Simshar director Rebecca Cremona this week announbced that the DVD for Simshar, considered by many to be the biggest and most successful Maltese film ever made, is now available for pre-order on Maltese crowd-funding website, ZAAR.com.mt.
The news comes as the film marks the end of a busy year, during which it was screened at over 30 international festivals and enjoyed multiple successful international theatrical releases.
"June marks the end of a very busy festival circuit for Simshar," explains Ms Cremona, who co-wrote the script and directed the movie. "We are honoured to have been programmed in the official selection of so many great festivals ranging from Canada to Morocco and Germany to Zanzibar, as well as many places in between, and are delighted to have been awarded several times, too!"
The film, which tells the true story of young Theo, whose first trip out at sea with his family ends in tragedy, has also won 15 international awards, and is the first and thus-far only Maltese film to ever be submitted for an Academy Award nomination. Now, the DVD release, which was officially launched on the Maltese crowd-funding website ZAAR.com.mt, consolidates the work of the cast and crew behind the film, giving audiences a chance to own a piece of Maltese film history.
Speaking about the launch of the crowd-funding campaign on ZAAR.com.mt, Ms Cremona said that it was an obvious choice for the project: "We wanted to launch the DVD on a platform that has the same spirit as the film does: a local entity with an eye towards internationalisation. Moreover, the crowd-funding model will allow us to get a better product to our audiences, and give us the opportunity to include a lot of exciting bonus material and special perks with the DVD."
The DVD which retails at €14.99 as standard, will come in a high-quality digipack that includes a behind the scenes featurette, never before seen deleted scenes, the official trailer, the original concept trailer, as well as a pack of four collector's postcards. Those opting to pre-order it on ZAAR.com.mt will also be able to choose from a number of other perks, including a limited-edition print of the original Simshar illustration by Maltese artist Joran Rapa Manche, a meet-and-greet with the director and the cast, a special one-off screening and multi-order discounts.
Commenting about the DVD launch, the newly-appointed ZAAR manager, Matthew Caruana said that he was delighted to add such a prominent campaign on this award-winning platform. "Simshar has become an icon of Maltese cinema and we are proud to be playing such a role in its story as we continue to assist the creative sector in Malta," he said.
Meanwhile, Simshar and Rebecca's journey will continue to sail on, as the film has just secured a theatrical release in French cinemas, an important seal of approval in the context of European, as well as world, independent cinema.
The pre-orders for the Simshar DVD can be made on www.ZAAR.com.mt and will be available until 30 September.