Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1544723
14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 MAY 2026 NEWS How Alex Camilleri ALEX Camilleri began writing Że- jtune just after leaving New York City and moving to Malta, tempo- rarily, or so he thought. "I didn't quite live anywhere, and for the first time in my life, I was starting to feel a strong desire to find a home, or at least to have a sense of one," he tells me as I catch up with him in the middle of an election campaign. He grew up in the American Midwest to parents who had em- igrated from Malta, and questions about identity and belonging had followed him his whole life. "Throughout my life, I've always wondered where the Maltese be- long. If there are so many Maltese not living in Malta, how do you define home? Can we still call our- selves Maltese without the islands themselves?" He had intended to develop the film and return to New York. It did not work out that way. "I thought I would develop the film, then go back to my real life. And then I re- alised that real life didn't exist an- ymore." The idea At the same time as his move, he had developed a fascination with għana, spending long nights with singers and guitarists, absorbing their music and observing their world. "It struck me that I could explore my own questions of belonging through this musical tradition, which seems so rich with history and artistry. And it also seems so unexplored." The fact that għana was rooted in Malta's agrarian history gave him confidence he was on the right track. "I could combine a film that would be about land and music, and that's ultimately the film that I made." Zejtun His research led him to Żejtun, where so much of the musical cul- ture is historically tied, and where he found himself welcomed more quickly than he had expected. "I remember going to a bar in Że- jtun, early on, and I stepped inside, and before I knew it, there was a glass of whiskey in my hand. I was placed in the front seat to listen and learn. And I think that meant a lot to the folks who were perform- ing, and they wanted to make me feel welcome." That warmth is something he tried to carry into the film itself, to give audiences a sense of being swept up into a colourful, friendly world of music. The town also gave the film its JULIANA ZAMMIT jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt Alex Camilleri (Photo: Lisa Attard) Nenu and Michela Farrugia (Photo: Mark Cassar) Victoria's City Pearl complex to make way for supermarket, hotel and flats A new development proposal set to include a supermarket, hotel, shops and offices is being proposed in an already built up area in Rabat, Gozo. Known as the City Pearl project (PA 07125/24), the plan aims to replace a 1970s-built shopping complex called City Pearl with a modern, more functional and larger building. The site, located between Triq Fortunato Mizzi and Triq San Ġużepp Labre in an area known as It-Tigrija, is considered one of the busiest commercial parts of Victoria. The site is opposite the Arkadia Complex and the new primary school. The current building includes a shopping centre and a multipurpose hall, but these are now seen as outdated and no longer suited to today's needs. The project is set to rise to seven floors (22.5m) including a ground floor and two receded levels. The project invokes the hotel heights poli- cy to gain two new floors over and above lo- cal plan height limitations. The application was presented before the government announced that the Malta Tourism Authority will no longer be issuing its obligatory clearance for hotel develop- ments invoking the policy. Plans include a hotel with 61 rooms, a shopping area with various retail outlets, a supermarket, and office spaces. There would also be 35 apartments, designed to be sep- arate from the commercial areas to ensure privacy for residents. To support the development, four under- ground parking levels are planned, provid- ing space for 144 cars, along with storage ar- eas. The idea is to reduce pressure on street parking while keeping most of the activity contained within the site. A Project Description Statement submitted in April describes the design of the building as one which aims to be modern while still fitting in with its surroundings. It will use lo- cal stone on the outside, a common feature in Gozo, combined with contemporary ma- terials to give it a fresh look. Part of the de- sign includes a covered walkway with arches along the main street, creating a more pe- destrian-friendly environment. Most pedestrian activity will be focused on Triq Fortunato Mizzi, which is already a busy street, while vehicle access and the entrance to the apartments will be from the quieter Triq San Ġużepp Labre on the back side of the plot. According to the application, the project follows planning policies that encourage the redevelopment of existing urban sites in- stead of building on undeveloped land. The development is likely to change the ap- pearance of the area. While the new building will be larger and more modern than what is currently there, the design attempts to blend with the existing streetscape through its ma- terials and layout. The proposal is still under consideration by the Planning Authority. The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage had initially expressed concern about the excessive massing proposed and the poten- tial impact it may have on the views and vis- tas from the Citadella. But a Visual Impact Assessment concluded that the impact on this view is not significant, since traditional views are already compromised by existing development. JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt The site, located between Triq Fortunato Mizzi and Triq San Guzepp Labre in an area known as It-Tigrija, is considered one of the busiest commercial parts of Victoria