Tony Parnis (director)
Tony Parnis born in Sliema on 23 September 1942. is a Maltese TV director.
Career
Tony undertook film studies in Canada and produced and hosted Servizz Xandir Malti on Graham Cable TV in Toronto. He joined Xandir Malta Newsroom as Editor/Director in 1984. Later, as Head of Drama of PBS, Public Broadcasting Services, he directed and produced TV serials including Dell mill-Imgħoddi, Enigma, Ipokriti, L-Armla ta’ Wied Ix-Xtajta, Kafé Chagal, Nhar it-Tieġ, Il-Ħarba ta’ Julian, Raħal bla Ras, Il-Misteru tal-Bombli tal-Fuħħar, Il-Mandraġġara and various documentaries.
Tony wrote and directed Operation White Dove which was shown at the Ambassador Cinema, Valletta, on TVM and SBS TV in Australia.
He directed Bawxati The Movie, and Pawlu ta’ Tarsu which were also screened in Maltese cinemas.
In 1990, Tony joined One Productions as head of drama, and produced and directed Xowkeys, Shelly Rayner and Stejjer ta’ Wara t-Tmienja and various award winning documentaries including Il-Qtil ta’ Shqaqi.
As an independent director/producer for Net TV, he directed the second season of It-Tfal Jiġu Bil-Vapuri, The Inheritance, Marcellino and Scrooge.
Awards and recognitions
Tony won several Broadcasting Authority Awards for drama and documentaries as well as the BPC Award for TV Journalism. He also won the award for Best Cultural Program with Joyce Grech for the production of the Malta International TV Short Film Festival aired on TVM. He won four Graham Awards for drama in Maltese, Producer of the Year from Graham Cable Television and the Canada Birthday Award for Achievement (Government of Ontario).
Tony served as judge on several film festivals, including the Short-Shock 2007 International Film Festival in Anapa, Russia, and The Golden Knight Film Festival in Malta (Malta Cine Circle) and the Malta Journalist Awards.
Tony is the Festival Director/Producer of The Malta International TV Short Film Festival.