The pre-sale for Machination on DVD and Blu-Ray is now on. July 5th is the release date for the title in these formats sold through Amazon. Included are a bunch of special features -- interviews with Steffi, BTS footage of the shoot, plus the trailer. Secure your own copy now.
First Festival Selection for International Documentary Cats of Malta
Our family-friendly, cat-focused Maltese doco, Cats of Malta has it’s first festival selection! Cats of Malta has officially been selected to screen as part of Melbourne Documentary Film Festival.
More details to follow in the coming month.
Los Angeles Times reviews Machination in article "‘Licorice Pizza’ and other movies to watch this weekend"
Machination was listed amongst the LA Times ‘films to watch this weekend’. The psychological horror was also in good company, listed amongst other indie films that sounded very intriguing, plus Liquorice Pizza by Paul Thomas Anderson. Have a read of the article titled “Review: ‘Hold Your Fire,’ ‘Licorice Pizza’ and other movies to watch this weekend” here and when done, watch Machination online here.
Machination Released Worldwide Today
Our latest feature film Machination, a psychological horror is best described as claustrophobic, intense — a sharp, spiralling thriller about the consequences of breathing in constant fear.
Machination was shot in Mgarr Malta and led by local talent Steffi Thake. Steffi dishes out a gripping performance as an anxious and damaged woman, a role that sees her leading the film for at least ninety percent of the runtime.
It’s a thrill to finally be releasing Machination and we have chosen to release directly, worldwide though our Vimeo On Demand channel to kick things off for the film.
Other platforms to be announced shortly.
Machination Release Date Set, Trailer Released
We're super excited to announce that our latest feature film, psychological horror/drama Machination, will launch worldwide on May 20th!
Early this week we had the trailer released as an exclusive through ComingSoon.
Machination will stream first on our Vimeo On Demand page, before expanding to additional platforms. Pre-Orders are now available.
Click the link above to watch the trailer, another exclusive, plus place a pre-order today to be one of the first to watch Machination on May 20th.
A dark film exploring the affect the pandemic has had on mental health, Machination is claustrophobic, intense, and led by a gripping performance by Steffi Thake. It is a sharp, spiralling thriller about the consequences of breathing in constant fear.
It's reassuring to know that the hardworking team from October Coast PR, who we worked closely with on In Corpore, are again onboard to send the word out about Machination. This is a different film for us regarding genre, so we can't wait to see what transpires.
Stream Machination first on our Vimeo On Demand page. Pre-Orders are now available.
Choir Girl Wide Release
The bold black and white drama Choir Girl, directed by John Fraser and produced by Ivan Malekin, has received a wide release courtesy of distributor Leomark Studios. In addition to iTunes, Choir Girl is now available to stream via Amazon Prime as well as Tubi. You can also own the film on DVD via Amazon and various online retailers.
From Malta to Melbourne
Nexus Production Group went to visit the hardworking people behind the MCCV in Parkville Melbourne today. The MCCV is screening Cats of Malta as part of a film day in St Albans, alongside two other Maltese productions; Luzzu and Blood on the Crown.
If you're in Melbourne, Cats of Malta is screening at the Bowery Theatre St Albans on April 24th - details here. It's a free event, but you must register!
Pictured: director Sarah Jayne stands outside the building.
Love Actually International Film Festival | In Corpore
What are your plans for this upcoming Valentine’s day?
The In Corpore 'Anna & Manny' story set in Malta has been selected for Love Actually International Film Festival - a critically acclaimed annual screening event, produced by Film Loft | NY on Valentine’s Day each year. 2022 is the the 18th year of screenings.
Love Actually features stories about love, sex, and romance told by acclaimed storytellers from around the globe. WHAT A PERFECT MATCH!
Starting Feb 14th, 2022 (Valentine’s Day), the event will be going ONLINE ONLY (via screening partner BINGEWAVE) from 6.00 pm EST and people from around the globe will be able to get tickets to watch the full slate of films.
