8/22/2019 The Malta Independent - July 21, 2013

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THE MALTA INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY21 July 2013 CINEMA 33

An emotional roller-coasterNOEL GRIMA

Mark Magro is a first-generationCanadian born and raised in

Toronto to a father who was bornin Malta.

On Friday he presents his newhalf-hour film, Reflections in theEmerald Isle , a personal explo-ration of the Irish landscape whilereflecting on the life of a man whowould become his Maltese father,a film described as rich inmetaphor, history and emotion.

The film will be showcased atthe 2013 Kinemastik Internation-al film festival being held in Maltaand will be shown on 26 and 27July at St Lazarus Curtain, Vallet-ta. Doors open at 8.30pm and theevent starts at 9.15pm.

Mr Magro explains: Ireland hasbeen a melancholy place to me. Ihave always found myself there atpoints of emotional turmoil. Iwanted to combine how I felt overthe course of developing this proj-ect alongside the knowledge Iaccumulated in the field of film-making.

Reflections in the Emerald Isleis an exploration of a countrythrough the eyes of a young manas he examines his father.

My fascination with Irelandbegan back in 2008. I had trav-elled to Ireland then on vacationwith my girlfriend where wecycled the countryside. The rela-tionship was going downhill andmy memories of the trip were ter-rible. By the end of the voyage, Iwas an emotional wreck.

After my trip to Ireland, I hadthe opportunity to visit my par-

ents motherland of Malta with myentire family. It would be the lasttime we would all be there togeth-er as a family unit. When I arrivedback home, I learned of the shock-ing news that my girlfriend wasgoing to leave me for a man backin Ireland. I wanted her back andso the concept of this project wasborn.

However, he had a hard timefinding people interested in hisproject. Then, in the winter of2009 he met Eva Gingl, whoowned a cable company and whowas looking for staff to teach andproduce media for broadcast.

It was around this time that myfather became ill. He was in inten-sive care at the hospital and workbecame for me a way to deal withthe intense emotions.

I allocated one month to film inIreland. A camper was booked tomaximize filming opportunities.Locations were painstakinglyresearched and then mapped out toformulate a road trip taking meacross Ireland.

I visited my father in the hospi-

tal before I left for Ireland. WhatI did not know then was that thiswould be the last time we talked.I remember holding his hand andtelling him I would see him soon.

The locations explored weremajestic. I was often speechlessand wondered how everythingwould fall into place. I was phys-ically and emotionally exhaustedbut excited to begin the task ofpiecing it together.

From Ireland we traveled toScotland to film additionalfootage for Cable One. While inEurope, I took some time to visitmy family in Malta. It was the firsttime I was there completely alone.

With each phone call to mymother, I realized my father waslosing his fight to stay alive. As Isat near his older brother in thehouse my father grew up in, I feltscared. I booked an early flight

back home.The day after I arrived back

home, my father died. I was dev-astated. After the funeral, the Ire-land project helped me deal withthe loss. It was here that I decidedthat this was going to be a film ofpersonal reflection, rather than ahistorical documentary. I wouldtell the story of my fathers life

and Irelands landscape as itrelates to how I felt at the timeof filming.

I hope this project will inspirepeople to understand the impor-tance of our parents, especiallyfathers, in our lives. Some maybe distant or estranged, but theyare a part of us.

Three photos of Mr Magros

father with his brother at

their family home in Qrendi

A production still from the filming in Ireland

Photograph: Eva Gingl