In the year Malta celebrates a century of filmmaking, the country will not be submitting a film for the Academy Awards.
The decision has left the only local feature film director of 2025, Keith Tedesco, voicing his frustration publicly.
Tedesco is the director of Ciao Ciao, the only Maltese feature film released this year. On Thursday, he took to social media after learning his film would not be submitted to the Oscars.
“Incompetence. Malta would rather submit nothing than submit Ciao Ciao to the Oscars as the official entry. Never have I felt so embarrassed and ashamed to be Maltese,” he wrote on the film’s official social media pages.
Screenshot of the comment on Ciao Ciao’s social media page.Speaking to Times of Malta, Tedesco said he made the post “out of pain”. He noted that he has worked in the film industry since the age of 21 and funds a significant amount of his projects out of his own pocket.
“Ultimately, I am the product of what we had in Malta this year. All I am saying is help a brother out,” he said.
Tedesco clarified that he does not believe he is entitled to an Oscar. Rather, it is the international exposure that such a submission would offer that matters most to him.
“The platform that it offers is the only thing that I care about,” he said.
He explained that even just submitting a film to the Academy means around 600 Academy members would receive it, potentially opening doors for further recognition and opportunities abroad.
Despite this, he said he could not understand how his film failed to meet the standard. According to Tedesco, the committee’s objections remained vague and unclear.
“They think the film’s crap, and I just don’t believe them. And even if my film is the crappiest, it should still be nominated because it is still a product of Maltese culture and artistic value,” he said.
Tedesco shared email correspondence with Times of Malta that included the official responses he received from the Malta Academy Selection Committee.
The committee wrote in part: “We fully acknowledge and are pleased that your film received positive reviews from local critics and audiences. However, an Oscar submission must be evaluated within its specific international context. With this in mind, the committee felt that the film was not positioned strongly enough to be put forward.”
They added: “While we have the utmost respect for the commitment required to pursue an independent filmmaking career, the committee’s responsibility, however, is to ensure that submissions align with the Academy’s expectations and context, both for the benefit of the filmmaker and for future Maltese submissions.”
The selection committee operates under the guidelines and process of the Academy. The Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA) and the Malta Producers Association (MPA), are the official administrators for the committee which selects Malta’s submissions to the Academy Awards.
MEIA and MPA released a joint statement on Thursday to explain the process.
They said that committee members are vetted and pre-approved by the Academy, and that applicants must meet specific eligibility criteria to be considered.
“The deliberation and voting involved by this assessment is clearly delineated and ensures impartiality, fairness, and compliance with international best practices,” they said.
“Just because there is a submission, it doesn’t mean that it will proceed to become Malta’s entry. Malta, like several other countries, doesn’t submit every year.”
The organisations noted that while they value the work of local filmmakers, their duty is to balance that passion with the responsibility to follow Academy guidelines.
“By doing so, we safeguard the standing of Maltese submissions and help pave the way for stronger recognition of Malta’s creative talent internationally.”
Contacted by Times of Malta, MEIA and MPA explained that the last time Malta didn’t submit a film to the Oscars was in 2023.
“Malta has submitted three films over the past eleven years. There is nothing exceptional about this year,” they said.