In 1970, at 19, Olwen travelled to Malta on holiday, fell in love and began a new life. But what started as a happy marriage eventually became a relationship marked by control, infidelity and domestic abuse. After having two children, she made the difficult decision to leave, taking her children to the UK for a better future. In doing so, she risked everything, leaving behind her marriage, her home and the family she had come to know.

Now, at 76, Olwen returns to Malta for the first time since 1982, when a warrant had been issued for her arrest. For the first time on camera, she opens up about the experiences that led her to leave and the sacrifice involved in starting again. But returning means confronting more than her past. She must also face the family she left behind more than four decades ago and the uncertainty of what awaits her.

Where We Once Called Home is an intimate story of love, sacrifice, betrayal and resilience, exploring the courage it takes to leave and what it means to finally return home.

Damian Sciberras is a UK-based documentary filmmaker with a passion for real stories that challenge perceptions and drive positive change. His work focuses on resilience, ethical living and underrepresented voices. Damian’s drawn to stories that challenge societal norms, whilst promoting compassion and creating empathy.

His documentaries Saved By Jane (2022), More Like Paul (2025) and Where We Once Called Home (2026), explore these themes and have been screened at film festivals globally, winning awards including Best Documentary Short, Best Nature Film, Best Educational Film, Best Editing, Best Sound and a Green Planet Award.

Now mentored by BAFTA Winning Director Alex Lockwood, Damian’s currently developing new documentary projects, including A Bag For Life, which explores what it’s like to live with a stoma, continuing his commitment to bold, character-driven storytelling that reshapes perspectives and inspires action.

Where We Once Called Home is a very personal film for me. It tells my Mum's story of returning to Malta for the first time in 43 years, after she left with my sister and I in 1982. This sacrificial decision shaped the entire trajectory of my life, and it is a decision I am incredibly grateful she made.

As I grew up, I formed my own relationship with my Dad, and that was often challenging. In representing my Mum's voice, through an intimate, character led approach to documentary filmmaking, I have tried to give her the space to tell her story in her own words.

It was hard for me to tell such a personal story. During the edit, I leaned on my mentor, BAFTA-winning filmmaker Alex Lockwood. Having his support and guidance helped me step back from the personal side and look at the story as a filmmaker, while still keeping the honesty and intimacy that made me want to tell it in the first place.

With a short film like this, there was a lot of the story I had to leave out, but hopefully I have captured the essence of a brave woman overcoming something that, sadly, so many women still face today. For me, this is ultimately a story about courage, sacrifice and the possibility of a new beginning. My Mum's decision changed our lives, and 43 years later, it is my privilege to document her return.