Charlie Cauchi

Charlie Cauchi is a Maltese visual artist, filmmaker, researcher, and curator whose work often explores themes of identity, migration, and social experience. Throughout her career, she has focused on issues such as feminine identity, migrant narratives, and the complexities of belonging, using a multidisciplinary approach that combines film, installation, and immersive environments. In 2019, she presented Scheherazade at Valletta Contemporary, transforming the gallery into a Soho-inspired nightclub setting to examine themes of coercion, love, violence, and sexual decadence. Her earlier project Latitude 36 (2018), part of Valletta European Capital of Culture 2018, included the documentary From Malta to Motor City, which explored the Maltese diaspora in Michigan, USA. She also created Sempre Viva, a three-screen installation commissioned by the Maltese Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion, further reflecting her interest in identity and cultural movement.

Cauchi is a multi-disciplinary and researcher living in Malta. Her work  encompasses video, sound, text, archive and built environments. Her practice is a hybrid,  amalgamating documentary practices, academic research, and fantastical construction. She is known for her work which revolves around filmmaking practices on the island of Malta. Being a director and film historian she is very well known for her research into the history of cinema in Malta. She is the author of Titles to Talkies, a major publication by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti that explores the early development of film culture and the cinema industry on the island. Her work focuses on tracing how cinema evolved in Malta from the late nineteenth century through to the outbreak of the Second World War, offering one of the first comprehensive studies of this subject. Cauchi’s research is based on extensive archival material, including newspapers, visual sources, trade journals, and official correspondence. Through this, she reconstructs how film became an important part of Maltese cultural life during a time when the country was experiencing significant social and political change. Her work highlights how cinema developed alongside issues such as identity, colonial influence, modernisation, and technological progress, placing Malta within a wider European and international cinematic context. In Titles to Talkies, Cauchi examines the transition from early visual entertainment, such as the “magic lantern,” to silent cinema and eventually the introduction of sound during the interwar period. Her work not only documents the origins of film production and cinemagoing in Malta but also emphasises the importance of preserving the country’s fragile film heritage. Recognised as a ground-breaking publication, the book is considered an essential resource for scholars, practitioners, and anyone interested in Maltese cultural history, marking a significant contribution to the understanding of Malta’s cinematic past.

Cauchi is also the co-editor of “World Film Locations: Malta”, a book that explores the history of Malta on screen, from big-budget blockbusters to modest indie pictures. The book examines the diverse locations Malta offers, including grand fortified harbours, stunning cliffs, quaint villages, and Baroque palaces. It highlights Malta’s role in serving as a backdrop for numerous films, including ancient Troy and Alexandria, Greece, Israel, and other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions. The book is packed with illustrations and is a must-read for tourists, film buffs, and scholars alike.