No Woman is an Island University Screening in Malta

No Woman is an Island is coming to Malta!

This screening and panel event is proudly supported and made possible by the Australian High Commission Malta and the University of Malta. 

Opening the event is her excellency Deputy High Commissioner and Consul of the Australian High Commission Malta Jennifer Kingsman. 

After the film screening, a panel including director Sarah Jayne, Sarah Portelli, professor Marceline Naudi and Lara Dimitrijevic (Women’s Rights Foundation Malta) will discuss the film and women’s rights in Malta. 

The event will close with complimentary refreshments supplied by the Australian High Commission Malta. 

The full details are as follows:
Date and time: Friday September 22nd 6pm - 8.30pm 
Venue: University of Malta, Msida, Lecture Theatre 2
Cost: Free, but registration is required. Register here.

Check out the trailer below and if you are in Malta, we hope to see you there!

After the Act Wrapped

Yesterday we wrapped on After the Act, our fifth improvised narrative feature in the same number of years and our third time filming in Berlin.

After the Act Cast & Crew

We’re still buzzing with pride and contentment, thinking about some of the amazing performances we captured and the beautiful cinematography. The entire cast and crew were a joy to work with, the energy on set so positive, yet another reminder of why we love being on set and making films. It’s not just the stories we get to share, it’s the people we meet and create with along the way that makes this so special. Post production now begins and we can’t wait to bring you the completed film in 2024!

BTS photo of a dance club scene.

Sam (Jacob Wolf Lefton) and Mia (Laura Petracco) share a vulnerable moment.

Reviewing the shot

Sam (Jacob Wolf Lefton) contemplates his choices.

After the Act Cast Announcement

At the end of August we're shooting our latest feature After the Act, a narrative drama following a couple over a single day and night as they grapple with the aftershocks of infidelity in their relationship. 

Pre-production has been insane as we organise everything from Croatia, but building the characters with our wonderful cast of three has been our favourite part of the process.

Who are our cast?

Cast L-R: Jessica Sy as Becca, Laura Petracco as Mia and Jacob Wolf Lefton as Sam

Jessica Sy starred in the film "Survival in Brandenburg" directed by Zoltan Paul. She appeared on ZDF as a detective on "Aktenzeichen XY". Her first international advertising campaign took Jessica to Estonia under the direction of director Bugsy Steel. Currently, Jessica can be seen in the supporting role Andrea in "Bad Friday" (ZDF) directed by Tim Trageser.

Laura Petracco recently graduated from the Vienna English Theatre academy where she received classical training, performing from Shakespeare to original ensemble based shows. Currently she is part of the Spanish Theatre association in Vienna, Soles del Sur.

Jacob Wolf Lefton has a varied path in the performing arts, starting with youth with theater, improvisation and theatrical roleplay. He has studied storytelling, theater, commedia dell'arte, and circus arts. He completed a two-year intensive program and teacher training at the Michael Chekhov International Academy in Berlin.

We can’t wait to get to Berlin and start the rehearsals with these talented people.

European Dates Announced for Cats of Malta

We shot Cats of Malta many moons and a whole pandemic ago. And now, on International Cat Day, we are thrilled to share our European release dates + territories.

Our award-winning family (and feline) friendly documentary will be released on Apple TV and Amazon on the following dates and in the following territories:

• September 21st — Malta + Spanish-speaking Latin American territories

• September 25th — UK and Ireland

• October 11th — France , Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland

A week before these dates there will be a pre-sale, so we will send another update closer to the date as a reminder. The documentary will be available in English, Spanish, and French.

Of course there are more territories to come, including the US and Australia. But for now, if you live in one of the territories above, mark the dates in your diary.

Find out more and join the Cats of Malta mailing list here.

Wrapped on Roniti

We just wrapped on our latest short film in the Life Improvised series, called Roniti, and we couldn’t be more thrilled. Roniti means "diving" or "swimming underwater" in Croatian and is about a mother and daughter holidaying in Zadar while navigating their strained relationship after a family scandal.

The team was small but amazing, wonderful camaraderie, and when dedicated people come together for the common goal of creating art we can all be proud of, it always serves as a beautiful reminder of why we make films. Here is a fun behind the scenes video about the shoot.

World Cup of Shorts Premiere Dates

Opening the 2023 Women's World Cup of Shorts Thursday, July 20 are Australia and Ireland and our short film, Daughter is representing our home country.

Directed by Sarah-Jayne, 'Daughter' stars Katherine Langford (13 Reasons Why; Love, Simon; Knives Out), and is a thought-provoking drama about a trio of women whose lives are irrecoverably damaged by patriarchal violence.

Watch the film in the Women's World Cup of Shorts presented by ShortsTv and TVCortos on July 20 at the following times:

>> ShortsTV (US): 9pm ET/PT

>> ShortsTV (Europe): 9pm CEST

>> ShortsTV (India): 9pm IST

>> Shorts (UK/US): 9pm BST/ET

>> ShortsTV+ App (UK/US): On demand!

Or catch the repeats on August 5/6, August 12/13, and August 20!

No Woman is an Island Showcase in Rwanda

Women Deliver Conferences are one of the world’s largest multi-sectoral convenings to advance gender equality. The theme for WD2023 is Spaces, Solidarity, and Solutions and this year the festival is held in Kigali, Rwanda.

No Woman is an Island is an insightful sit down chat with five of Malta’s influential female trailblazers who are paving the way for change. The film addresses many topics affecting the lives of women and girls and instigates a much needed discussion about women’s rights on the island.

Between July 17-20th, No Woman is an Island will be showcased and screened virtually (register here) at the conference and the full unreleased trailer will be screening on the Arts & Film Festival big screen on July 17th between 10.00-10.30am.