NPG’s Sarah Jayne and Ivan Malekin, the directors of In Corpore, will be taking part in the virtual Q&A after the program of films, from 7.30pm EST onwards.
Tickets are now on sale - https://luvfest2022.bingewave.com/f/18th-annual-love-actually-int-l-short-film-showcase.
Film Director Sarah Jayne interviewed on YouTube Channel 'The Independents'.
Sarah Jayne was interviewed last week by filmmaker Dia Taylor of Taymaynari Productions for her YouTube Channel The Independents.
A former production designer, turned film director talks film and about her extensive experience as an independent filmmaker. Click here to watch.
Cats of Malta Christmas Special Interview
Just when we thought it was safe to sign off for Christmas, the last interview for Cats of Malta in 2021 is happening this Saturday on ONE TV. Yes, it’s a special Christmas edition!
Check out Pink Panther on ONE TV Christmas Day 6pm Central European Time (CET), where you can see director Sarah Jayne talking Cats of Malta in Maltese and English.😺🇲🇹 You can also watch online here.
We will be sending the details out in a Cats of Malta newsletter later this week and we have the link up on the website when it's available.
Improv for indie filmmakers book launch
Ivan Malekin has written his first book called Improv for Indie Filmmakers and it is available to read as an ebook or paperback on Amazon right now.
Full of practical advice, real world case studies, and first-hand experiences, Improv for Indie Filmmakers breaks down how independent filmmakers can use improvisation in their own work to creatively collaborate with actors, speed up production, make more films, and ultimately save time and money by working efficiently at all stages of the production process.
This book is a blueprint for how we approach our filmmaking and a step by step guide to how you can incorporate improvisation into your own work and the benefits and challenges to expect.
We want more indie filmmakers to be able to tell their stories, find success and build a career, and we hope the advice and case studies in Improv for Indie Filmmakers can help you in some way.
If you do read the book and enjoy it, please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads as it does make a world of difference in helping us to get Improv for Indie Filmmakers out there.
New Life Improvised - Goose & Gander
“A young couple, Sam and Mia, deal with the fallout from infidelity. Is what's good for the goose, also good for the gander?”
This is our first Life Improvised filmed in our new home in Zagreb. Produced with minimal resources and mostly natural light, Goose & Gander stars Bosnian actor Harun Ćehović and Slovenian actress Barbara Horvat, who both travelled to Zagreb for the day. Both deliver poised and beautiful performances as a young couple at a crossroads in their relationship. Goose & Gander is actually an idea we are developing for a feature so this micro-short not only served as another episode in our Life Improvised series, but also as a test run for the concept behind the potential feature. Enjoy Goose & Gander below.
Cats of Malta Preview Screenings at Local Cinemas | Nexus Production Group Press Release
Are you ready for Malta's first cat movie?
Cats of Malta celebrates Malta's cat culture while highlighting the Maltese community spirit. Produced by Nexus Production Group and sponsored by the Malta Tourism Authority and Borg Cardona & Co., Cats of Malta is having its first preview screening at Eden Cinemas on November 25th November, 9pm.
Director and producer Sarah Jayne Portelli reflects, “I've always felt a connection to Malta and its locals, but what surprised me was the unavoidable presence of stray cats. Curious why there were so many strays, who looks after them and how cats influence Maltese culture, I chatted with locals and the cat community to ask these questions and many more.”
A big part of Malta’s cat culture is the island’s stray cat population and the people who — through volunteering, art and folklore — show the cats unconditional love and support. The filmmakers visited popular colonies, cat cafes and sanctuaries, talked to artists, and sourced stories from locals and business owners about their favourite felines. They compiled all the heartfelt stories into a fun, family-friendly documentary that will make audiences feel a rainbow of emotions.
