The Lost Epigraph Trilogy

With texts by Alessandro Castiglioni, James Corby, Nina Danino, Francesca Mangion, Mark Mangion, Manuel Vella Rago & Dustin Cauchi.

The ’lost epigraph trilogy’ (in collaboration with Little Constellation Network and The Malta Arts Fund) is composed of three short films by Maltese researcher & filmmaker Dustin Cauchi (b. 1981, Malta) produced during the period 2011-2013 with a total runtime of 55mins entitled ADIEU FRIEDRICH(2012), SANT SANT (2013) & FENÊTRE FENÊTRE (2013).

The three films are not related to each other in terms of narrative or progressive conventions, but rather share temporal characteristics: namely that of starting off at a particular, arbitrary point. This arbitrary beginning, understood as a lack of introduction that the films share, gave rise to the idea of a ’lost epigraph’. The three films have concealed or lost beginnings, meaning that the films take place in a fictive or documentative time-frame happening after important or difficult events that remain concealed from the viewer. The viewer can trace and construct some of these missing elements through the development of the narrative or by drawing upon historical or biographical facts like in the case of Alfred Sant’ political and literary background, or Miriam Gauci’s fame as an international soprano, or even Jody Fiteni’s years as a front man of one of Malta’s most promising 1980s band.