. Now a new breed of local artists are waking up to the creative opportunities that the Golden Knight Festival is the place where their digital film creation can compete.
A good example is David Serge and Matthew Pullicino, winners of the Golden Knight award in 2004, with their entry ‘The Legionnaire’s Spear’.
They have also won the Bronze Knight and the MACC Award for the Best from Malta award in 2006 for their production ‘The Fatal Lead’. This achievement is a reflection of the great improvement in the quality of local productions in recent years.
The 45th Golden Knight Malta International Film Festival (2006) was held at the Le Meridien hotel in St Julian’s.
The Golden Knight for Class A was won by Filippo Lubiato from Switzerland with his entry ‘Sublime’. The Silver Knight went to Philipp Kipler for ‘Flowers for My Father’, also from Switzerland. The Bronze Knight was awarded to an entry from Malta by David Serge and Matthew Pullicino.
The winners in Class B of the Golden Knight category were Sean J.S. Jourdan from the USA, titled ‘An Open Door’. From Germany the entry ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ by Annette Jung and George Dashhuber won the Silver Knight. Nico Rehberg and Marcus Dietrich from Germany won the Bronze Knight for ‘Teddy’.
In Class C, the Golden Knight statuette was won by the Australian Sean Ashcroft, with his production of ‘The Story of Bubble boy’.
The Cine Circle also holds the annual National Film and Video competition, open to all film and video producers and directors. Entries may be on any subject, from fiction, documentaries, animation, or experimental. All entries must be submitted on VHS, DVC or DVD. The duration of the entry must not exceed 30 minutes.