Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1514570
COMMERCIAL 12 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 17 JANUARY 2024 CREATIVE Europe, is the European Commission's programme dedicated to supporting the culture and audiovisual sectors. It is a vast programme, which is sub- divided into three strands, with the me- dia strand being specifically designed to support Europe's audiovisual industries which include film, cinema, television, video on demand, new media and vid- eogames. The aim of the Media Strand is to en- courage competitiveness, innovation and sustainability of the sector. The focus of this strand rests on four pillars: encouraging cooperation, nur- turing talents, enhancing global circula- tion, and supporting audience engage- ment and development. All this is done through a number of calls, which are di- vided into four clusters which incorpo- rate calls dealing with different aspects of the industry. The Content Cluster encourages col- laboration and innovation in the cre- ation, development and production of high-quality works; the business cluster promotes business innovation, competitiveness, scalability and tal- ents, to strengthen Europe's industry on a global scale; the audience clus- ter strengthens the accessibility and visibility of works for their potential audiences through distribution chan- nels and also through audience de- velopment initiatives, and the policy cluster supports policy discussion and exchange fora, as well as studies and reports. With grants such as Video Games and Immersive Content Development Call and Innovative Tools and Busi- ness Models Call with fast approaching deadlines, Creative Europe encourages businesses to reach out for other calls which could be highly beneficial to audiovisual companies. These include especially the European Co-Development Call, which particu- larly encourages transnational collabo- ration between European independent audiovisual companies, as well as the Mini-Slate Development Call, a grant dedicated to countries with a low audio- visual capacity. The offices of Malta's Creative Europe Desk, located in Valletta, make it easy to reach by anyone who wishes to know more about the programme. The friendly team offers assistance re- lated to the programme, and it is their prerogative to reach out to people in varying ways, amongst which: one to one meetings, information sessions, on- line events, and participation in indus- try related events. Get in touch with the Creative Europe Desk Malta on 20908990/1/7 and stay up to date with what they are up to by following their Facebook Page- Creative Europe Desk Malta or by visiting: www. creativeeuropemalta.mt Supporting and promoting Europe's film and audiovisual sector DURING this weekend all those visiting Old Trafford as well as spectators at next Sunday's Premier League match Man- chester United against Tottenham, will be seeing extensive promotions showing Malta as a touristic destination as well as a scanable barcode giving one a chance to win a trip to Malta. These promotions are part of the Malta Day celebrations in Manchester thanks to the commercial agreement between VisitMalta and Manchester United Football Club intended to in- crease Malta's touristic exposure espe- cially in new destinations in which the Manchester United team have an ex- tensive following amonst them China and Asian countries. A VisitMalta delegation headed by MTA's Chairman Dr Gavin Gulia are in Manchester for the occasion with the Malta Sports Journalists Associa- tion given also the opportunity to be present. On Friday afternoon a visit of Old Trafford was on the programme and af- terwards the delegation had the chance to meet with the Head of Manchester United's Partnerships, Aidan Flynn. Old Trafford promotes Malta as a touristic destination