Cats of Malta signs with European Distributor

BIG NEWS! 

We have signed with our second distributor for Cats of Malta, Under the Milky Way, who will be handling European distribution as well as South America and Asia. 

Cats of Malta was selected to be part of UMW's European Originals series, which qualifies for direct support from the European Commission for technical and marketing expenses. 

UMW will also be creating Spanish and French subtitles for the documentary and encoding has already begun. Expect more news about a Cats of Malta release date in very soon.

North American release date also to be announced, but expect that later in the year. 

Machination Now on Youtube

Our psychological horror film Machination is now streaming on YouTube through horror channel Watch Movies Now. There’s already been 13k views on the film and some great and positive comments, so check out what the fuss is about and watch Machination free on Youtube here.

In Corpore DVD & Blu Ray Pre-sale now on

In Corpore, our female-led drama that delves into the grey areas of relationships and personal desire, has been selected to be promoted on Vudu in June for Pride Month.

Look out for more news on our socials as we blast the announcement far and wide. You can follow the film on Instagram here. 

We also recently closed a deal for In Corpore to stream on The Slay Network app, an all LGBTQIA streaming service, so there are now even more ways to watch.

And for collectors out there, In Corpore will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 13th. Pre-orders are now available and you can find all the links here.

New Cats of Malta Poster

We’ve been working on a new poster for Cats of Malta in anticipation of its worldwide release this year. We commissioned Chris from The Robot Eye for the job and we are absolutely thrilled with not just the results, but the entire collaborative process. We can’t recommend The Robot Eye enough. In fact, Chris gave us a few different comps to choose from and they were all so good we couldn’t even settle on one design. So we went with two different posters, one for the US release (the dark blue) and one for the rest of the world. Check out our new posters below.

IN CORPORE & APPLETV

Our sensual, sex-positive, female led film, which delves deep into the grey areas of relationships is now streaming on AppleTV.

This news comes just a couple of weeks after the film landing on VUDU and we can’t be any more happy with this great news. Since its 2021 release, In Corpore has become available on a number of other platforms. Check them out here.

BEST CAT FILM

It’s official, Mexico loves cats and Cats of Malta!

The shorter, 21 minute version of Cats of Malta has been rewarded MEJOR CORTOMETRAJE DE GATOS (Best Cat Film) at the 6th annual FAUNA Tepoztlán Animal Festival.

We can't wait to release this film this year. Keep up to date with all the Cats of Malta news by joining the newsletter for exclusives.

In Corpore Lands on Vudu

We are pleased to announce our 2020 erotic drama In Corpore is now available on yet another streaming platform, this time landing on Vudu, the American digital video store and streaming service owned by Fandango Media.

Dealing with the complexities of sex and relationships and featuring four couples in four different countries, you can check out In Corpore on Vudu here.

Forefans poster drop

We’re thrilled to unveil the official poster for our latest feature film ForeFans, featuring lead actor Anastasia Kor.

"A naive student struggling to make ends meet becomes a camgirl to support herself. But in a lurid world where every body is a commodity, what will the final cost be?"

Thanks to Clifton Lofthouse for the design as ForeFans rolls along in post production. We expect it to be ready by the end of 2023. Can't wait!

The Dance Double Screenings

The Dance screened at two events last week. The first screening was a Kino Lab Zagreb on Feb 8th. This was the first time we got to see the film in front of a live audience and it was a great experience.

Sarah Jayne presenting the film

The second screening was on Feb 10th at the Audacity Film Festival in Melbourne. Cast and crew for the film were in attendance as well as Nexus team member Ante Malekin. From all reports, it was a fantastic night.

We are grateful to both events for the screenings and proud that The Dance is connecting with audiences from one side of the globe to the other.

Actors John McCullough and Lara Deam with Ante Malekin

The Dance on screen at the Audacity Film Festival

Free Improv for Indie Filmmakers Chapter

Thanks to independent film news and review site indieactivity for doing a write-up about Ivan Malekin’s book Improv for Indie Filmmakers and sharing a sample chapter.

The book uses multiple real-world case studies, plus our own experiences, to illustrate the many benefits of improv and how putting away the script can lead to new discoveries, making your work fresh and exciting. Improv for Indie Filmmakers will show you how to save time and money by working efficiently at all stages of the production process so you can make more films, faster.

Read the free chapter here. And learn more about the book here.

Cats of Malta Wins at Spotlight Documentary Awards

We are thrilled to announce Cats of Malta Film has been selected as one of the top films of the year at the 2022 Spotlight Documentary Film Awards, taking home a Gold Award — receiving the second highest scores from the panel. We are very much looking forward to finally releasing this documentary later this year so you can fall in love with these adorable cats like we did.

Life Improvised: Applause

While visiting New York during late October we got together with NPG team member and favourite hard-working collaborator Clara Francesca, as well as our DOP from In Corpore, George M. Ivanoff, to shoot our eleventh Life Improvised short film called Applause.

The story was inspired by a mash up of real encounters and conversations with an "actor" we knew many moons ago. 

Applause is an exploration of what it looks like when the line of professionalism and friendship becomes blurred due to one friend using the other selfishly for her own career gain. 

The shoot took place in the picturesque Central Park. What was great about shooting Applause (besides the therapy factor!), was that it served as a reunion with Clara and George, plus the chance to work with new talent, Sharni Bekt – an established NY based dancer and actor. 

Check out Applause below and be sure to let us know what you think by liking and leaving a comment on the video.

Rainbow of Love

Festival number four for our queer film The Dance comes from India. Big thanks to Color’s of Love Int. Queer Film Festival for the Official Selection of this film with an important message for those coming out later in life. This is the 5th edition of the festival and it will take place in Punjab, India, as well as online. We are thrilled to see The Dance getting out there.