Coming on board as sponsors are The Malta Tourism Authority – who constantly work to promote Malta as a cat-loving island worldwide – and local pet food company Borg Cardona & Co.,– solid supporters of Malta’s cat community and animal NGO's. As part of Borg Cardona’s sponsorship in collaboration with Royal Canin Malta, they will hand out cat food vouchers at the Eden Cinemas screening to the feeders featured in Cats of Malta to help them look after their cat colonies.
Cats of Malta stars Maltese artist Matthew Pandolfino, creator of the giant cat sculpture overlooking Independence Garden, actor and feeder Polly March, former Two Buoys restaurant owner Michelle Deguara and feeder Saviour Gilson, Spinola Bay's Cat Village matriarch Roza Zammit Salinos, Animal Guardian’s Cat Cafe volunteers Karmen Coleiro and Caroline Borg, plus Malta’s youngest cat feeder, Isaac Muscat.
Not to mention a lot of adorable cats.
The first preview screening at Eden Cinemas on November 25th, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers, is part of a limited run of special preview screenings exclusive to Malta. Two encore preview screenings follow at Spazju Kreattiv on November 27th and December 3rd, before the film is submitted to festivals and officially released by Nexus Production Group worldwide in 2022.
Nexus Production Group is run by prolific Australian filmmaking duo Ivan Malekin and Sarah Jayne Portelli. Ivan served as producer and editor on Cats of Malta, while Sarah Jayne is the producer and director. Individually, the filmmakers each have fifteen years of experience producing, writing and directing short and feature-length independent films in Europe and Australia, including Daughter (2016), Friends, Foes & Fireworks (2018), and Maltese feature films In Corpore (2020) and Machination (2021). Since 2017 Ivan and Sarah Jayne have called Malta home.
Preview Screenings
Thursday, November 25th @ Eden Cinemas
9pm, Screening + Q&A
Tickets are now on sale here
Saturday, November 27th @ Spazju Kreattiv
5:30pm, Encore Screening
Tickets are now on sale here
Friday, December 3rd @ Spazju Kreattiv
9pm, Encore Screening
Tickets are now on sale here
Contact
Email: Sarah Jayne & Ivan Malekin
Phone/WhatsApp: Sarah Jayne Portelli
+356 99322412
Website
Goose & Gander | The Latest Life Improvised Shoot is Underway
In November we will be filming our ninth Life Improvised micro-short and our first in Croatia. This one is called Goose & Gander and is about a young couple dealing with the fallout from infidelity.
We have cast talented actors Harun Ćehović and Barbara Horvat in the lead roles and very much look forward to filming.
Stay tuned for more updates.
Cats of Malta Cinema Screening & Sponsor Announcement
After working for over a year on Cats of Malta, our documentary celebrating the island’s stray cats and the people who look after them, is finally set to have a premiere screening in Malta!
Several screenings actually, with three showings of the film lined up for November and December at both Eden Cinemas in St Julians and Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta. If you are in Malta, we hope to see you there! The dates are as follows:
Premiere @ Eden Cinemas — Thursday 25th November, 8pm in the foyer, for a 9pm start. Includes a Q&A with the cast and filmmakers. Tickets €9 and now on sale here.
Encore @ Spazju Kreattiv Cinema Saturday, November 27th. 5.30pm. Tickets on sale soon.
Encore 2 @ Spazju Kreattiv Cinema Saturday, December 3rd. 9.00pm
In further news about Cats of Malta, we have secured two sponsors; Malta Tourism Authority and Borg Cardona & Co. Ltd., who are donating cat food as part of their sponsorship contribution to our interviewees.
Check out what they are all about on the Cats of Malta website and if you are in Malta we hope to see and meet you at the screenings above.
Our Latest YouTube Video Bares All
This week we released our latest YouTube video about sex scenes and intimacy shown in indie films.
