The idea to create LATE as a short film came to me when I was actually planning a very large series of paintings.
I had a story in mind, based on pieces of true events. A love story — a drama between two people who can’t be together, no matter what they do, because of their situation and the circumstances in their individual lives. But the story was even more complicated than that.
At first, I wanted to communicate it through paintings.
The paintings came first
So I started working on really large-scale pieces. Each one was around 1.5–2 meters — some landscapes, some portraits.
As I moved through the story in my mind and heart, painting day and night, the plan for my first exhibition in Malta began to change. What started as a strategic introduction of my artistic skills turned into something else:
A need to tell the story in the best possible way I could.
It became my everyday mission. And it grew — from a need to communicate, into a need to scream the message: What really matters in our life.
And how important it is to cherish moments while they still last.
The need to scream the message: What really matters in our life.
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And how important it is to cherish moments while they still last.
Why a short film
At that time I was working for a local agency mainly as a director, creating TV commercials for Maltese clients. So the step into film felt like a natural move.
But it quickly became much more than just a “smart idea”.
Even though the budget was basically zero, I still wanted to do it — and to do it right.
The people who made it happen
I was lucky to meet Paola, the main protagonist, who dedicated tremendous time to make the film happen.
With her help — and with the help of my crew members, friends, and colleagues — LATE was filmed during weekends. A small production, built on passion, time, and stubborn belief.
And still… it felt like it wasn’t enough for me to express what I carried inside.
The project became bigger
So I extended the project with a bigger ambition: to explain more through words.
That’s when I decided to write a novel called Touch — the story of Ethan and Francesca.
Then it all became clear:
LATE, together with the paintings, would act as a teaser — a doorway into the full story told in the novel.
Looking back
LATE premiered in Valletta on 10 January 2016.
And now, after 10 years, it’s strange to feel how time truly flies.
It reminds me of those not-so-famous music artists I loved back then — artists who created something beautiful, expressed themselves fully, people connected… and then they went silent. Disappeared.
And the questions come naturally:
What happened?
Why no new songs?
Are they still around? Alive?
Are they coming back?
Why it still matters
I want to listen to more. To connect.
Because that is what Art is for — to connect with our everyday struggles, our ups and downs.
And some messages… some stories… will always live.
And they might always matter.
Dedicated Facebook page to LATE is here
