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Trailer of Documentary on Malta's mysterious islet released

Xinhua, February 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

The trailer of the documentary on Filfla, a tiny islet plateau surrounded by some of the richest marine life in the Maltese islands, was released on Friday.

An award-winning crew, which includes the 2015 winner of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts award for factual cinematography, have spent months filming the marine life around the Maltese archipelago's tiniest and most protected and mysterious islet.

"Filfla has been one of the most difficult places to film. The currents are dangerous and unforgiving, which resulted in many dives being carried out just to familiarise ourselves with the place since very few people ever explored the islet's outer reefs," said Pedja, one of the directors of the documentary.

Expected to be released in mid-2016, the 20-minute final documentary will take viewers closer than they have ever been around the waters surrounding the island of Filfla, which is a Marine Protected Area (MPA) off-bounds to human activity. In fact, special permission had to be requested for each dive, from the Malta Environment and Planning Authority as well as Transport Malta.

A joint venture by the Malta Airport Foundation, Monolith Limited and Prof. Alan Deidun from the University of Malta, the production is the latest instalment in a series of underwater documentaries about the local sea habitat. Monolith and Prof. Alan Deidun already collaborated in the past within the EU-funded PANACEA project to produce documentaries on three other Malta's Marine Protected Areas. The documentaries are aimed at educating people and garnering support for conservation efforts.

"With more than 60,000 scuba divers visiting Malta each year, it is clear that safeguarding our islands' cultural and environmental capital is crucial to sustain our tourism product," said Malta Airport Foundation's Chairperson, Fredrick Mifsud Bonnici. Endit