Maskra, which is broadcasted on One Television, revolves around Deborah (Louise Doneo) and Eric James (Dorian Micallef); a separated couple with a young son named Aaron (Bradley Spiteri). Both Deborah and Eric James are in the Police Forces. After her separation with Eric James, Deborah seems to have found her perfect soul-mate in Nathaniel (Ray Abdilla), a humble school-teacher. Eric James and his partner, Dylan (John Peel) are on the look out for "Venator’, a serial killer who is abducting people and killing them after a week. Although Eric and Dylan are quite different from each other, the two manage to get along well.
On the other hand, Deborah and her colleague Robert (Simon Tabone) are keeping an eye on Sven (Alex Spagnol) as they are suspecting that he is engaged in some illegal activities with Kain (Mark Mifsud). Kane was adapted by Damian (Manuel Cauchi), but although Kane and Sven aren’t biological brothers, there is a very strong bond between the two.
Meanwhile a young, ambitious reporter, Sarah (Stephanie Agius), is also interested in Venator’s case, as she is writing articles about him. Sarah very often clashes with her co-worker Donna (Cristina Mifsud) and with her boss, Dominic (Martin Farrugia). During a night out with her best friend, Miram (Lindsey Brincau), Sarah accidentally meets Alex (Jonathan Azzopardi). Alex lives with his sister Christine (Rebecca Paris), who in order to take care of her brother, is being deprived from finding a job. Alex is also a client of Wayne (John Dimech), who is helping him with psychological issues.
Maskra has a very fast tempo and, while during the whole season, the main theme is the serial-killer, there are various sub-themes such as the relationship between Alex and his sister Cristine, and the triangle between Damian, Sven and Kane. The difference between Maskra and other local productions is the fact that although its main genres are thriller and crime, it is not made up of just murders, but it also plays a lot around the different types of love, about lost love and about love that never was.
Written by Justin Sean and Ivan Xuereb, and directed by Jameson Cucciardi, Maskra is a journey of twenty episodes, with its original music being composed by Mario Sammut.
A brief interview was conducted with Jonathan Azzopardi, who apart from interpreting the role of Alex, was also one of the two producers, together with Jameson Cucciardi.
In your opinion, what is the difference between Maskra and other local productions?
Maskra had a strong team of people who all had the project as their main aim. Apart from technicalities such as visuals and editing, it is evident that the script-writing is very intelligent and it was written in the proper way. The characters were very constant in their actions and all of them fitted perfectly into the plot. The music is original, which for the rest of the production and me is of utmost importance… one cannot listen to a piece of music and steal it for one’s own production.
It is no big secret that locally it is somewhat difficult to make profit from a television production. What motivated you to produce a challenging production such as Maskra?
The rest of the team and I worked with a lot of passion to see a different drama production locally. We didn’t look at the production like a piece of business, but as an opportunity to express our talents. Maskra is a project between a group of friends.
What are the plans of the production team for the future?
Primarily I would like to thank the director and producer, Jameson Cucciardi, who has been my partner throughout this project. I would also like to thank, Vanessa Marie Borg, the assistant director and co-producer of this project, the script-writers, Ivan Xuereb and Justin Sean. Our appreciation also goes towards our camera-person, John Nicholas Galea, the editor, Chris Goa Farrugia, the music composer, Mario Sammut, and the make-up artist, Daniela German. Furthermore, we would like to thank Shawn German, Vince Sammut, Joshua Said, Miriam Borg, Christina Grixti, Roberta Cacciatolo, and all those who gave a helping hand in the production. Obviously this project could not have been made possible without the actors, from the main roles to the extras. Finally, but not least, we would like to thank our audience for their amazing feedback. Regarding the question about our future projects, I would encourage people to wait and see.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maskra.one?fref=ts
Episodes online: http://vimeo.com/channels/maskra
Poster: Chris Goa Farrugia
