Watch: NYC Based Maltese Filmmaker Captures Crucial Moment Xwejni Salt Pan Workers Battle Against Waves
NYC based Maltese director and cinematographer Chelsea Muscat captured the crucial and dramatic moment when Xwejni salt pan workers battled the harsh waves to save their salt harvest.
The waves commenced shortly after the latest heatwave which hit the Maltese islands, as North Western winds saved the nation from the blistering heat.
“After the heatwave I got excited by the wind and dramatic waves, the Gozo I love and that brings me a sense wilderness and vastness within the landscape,” Chelsea told Lovin Malta.
“Seeing the elements really take over reminds me how much power Mother Earth has.”
“I stumbled upon the Gozo salt pan workers as I was walking and they were struggling to save their salt, and although a stressful and gruelling sight there was so much beauty and admiration for their work and I felt the need to capture the frantic scene as the big waves loomed over them in the near distance,” she continued.
“With gentrification and the rapid killing of our culture with over building and new capitalist ventures, it’s more important than ever for me to capture things that are specific to this land, this place, because it’s so so special and needs to be preserved.”
“It’s what makes a place, a place.”
“I fear a near future where countries start feeling and looking the same because of bland modernism and making a quick buck, relying on the same three companies to supply everything we buy,” she expressed.
“Local shops needs to be appreciated and to live on. Specificity is everything, specificity is memory, is connection. We have to preserve that.”
Chelsea’s film was also recently shown at the latest edition of Kinemastik, with the young filmmaker often working on films which capture the essence of Maltese life.
Tag someone that needs to watch this striking video
READ NEXT: Watch: Maltese Mountaineers Summit 4,400-Metre Alpine Matterhorn Mountain
