Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1535025
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 MAY 2025 4 ALMANAC My essentials REBECCA CREMONA Filmmaker I'm a filmmaker who has spent the past few years writing internationally commissioned scripts. I look forward to getting back on set with a host of projects I have in the pipeline. Malta's depleting natural beauty keeps me up at night, and my nephew and niece make my heart skip a beat. 1. Book 2. TV 3. internet 4. Music 5. Place I tend to listen to a cluster of singer-songwriters over and over again. My staples would be Joni Mitchell, Tim Buckley, Leonard Cohen… Tori Amos's Cornflake Girl, Gianna Nan- nini's Bello e Impossibile, Dol- ly Parton's Jolene, Joan Baez's Diamonds and Rust… I'm cur- rently really enjoying Aurora's new album, Tunisian folk duo Ÿuma, and Brahms (especially his 3rd symphony). I think my subconscious priority in the past was lyrics, but now it's shifting more to the non-ver- bal. I enjoy traveling im- mensely. Although there's so much more for me to explore, I would love to return to Lisbon. I find its mix of continen- tal and Moorish influ- ences to be both familiar and exotic. Its eclectic historical textures, mix of sea and hills, relative un-gentrification and greenery, make for a very special combination. I particularly love the way they respect and embrace their heritage, not only when preserving the past but most especially when forging forward. YUVAL Harari's Homo Sapi- ens theorises as to why, out of so many different human spe- cies, it was Homo Sapiens— that is, us –which prevailed. He argues that it's because of our ability to invest in sto- ries—religious, pagan, nation building, folk narratives etc— that we were able to coexist in larger numbers than oth- er human species, and ulti- mately survived. I found this "brief history of humankind", asserting that storytelling is intrinsic to our very survival. It is compelling. THESE days I'm watching more TV than film, partly because I prefer to experi- ence films in the cinema. Perhaps because I haven't been able to travel as much as I usually do for work, I got sucked into Call My Agent, which is a fun and insight- ful French series about the behind the scenes of being in the filmmaking business. A wonderful balance of dra- ma and comedy, with great cameos—I'd definitely rec- ommend it. LOCALLY I have been par- ticularly struck by the im- mense value of the Facebook page Women for Women, which is a crucial resource and safe haven for women, sometimes in very dire sit- uations, who unfortunately still don't find adequate sup- port from more formalised platforms in our society. Al- so on Facebook, the recent movement ĊelebrAZZJONI is bringing together a com- munity of local audiovisual creatives in an unprecedented way at a time when imminent action is needed in the sector. Compiled by Laura Calleja suggestions by email lcalleja@mediatoday.com 4 5 1 2 3 MaltaToday is supported by Arts Council Malta