A Maltese filmmaker has won two awards for a short film that tackles the theme of grief through a comedic lens. The film is called Resaca and has been shown in 16 different film festivals all around the world.
Speaking to The Malta Independent, director Joe Borg said that despite working on various creative projects in the past, this was his first time directing a short film. He explained that throughout his 15 years writing screenplays, his works always featured comedy. He likes mixing comedy with heavier themes because it impacts the audience in a way that elicits an emotional reaction.
"I really liked the idea of making an audience both laugh and cry," Borg said.
Borg knew he wanted to tackle the theme of grief from the very beginning. Then, two of his friends at work told him a story of how they ended up going on a walk with a new neighbour who couldn't speak English. Borg thought that having two main characters not be able to communicate would make a funny idea for a short film. Adding the element of grief would then send a message that grief is a universal language.
"Grief is something that we will all experience at some point in our lives, whatever language we speak, whatever age we are, wherever we come from," Borg explained.
Borg said that through his short film, he hopes to offer comfort to people who have experienced grief. He said that he will even be sharing the film with grief charities so that it can be shared among their communities.
When asked what the biggest creative challenge was when creating the film, Borg said that the shoot itself faced many issues. Since filming took place in public, the team was unable to control the noise coming from people or vehicles. Moreover, assembling the team itself was a challenge of its own, especially since payment would be minimal for a project like this.
"Luckily I was working with a great producer who was very experienced and able to help me when those challenges arose," Borg said.
Borg believes that his Maltese background influenced his storytelling greatly. He explained that both his parents were Maltese and he grew up in East London, and so he always felt different to others. Therefore, the characters he writes are often portrayed as underdogs or people who feel different in the world they're in. He also believes that he got a great bit of inspiration from the personalities of his parents, who he describes as "big characters".
"I'm quite an introverted person so I like to just sit back and watch people, and I think that growing up with my parents definitely shaped the kind of characters that I like to write," Borg said.
Resaca was shown in various film festivals around the world, including in Europe, America, and even New Zealand. It won two awards, namely "Best Drama" at Film Tottenham and "Best Screenplay" at the Fastnet Film Festival in Ireland. Borg said that winning these awards felt "amazing" as they were unexpected on his part, especially since he was new to directing.
The film will also be uploaded on the popular YouTube channel Omeleto on Tuesday 3 March. Omeleto is a leading global platform for short films, presenting exceptional, festival-selected projects to millions of viewers worldwide. Borg's short film will therefore become accessible to anyone with internet access, reaching an even wider audience than before.