We discuss our experiences distributing and marketing our sex-positive, female-driven relationship drama In Corpore. It’s an honest no-holds-barred look at the roadblocks we faced, plus we share alternative ways to get your film in front of its audience if it’s getting overlooked through the mainstream channels and audiences.
Watch, like, share, and subscribe to support our work. Of course, comments about the topic in the YouTube comments section is awesome...it’s getting people talking already!
Machination Picture Lock
We are pleased to say we have reached picture lock on our psychological horror / drama Machination. The film goes into sound design and colour grading now and we are thrilled to collaborate once again with Gerard Mack and Chris Tomkins respectively.
Gerard is a Melbourne based sound designer and composer who is our go-to man for all things sound. We have worked with him previously on In Corpore, Friends, Foes & Fireworks, Choir Girl and more and we are always impressed by the results.
Chris is also from Melbourne, an expert in colour grading, and another past collaborator on Friends, Foes & Fireworks. With both Chris and Gerard we know post production on Machination is in good hands.
We remain on track to release the film later this year. Stay tuned for more updates.
Female Driven Doco Focused on Malta's Rebellious Women Wrapped
One day before we left Malta for a re-location move we managed to wrap our second documentary No Woman is an Island.
No Woman is an Island is an exploration into what it means to be a woman in Malta right now when your views and methods of self-expression are misunderstood and seen as unconventional in the eyes of locals. Through interviews with five women who are pushing political and social boundaries, while challenging traditional gender norms, we discover the current issues facing women and pinpoint where change still needs to be made.
Deliberately and candidly shot through the female gaze, through the eyes of Malta's unconventional, innovative female free thinkers, No Woman is an Island is a documentary that is sure to cause a stir in Malta. The themes of the doco fit in well with Malta’s current social justice climate that sees women still shouting to be heard across various areas that affect the daily lives of women across the island.
We are super excited for the release of this one as it really is going to be a talking point in Malta and get a discussion flowing. Hopefully, this stir will be part of the change of attitude and action Malta needs in order to start seeing women as equals and individuals worthy of equal rights.
Find out more and follow the film’s page here.
Cats of Malta Crowdfunding Success
We did it!!!
For over six weeks during July/August we focused all of our time and energy putting together an irresistible crowdfunding campaign through Kickstarter to raise funds to cover the Cats of Malta post-production costs. We were aiming to secure a total of $20,000 AUD.
Not only was the campaign a lot of work, it was also a fantastic learning experience as we learnt a lot about the back end of running a campaign thanks to the help from Justin Giddings, a.k.a The Kickstarter Guy.
The hard work and organisation we put in weeks before the first day of the campaign paid off, with the help of a smaller team than we would have liked, we managed to get through to the finish line totally funded.
A fan sent us this wonderful image of his cats watching Sarah Jayne go live during the campaign.
The most wonderful thing to come out of this Crowdfunding campaign besides raising the money we needed was the community that we built and the people we connected with from all over the world.
Cats of Malta now has a wide audience across America, Australia and various parts of Europe as we take the documentary into post-production stages and that is wonderful news. Our social pages and social reach grew, our audience is bigger and now we have funds to finish Cats of Malta.
Along the way, we also gained extra crew members - an associate producer and a couple of co-producers, who were great supports during the campaign in many ways.
Stay tuned for the next stages, as there is still a lot of work to do. Or better yet, join the Cats of Malta Newsletter for updates as they happen.
No Woman is an Island Begins Production
Production has begun on our latest documentary titled No Woman is an Island, which interviews innovative, free-thinking women in Malta, and explores what it is like to be loud, independent, and defiantly female on a small island that is often conservative.
Our first interview was with Undine LaVerve, Malta's pioneering and premier burlesque artist. It was a revealing conversation an absolute pleasure to film with her.
Over the next month we are aiming to complete production on this documentary and then begin post-production in August. A release is planned for late 2021 and we look forward to bringing you more news about the progress of No Woman is an Island. Stay tuned and follow the progress here, on the offical page.
