23/08/2017 - A new event will be held in Valletta next month aiming to investigate the opportunities and challenges of filmmaking on the island of Malta

The Malta Film Expo is a new event that will be held for three days (1-3 September) in Valletta. Focusing mainly on Maltese cinema, the goal of the event is to explore the various aspects of filmmaking through exhibitions, workshops, seminars, screenings of short and feature films, and discussion panels. The participants will be both film professionals and film enthusiasts, the ultimate aim being to establish a dialogue on the local film industry from an international perspective.

During the Malta Film Expo, over 30 short films from Malta and more than 25 from around the world will be screened. Furthermore, the Maltese feature films 20,000 Reasons by Jameson Cucciardi and Do Re Mi Fa by Chris Zarb and the short films Arcadia by Jamie Vella, Head by Winston Azzopardi and Magdalene by Rebecca Cremona will have special screenings, followed by Q&A sessions with the directors.

In the discussions section, or FILMing Talks, a talk on funding films will be held in collaboration with the Creative Europe Desk Malta, the ZAAR crowdfunding platform and Arts Council Malta. Also, filmmaker Luke Zammit will host a seminar on how emerging technologies like the Lytro Cinema Camera, VR/AR and motion capture are shaping the future of storytelling. Professional screenwriters Monika Maslowska, Jes Pace and Abigail Mallia will take part in a panel on the basics of writing for film, the elements of a cinematic story and the differences between a TV and a film script. Finally, Morgan Johnson will host a talk and demonstration on film stunts.

The Malta Film Expo is organised by the Malta Film Foundation, which also organises the Malta Short Film Festival, and it is supported by the Arts Council through a Cultural Partnership Agreement. The event will be held at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta.