Mike Leigh, the veteran director of “Vera Drake,” “Another Year” and “Happy-Go-Lucky,” will be honored at Malta’s Mediterrane Film Festival with its Career Achievement Golden Bee Award.
Leigh will also host a masterclass at the festival, the second edition of which is taking place June 22 to 30 in Malta’s capital city of Valletta. The director, who has earned seven Oscar nominations and won the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or for 1993’s “Naked,” will be in conversation with Adrian Wootton, chief executive of Film London and the British Film Commission.
The Mediterrane Film Festival has also revealed its first jury members, who will judge the festival’s competition section, consisting of 12 films from the region. At the festival’s Golden Bee Awards closing ceremony on June 30, prizes will be handed out for best feature film, acting performance, screenwriting, production design, creative technical performance and the special jury award.
Jury members include “Tetris” director Jon S. Baird, “Avatar” casting director Margery Simkin, “Society of the Snow” cinematographer Pedro Luque, “Savage Messiah” director Mario Philip Azzopardi, “The Dark Knight” production designer Nathan Crowley and “Amal” helmer Richie Mehta.
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“We have a lineup of esteemed talent joining us for the festival’s jury this year – each of whom bring a remarkable track record in their respective fields and have provided significant contributions to the global film industry,” Mediterrane Film Festival artistic director Teresa Cavina said in a statement. “With our entire lineup, we’re aiming to curate a destination of culture and global exchange, which will enable films to be celebrated and careers to be nurtured.”