...is proud to present its first feature film...

My name is Rebecca Cremona and I'm the Director/Writer of Simshar.

In December 2008 I shared a morose Christmas drink with Simon, the only survivor of the real Simshar tragedy. Since then my days have been dedicated to working on this film which is inspired by the ill-fated fishing boat and other events which transpired in the Mediterranean seas around the island of Malta. The more I explored these stories, people, and themes, the greater my conviction grew that this project needs to be made.

Malta is a tiny island, boasting an eclectic cultural heritage and surprisingly recent independence (1964). We are hungry for our stories to be told, populated by our characters, portraying our environments and languages. Furthermore, our Island has serviced many international films, but the local skill set has not yet had the opportunity to be focused on an indigenous cinematic story of an international scale.

So avid is the community's enthusiasm, that for years now I have had the privileged backing and input of a team with invaluable experience, immense talent and unfaltering stamina. For us 'Simshar' is a passion project in every sense of the word. We've lived and breathed it for four years - conceptualizing its look, sound and feel, strategizing logistics and pursuing financing. Finally last November, reinforced by an incredible crew, a fantastic cast, and several generous inkind contributions, we got to shoot part of the film (8 shooting days of 27).

We cannot describe how much it means to us that the film is coming into being the way we envisaged it! We believe in it more than ever and are adamant to see it through this way, so that it can screen in several corners of the world. Unfortunately, working around the clock with every ounce of dedication and energy, and pouring in all the resources we acquired throughout the four years, is not sufficient - we need more funds. Hence we would like to graciously invite you to be part of this project with us by contributing to it. Your contribution will go towards set dressing, costumes, music rights fees and an avalanche of other elements which will allow 'Simshar' the film to come into being. And ultimately you will help us tell a story that is universally relevant, which is an important milestone for a country, and which will make a difference to the lives of many individuals.

Thanks for your time and support!

R.C.

THE STORY

Theo (12) comes from a traditional fishing village. Although his parents, Simon and Sharin, are pushing him to pursue an education and not the dying fishing trade, he is sent on his first fishing trip (together with his father, grandfather and a Malian migrant worker - Moussa) to keep him out of trouble. But the trip goes terribly wrong, and a fire on the 'Simshar' causes the boat to sink, leaving the crew stranded in open water... Simultaneously, Alex (32) - a medic reluctantly relegated to the migrant open centre on the island - is dispatched onto the 'Mavi'; a Turkish Merchant vessel which has rescued a group of stranded African boat people. Malta and Italy wage a bureaucratic war over who should take in the migrants, leaving Alex stuck on the vessel... On land, Sharin desperately tries to find out more about the 'Simshar' which uncharacteristically is not communicating. In the same village, John - Alex's best friend and a soldier in the marine unit - tries to get his friend off the destitute ship, but is hindered by several elements, including the search for the 'Simshar'. Eventually, Theo befriends Moussa; whilst Alex is shaken out of his latent racism by Makeda - a fiery passenger whom he begrudgingly depends on for translations. Ultimately, the migrants are taken in by Italy, however, the 'Simshar' crew is spotted by a trawler which, mistaking them for immigrants and not wanting the fate of the 'Mavi', leaves them behind. The 'Mavi' saga behind him, Alex tries to explain to John why he chose to stay on the 'Mavi' once his friend finally managed to come for him. Although John still finds Alex's behaviour to be a betrayal of their friendship, Alex's experience inspires the soldier to go against conduct and share the results of the 'Simshar' search with the fishing community. With this information and the fishermen's knowledge of the sea, the 'Simshar' crew are traced down, but by that time there's only one survivor... 

THE PRODUCTION DESIGN

'Simshar' tells the universal story of man's struggle for survival within the context of the tension between tradition and change. Specifically, it deals with the increasingly endangered trade of the traditional Maltese fishermen and the complex issue of African migration to Europe. These seemingly different worlds are linked in more ways than one; most prominently by the Sea which they share as their respective lifelines, sometimes to disastrous effect. Being inspired by recent, ongoing events, the topic is not only timely but globally pertinent. The moodboards (hereunder) attempt to depict the visual universe of the film's story-lines (1.life of migrants, 2.life on a fishing boat, 3.life in the fishing village). 

THE CAST

Edward Said, our casting director, has done a fantastic job in bringing a mix of locally and internationally recognized actors to Simshar.

THE TEAM

Simshar has created opportunities for local crew to have key positions as heads of departments, which elevates their skill level for future international pictures being filmed in Malta, generating an even greater response to the prospect of filming on the island. 

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THE BUDGET

So far 'Simshar' has raised a percentage of its total budget through public and private funds.  Notably, ‘Simshar’ has received support from the Malta Film Fund which has allowed us to shoot a considerable part of the film. Many local partners are already contributing to this project through in kind investment, and all cast and crew are going above and beyond!  A big thank you goes out to our main sponsors Godwin's Garage and MoviePeople!!Also, a very special thanks also to Azzopardi Fisheries, Farsons, Gormina and Neriku.

