After her estranged mother’s death, Mar plans to leave Malta for good by selling the farmland she’s inherited. But as she travels the island to claim her land, she meets Nenu, an irrepressible 80-year-old folk singer, whose music and spirit challenge her desire to escape. An unexpected connection between past and present grows as Mar slowly warms to the homeland she wanted to turn her back on.
"Zejtune continues my exploration of people caught between tradition and change. Like for my first film Luzzu, I spent years researching and street-casting non-actors. I can’t wait for audiences to meet Nenu, a folk singer making his screen debut at age 82. This is the first time Malta’s folk music, għana, has been captured in a feature film. The first responses to the film and its music have been incredibly rewarding; there’s so much joy and humour in għana for audiences to get swept up in. And its poetry speaks to universal questions I think everyone can relate to, like, what do we owe to the place we’re from, and can we ever truly escape it?”, director Alex Camilleri told FNE.
The main cast consists of Michela Farrugia, Nenu Borg, Michael Azzopardi, Frida Cauchi, Sean James Sutton, and Charles Sammut.
Oliver Mallia, Ramin Bahrani, and Alex Camilleri produced the film through the Maltese companies Noruz Films, Pellikola, and Solari Productions. The coproducers are Fred Burle and Sol Bondy from German One Two Films, and Rebecca Anastasi from Malta. The project has been financed by the Malta Film Commission, ZDF/Das kleine Fernsehspiel, Arte, Arts Council Malta, the Doha Film Institute, and the Ministry for Gozo.
The total budget was 1.38 m EUR.
Zejtune was shot in Malta and Gozo over several years.
It had its world premiere at the 49th Göteborg Film Festival (23 January –1 February 2026), and its Maltese premiere is planned for 18 March 2026, at Eden Cinemas.
The 76th Berlin International Film Festival will be held 12 – 22 February 2026. The dates for the European Film Market are 12 – 18 February 2026.
Production Information:
Producer:
Pellikola (Malta)
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Solari Productions (Malta)
Noruz Films (Malta)
Coproducer:
One Two Films (Germany)
Credits:
Director: Alex Camilleri
Scriptwriter: Alex Camilleri
DoP: Quentin Deviller
Production designer: Jon Banthorpe
Original score: Jon Natchez
Casting director: Edward Said
Costume designer: Holly Knowles
Hair and make-up designer: Chantal Busuttil
Supervising dound editor: Ryan Billia
Production sound: Mixer Alex Bundalo
Visual effects: Adam Lawrence
Colourist: Loup Brenta
Unit production manager: Elaine Bonello
First assistant director: Beppe Abela
Cast: of Michela Farrugia, Nenu Borg, Michael Azzopardi, Frida Cauchi, Sean James Sutton, Charles Sammut
