Colombian writer-director Natalia Santa (The Dragon Defense, Cannes Directors’ Fortnight 2017) debuted the first look trailer for Malta, her second feature film set to world premiere in the Global section at the 2024 edition of the SXSW Film Festival, taking place March 8-16, in Austin, Texas.
Set in Bogotá, this captivating female character study narrates the story of a young Colombian woman who dreams of escaping her suffocating urban reality and traveling the world. However, an unexpected relationship with an unlikely man will make her question her true motives for leaving.
Mariana navigates the challenges of adulthood, tries to earn a living at a call center, takes German lessons, and grapples with a dysfunctional family. Amid her daydream plans of running away from her challenging everyday life by traveling abroad—particularly to the Mediterranean island of Malta—an incipient relationship with Gabriel, a goofy classmate compels her to confront the underlying reasons behind her desire to escape.
Featuring stellar performances from a wonderful ensemble cast including the protagonist Estefanía Piñeres (Las Villamizar), along with Patricia Tamayo (Memories of My Father), Emmanuel Restrepo (Eva Lasting, Rigo), and Diego Cremonesi (Rojo), Santa’s carefully crafted and directed film is a sensitive exploration of femininity and sexuality, through the eyes of her young protagonist.
Natalia Santa commented, “Malta delves into themes of femininity, motherhood, and sexuality through the lens of Mariana, a young woman yearning to escape her home and its burdensome familial legacy. She seeks a place where she can carve out her identity without shouldering the weight of her mother’s failures and a history she’s determined not to repeat.”
Santa continued, “For me, Mariana embodies a sensory journey: she observes, smells, listens, and seduces, absorbing her surroundings and the people in her life. While navigating Bogotá’s bustling chaos and its eight million residents, she remains detached, both from her environment and herself. This disconnection shapes her relationships, especially with her mother, whom she regards with shame, and other women like her sister Mónica and Luisa, a pregnant teenage neighbor of her older brother.”
Watch the first look trailer for Malta.