The Mediterrane Film Festival drew to a close on Sunday night with Tunisian-French road drama Where the Wind Comes From taking the Golden Bee for best feature. The prize capped a nine-day showcase that organisers said welcomed 55 films from more than 20 countries across the archipelago.
Director Amel Guellaty’s debut also secured best performance for lead actor Eya Bellaga, while Spain’s Julio Medem collected both best screenplay and the jury’s choice award for his post-Civil-War drama 8.
Industry honours dominated the gala: Oscar-winner Russell Crowe accepted the Malta Film Legend award, returning to the island where he shot Gladiator two decades ago. “If you want to know what I love about Malta, it’s everything — twenty-six years ago I became a man here,” he told the audience.
The Lifetime Achievement Golden Bee went to British producer Jeremy Thomas, while Euphoria breakout Barbie Ferreira received the festival’s inaugural Rising Star trophy, presented by Anna Camp and Jared Harris.
Now in its third edition, Mediterrane was launched in 2023 by the Malta Film Commission and this year adopted the rallying theme “We Are Film”, staging open-air screenings at Valletta’s Fort Manoel and running industry master-classes inside 400-year-old Fort Ricasoli.
Film commissioner Johann Grech said the event is meant to be “not only a business opportunity, but also a chance to raise awareness, engage the public and celebrate the art of cinema,” noting that Malta’s 30 percent cash-rebate and year-round workforce have grown the sector from 200 to more than 1,000 full-time jobs since 2018.
In a pre-festival address at Cannes, Grech argued that new sound-stage projects and incentive reforms could make Malta “a year-round production hub for stories from every shore of the Mediterranean”.
Fireworks over Grand Harbour and a performance by BRIT-award winner Emeli Sandé closed the ceremony, underscoring organisers’ ambition to turn the Golden Bee awards into a permanent beacon for Malta’s century-old screen heritage.