Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1162794
05.09.19 9 EDITORIAL BusinessToday is published every Thursday. The newspaper is a MediaToday publication and is distributed to all leading stationers, business and financial institutions and banks. MANAGING EDITOR: SAVIOUR BALZAN COORDINATING EDITOR: PAUL COCKS CONTRIBUTING JOURNALISTS: MASSIMO COSTA | LIAM CARTER BusinessToday, MediaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN9016, Malta Newsroom email: bt@mediatoday.com.mt Advertising: afarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt Telephone: 00356 21 382741 M alta may be the EU's smallest country but time and again it has managed to punch above its weight in the international scene. In 1967, Malta was still a fledgling in- dependent country but this did not stop it from push-ing forward a brave pro- posal at the UN to regulate international waters. Arvid Pardo had defined the ocean sea- bed as a common heritage of mankind, at a time when the US and the USSR were vying for world supremacy. e Maltese proposal eventually led to the Law of the Sea, an international regulatory in-strument that continues to play an important part in maritime affairs. It was Maltese ingenuity that pushed the UN to adopt the concept and to this day it re-mains a prime example of the soft power exercised by this tiny island nation. More recently, Malta's trail blazing equality drive has made the country a forerunner in LGBTIQ rights. e coun- try has become an international refer- ence point in this aspect, which it can leverage. Soft power is a gentle approach to in- ternational relations, typically relying on economic, technological and cultural exports rather than military might. For a small country like Malta, soft power is the only real power it can ex- ercise to gain rele-vance on the world stage. Within this context, the only limit is our collective imagination. e announcement yesterday of a Mal- tese film, telling the story of the Sette Giugno riots of 1919, is an important development in this regard. Music, culture and the film industry have long been used as tools in the exer- cise of soft power by countries wanting to curate their image abroad. e film, which will be marketed to in- ternational audiences, will not only be shot in Malta but will deal with a Mal- tese story. Unlike the Hollywood blockbusters that have been shot in Malta over the years, where the island's scenery and architectural landscape were used to mimic other locations, Storbju will be a Malta-specific production. Film producer Jean Pierre Magro ad- mitted being laughed at when he used to tell people that he wanted to make sto- ries about the Maltese people. e film will start being filmed next month and Magro believes it represents the dawn of a new period when the Mal- tese will set trends. is may be a lofty ideal but the fact that the film has managed to rope in two renowned international actors is a mark of recognition. English actor Malcolm McDowell, who appeared in A Clockwork Orange, and American ac-tor Harvey Keitel, who starred in various films, including Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, and Taxi Driver, lend credibility to such a venture. e producers are to be commended and government does well to support such initiatives of quality that will enable the country to continue exercising soft power through the cultural medium. Malta and its history will be showcased internationally and in Culture Minister Owen Bonni-ci's words, the film will be "a proud moment for the whole nation". e Maltese government, through the Malta Film Commission, must encour- age Malta-centric films as much as the use of the island as a set replicating other locations. is will not only benefit the film in- dustry but the island as a whole, making introductions easier when dealing with foreign investors. Exercising soft power