Breaking the Silence in Brussels: Using documentary film to inspire change

Last week in Brussels we were part of a history making event that was breaking the silence on women's rights in Malta. On Valentines Day, Malta's ban on abortion was discussed within the European Parliament for the first time.

At the same event, our film No Woman is An Island screened and was followed up by a panel consisting of MEPs, activists, doctors and artists. To say it was an honour to attend EU Parliament in Brussels and stand with around 80 Maltese activists is an understatement.

We feel so proud of our collective efforts and no matter where you stand on the debate of abortion, it's a fair argument to state that women's body autonomy shouldn't be anyone else's business besides the woman.

After many similar discussions within EU Parliament laws were passed regarding LGBTQ rights and divorce in Malta. Now we’re waiting for the day that those responsible for European decision-making will do the same regarding the dire issues facing women and girls in Malta, particularly abortion.

The power of activism and the power of film are sometimes one and the same and both are not to be overlooked.

Thanks goes to MP Cyrus Engerer — the only Maltese politician to have voted in favour of abortion being declared a fundamental human right. Cyrus invited 'No Woman is an Island' and us, the producers to Brussels to stand with the Maltese activists within EU Parliement and on the streets at such a prestigious event.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? Read Sarah Jayne’s blog post talking about her experience in Brussels with No Woman is an Island here.

Roniti Short Film Announcement

Introducing our latest short Life Improvised short film 'Roniti.’

Filmed over summer in Zadar Croatia, the synopsis is as follows; During a summer holiday, a mother and her teenage daughter must learn to navigate their strained relationship after a family scandal.

Roniti stars:

Mia Zara as Petra

Lucija Milojčić as Lorna

Ivano Črep as Andre

Dejan Marcikić as Kris

Roniti is written, directed, edited and filmed by Ivan Malekin and produced by Sarah Jayne and Ivan Malekin for NPG.

Poster designs by Sarah Jayne Portelli, featuring a mix of digital and analog formats taken on set during filming.

We’re thrilled to share a selection of posters we recently designed as we begin to submit to festivals from this week.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Life Improvised Micro Short Shot in Lisbon Coming Soon

We shot this Life Improvised film titled Encentro on our last weekend in Lisbon in early May, we can’t wait to bring this story about two friends who are keeping a certain matter from each other in order to save their relationship. It was a pleasure to work with Lisbon locals on this one, which will be released in a weeks time through our newsletter. Join our Creatively Connected monthly Newsletter to see Encontro first or subscribe to our YouTube channel for a notification.

“After a pandemic, lockdown lifts and life goes somewhat back to normal. Ines seizes the moment and invites her friend Joanna to catch up on life as they walk through Lisbon, but there’s something troubling Ines.”

Sex-Positive , Contemporary Relationship Feature Film Lands Female Focused Platform

It’s exciting to learn that the demand to stream our latest release In Corpore online has been so steady since we released the film on Boxing Day during a pandemic. We are always on the look out for new platforms and distribution options for the sex-positive relationship drama, even though initially we were unsure about what the response would be when we released this feature film, which deals with unconventional women and their equally unconventional choices for work, partner and lifestyles.

In Corpore is shown through a female gaze and is lead by three female protagonists, so it’s fitting that now the sensual look into modern coupledom has been picked up by Reel Women’s Network - an online streaming service for content made by women.

As a bonus, director Sarah Jayne is also featured on the Reel Woman’s Network filmmakers page for all to see.

New Art Department Masterclass Unleashed

Our latest educational class, How To Become an Art Department Dynamo, is finally released. The course is presented by Sarah Jayne, who has fifteen years of experience working in various art department roles in Australia and internationally. You can take the course through Ribbon Experiences, Udemy or Skillshare through our referral link. The latter allows you to watch and sign up to Skillshare for free (for the first 14 days) and not only view our course but watch thousands of others on all sorts of topics.

If you watch on any platform we ask you to please leave a short review and share it with others who will benefit from taking that class. If Art Department is not your thing, you can view our other masterclasses here.

From Malta to Melbourne: In Corpore Featured in Lovin' Malta

Popular Maltese news outlet Lovin’ Malta did an extensive interview with co-director Sarah Jayne about our latest film In Corpore. The article focuses on love and sex and how our international, sex-positive relationship drama tackles these complex topics from the perspective of the female gaze. We are very grateful to Lovin’ Malta for the terrific write-up. Read the article here and choose a platform to watch In Corpore here.

SEX-POSTIVE, RELATIONSHIP DRAMA LANDS NEW PLATFORM

It is always wonderful news when you learn that your feature film has landed on a new platform. In Corpore, is now streaming through Uk Film Channel, not just in the UK, but in other regions too - US, the rest of Europe and Oceania. Enjoy and don’t forget to leave an IMDb review, plus some stars afterwards.

Pandemic Film Machination Film Poster Process Revealed

It was a welcomed surprise to receive an email from our Machination poster photographer Fran Stivala last week. Fran was writing an article for WHAM Malta detailing how she photographed and created our attention-grabbing poster, and it’s now live. The poster image, starring Maltese talent Steffi Thake is perfect, it oozes the tension we needed and pops with the coloured lights. You can read the article here and look at the poster.

The link to the article can also be found in our PRESS section.

New Art Department Masterclass Live Across Skillshare & Ribbon

How to Become An Art Department Dynamo, presented by Sarah Jayne is a masterclass that was in the works early this year as we travelled through Portugal. Finally, we can say that we have launched the class.

You can take part in the masterclass across the following educational sites - Skillshare, Ribbon Experiences, and really soon, Udemy.

Remember that we also run other masterclasses, and they can be found in our SHOP under Masterclasses. We hope you learn something new (we guarantee you will) and that you find these classes as enjoyable as we found them to create for you!

New Years Eve Friendship Drama now streaming on Tubi →

Our favourite New Year's Eve female-led friendship drama Friends, Foes & Fireworks is now streaming through TUBI TV in the US and Australia.

That’s huge news which we will happily drink too! Check it out on TubiTV here.