We have completed a very important part of this challenging project and would love for you to join forces with us so that together we can make it to the end and whay not exceed our target...

OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP

We are aware that not everyone out there might be able to help us financially.

However, you can always help spread the word by sharing our Simsharthefilm campaign on social media or use the Indiegogo share tools!

Please visit our gallery for more behind the scenes.

Thank you!

                                     ...est fier de vous présenter son premier long métrage...

     Je m’appelle Rebecca Cremona et je suis la Coscénariste/ Réalisatrice de Simshar.

Noël 2008, morose,  je trinque, avec Simon, le seul survivant de la tragédie du Simshar. Depuis ce jour, mes jours et nuits sont entièrement dédiés à ce film inspiré du destin tragique du bateau de pêche Maltais et autres évènements ayant affecté la Méditerranée à cette époque. Plus j’explore ces histoires, ces gens, ces thèmes, plus ma conviction grandit : ce projet doit voir le jour.

Malta est une ile à l’héritage culturel éclectique ; aussi, elle déborde d’histoires à raconter. De plus, Malte, véritable plateau de tournage, fiat du cinéma depuis longtemps  et avec les plus grands, sans avoir pour autant su développer une industrie locale.

Pour cette raison, j’ai pu m’entourer d’une équipe non seulement enthousiaste à l’idée d’être des précurseurs, mais également qualifiée, talentueuse et pleine d’énergie. 'Simshar'  est donc né de nos passions à tous pour le cinéma et nos métiers. Ce film, nous le « vivions » au quotidien depuis bientôt 4 ans déjà, depuis les premières versions du scenario, jusqu'à la conceptualisation du monde visuel, et sonore, en passant par les différentes étapes du financement. Enfin, en Novembre dernier, grâce à nos brillants techniciens, nos fantastiques acteurs et une multitude de généreux contributeurs, nous avons pu tourner la première partie de ce film (8 jours sur 27).

Les mots ne suffisent pas pour décrire ce que cela représente pour nous. Nous croyions tous tellement en ce film et sommes confiants de le voir un jour sur les écrans des quatre coins de la terre. Malheureusement, toute notre dévouement notre énergie et les ressources acquises depuis 4 années ne semblent pas suffisantes – Il faut plus d’argent. C’est pourquoi nous faisons aujourd’hui appel à vous en vous encourageant à participer à ce projet avec nous en y contribuant à la hauteur de vos moyens bien évidemment. Votre contribution servira à payer les décors, à acheter les costumes,  à payer les droits musicaux…. et tous les éléments qui permettront à 'Simshar' de voir le jour. Ultimement,  vous nous aiderez à raconter une histoire universelle, qui représentera non seulement un tournant pour Malte  mais changera aussi la vie de plusieurs personnes.

Merci d’avance pour votre soutien!

R.C.

L'homme peut survivre 40 jours sans manger, 3 jours sans boire, 8 minutes sans respirer, mais seulement 1 seconde sans espoir.

L’HISTOIRE

Vacances d’été dans un petit village de pêcheurs maltais. Pensant empêcher son fils Théo de vagabonder, Sharin l’autorise, sans le savoir, à accompagner son père lors d’une partie de pèche au thon illégale. Mais la sortie tourne au drame, bientôt, le SIMSHAR coule et son équipage Simon, Theo, son grand-père Karmenu et Moussa leur employé Malien se retrouvent à la merci des eaux.

Au même moment, Alex (32 ans), médecin relégué, contre son gré, au centre de détention des migrants sur l’île, est envoyé sur le 'Mavi’, un navire de marchandises turc qui vient de repêcher un groupe de naufragés Africains. S’en suit une guerre bureaucratique entre Malte et I‘Italie qui se disputent la responsabilité de ces nouveaux arrivants forçant Alex à rester à bord du navire.

A terre, Sharin cherche désespérément  à entrer en contact avec le 'Simshar' qui ne donne plus signe de vie.

Au village, John, militaire de l’unité de marine, et meilleur ami d’Alex, tente de lui venir en aide, mais ses efforts sont entravés par la recherche du 'Simshar' et les suspicions des pécheurs.

En mer, les naufragés du Simshar tentent tant bien que mal de survivre et Theo se lie d’amitié avec Moussa. Sur le cargo, Alex est, quant à lui, contraint de reconsidérer ses opinions racistes par l’impétueuse Makeda – une migrante Nigérienne dont il dépend pour se faire comprendre.

Finalement, l’Italie devra accueillir les migrants mais quand l’équipage d’un chalutier repère les naufragés du ‘Simshar’ et les prend pour des immigrés illégaux il préfère les abandonner à la mer, craignant de subir le même sort que le ‘Mavi’.

Pendant ce temps, John, de retour sur l’île, refuse de pardonner à Alex. Pourtant, l’épisode du Mavi pousse le soldat à  désobéir aux ordres en partageant les résultats de la recherche du ‘Simshar’ avec la communauté de pêcheurs. Grâce à ses informations et à la connaissance de la mer des pêcheurs du village, le ‘Simshar’ est enfin localisé. Malheureusement, il ne reste alors qu’un seul survivant...