Hardworking Maltese fisherman, Jesmark (lead actor Jesmark Scicluna, a real life Maltese fisherman who won a Sundance Jury Prize for his portrayal) is faced with an agonizing choice. He can repair his leaky luzzu - a traditional, multicoloured wooden fishing boat - in the hopes of eking out a meagre living at sea for his wife and newborn son, just as his father and grandfather did before him. Or he can decommission it in exchange for an EU payout and cast his lot with a sinister black-market operation that is decimating the Mediterranean fish population and the livelihoods of the local families who depend on it.
LUZZU, which features remarkable performances from its largely non-professional cast. Peccadillo Pictures is releasing the film, which was Malta's entry in this year's Academy Awards, in cinemas on 27th May. After its successful screening at the London Film Festival, the film heralds the arrival of its Maltese director Alex Camilleri with his first full length feature for which he won an Independent Spirit Award.
