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24 THIS WEEK CULTURE | TV | FILM CINEMA LISTINGS FOOD | WHAT'S ON THIS WEEK RUNNING from 14 July to 2 August, artists from Croatia, the UK, Spain, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, South Africa and Russia will join their Maltese counterparts for the Malta Arts Festival 2014, with 18 perform- ances and a separate programme of workshops and master classes. Most of these events will be held in the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Pjazza Teatru Rjal and the newly-re- stored Fort St Elmo. Following the previous artistic di- rector's resignation last December, the programme was put together by an artistic committee composed of four arts practitioners: British-Ma- laysian dancer and choreographer Mavin Khoo, composer Ruben Zahra, theatre director and actor Toni Atta- rd and Malta Philharmonic Orches- tra chair Sigmund Mifsud. The team worked under the direction of MCCA chair Albert Marshall to put together a programme in five months. Mean- while, a call for applications has been issued for next year's artistic director. The festival will open with 2Cellos – a performance by two Croatian cel- lists. The next day, Kelma Kelma, the Maltese-language Facebook phenom- enon, will team up with the Big Band Brothers for a night of music and lit- erature at Pjazza Teatru Rjal. Fort St Elmo will set the scene for Hide and Seek, the new dance pro- duction by Ivan Perez which will take audiences into an atmospheric trip where desires, frustrations, madness and tenderness are slowly revealed. The other main dance event of the programme, a Triple Bill of duets featuring works by emerging Maltese practitioners and established inter- national artists, will be held at Pjazza Teatru Rjal. Two family-friendly events will also feature in the festival: Fecha de Caducidad – a circus from Spain – and Ir-Ritorn, a production based on Homer's Odyssey by Teatru Anon, which will be a quirky good old-fash- ioned swashbuckling adventure. Both performances are free for children 12 years and under. Veteran local musician Ruben Za- hra will join forces with Windstreken Ensemble, for a concert which por- trays a unique folk-fusion profile, as well as Up-close, an innovative work by Dutch composer Michel van der Aa, where film and live performance reflect each one another. Up-Close is a cello concerto duplicated and mag- nified until it reaches the boundary of video opera, featuring soloist Kon- stanze van Gutzeit under the direc- tion of Pavel Snajdr with the string orchestra of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. Also bridging genres is Il-Kappillan ta' Malta, a stage adaptation of Mon- sarrat's famous novel by Immanuel Mifsud. Presented by Fundazzjoni Avventura, the theatre company be- hind Vassalli and Jiena Nћobb Inti Tћobb, the performance will be held at Piazza d'Armi in Fort St Elmo. And the emerging artists series – featur- ing musicians Nadine Galea and Luke Baldacchino – will also present an interdisciplinary showcase of music, literature and painting. The visual arts will also be repre- sented at the festival through VIVA, the Valletta International Visual Arts Festival, a first for the visual arts in Malta. Organised by St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta 2018 Foundation and Agenzija Żgћażagћ, with the support of the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, the festival will run a few weeks after the Malta Arts Festival and will include events such as a summer curatorial school, exhibitions in Valletta and the third edition of a collective exhibition for young emerging artists. Also running as part of the festival is a series of films which will be held under the stars at Pjazza Teatru Rjal, curated by Simshar director Rebecca Cremona with a guest appearance by distinguished professor Dr Yevgeny Yevtushenko. Despite the novelties, however, audiences can also look forward to some firm favourites: Globe will be back with King Lear, with Pjazza Te- atru Rjal providing the backdrop to the high tragedy of what is arguably Shakespeare's most moving play. And the trademark Closing Concert will be held at the Mediterranean Confer- ence Centre, with the Malta Philhar- monic Orchestra playing under the baton of Mro Brian Schembri with Russian cellist Alexander Kniazev. Workshops, too, remain an impor- tant part of the programming, setting up a dialogue between artists from abroad and Maltese artists. For more information and a full programme of events, log on to www. maltaartsfestival.org Malta Arts Festival opens in July under new leadership Ensuring continuity, striving for the new As the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts announced this year's edition of the Malta Arts Festival, TEODOR RELJIC spoke to theatre director and actor Toni Attard, part of the festival's artistic committee, about what audiences can expect this time around Given that a new board is heading the Malta Arts Festi- val, it's perhaps a given that the programme will have a different f lavour to past editions. What are some of the most significant changes in direction this time around? The artistic team of the 2014 Malta Arts Festival brought to- gether distinctive expertise and access to international artistic networks which facilitated fur- ther the programming of this year's edition. We worked collec- tively on a programme that builds on previous editions but also one which highlights accessible and diverse artistic expressions within unique locations around Valletta. We deliberately chose to assume a transitional role in order to give the necessary space for the new artistic director to shape a new vi- sion for the festival. Could you give us some high- lights of the new Festival's pro- gramme? In terms of locations, the festi- val will be making use of St Elmo as one of its venues. This beauti- fully restored fortification of- fers a unique open space for per- formances. The festival this year introduces a stronger visual art component with an open air film programme curated by Rebecca Cremona and collaboration with the first edition of Valletta Inter- national Visual Arts Festival. The festival also features an eclectic mix of musical genres, ranging from the sensational Croatian duo 2Cellos with their AC/DC, Bach and Vivaldi combination to the video opera of Michel van der Aa's cello concerto. Family pro- gramming has also been intro- duced in the Malta Arts Festival with Teatru Anon's Ir-Ritorn at the Maritime Museum. Contem- porary circus company Organ- ización Efímera from Spain will present Fecha de Caducidad in Pjazza Teatru Rjal. In Hide and Seek, Spanish choreographer Iván Pérez in co-production with Ned- erlands Dance Theater will draw the audience in a poetic game that not everyone will wish to play. Collaboration with Maltese art- ists was also given priority with the Malta Philharmonic Orches- tra featuring work by Karl Fiorni, the Dutch Ensemble Windstreken collaborating with Ruben Za- hra on a unique folk-fusion pro- gramme. In 'triple bill' Mavin Khoo brings together an eclectic programme featuring Brenda Lee Grech, currently working with Scottish Ballet, Maria Cassar, Val- entina Azzopardi, Dorian Mallia and performed by other interna- tional dancers. Other two inter- esting collaborations feature the Facebook project Kelma Kelma with Big Band Brothers and the epic performance of Il-Kappillan ta' Malta directed by Mario Philip Azzopardi and scripted by Im- manuel Mifsud. A strong workshop programme has also been developed for prac- titioners and students. That said, are you still striving to ensure some sense of continu- ity with previous editions of the festival? Yes. Projects commissioned or programmed by the previous director, such as Il-Kappillan ta' Malta and Globe Theatre were retained. How is the festival benefitting from having a committee made up of various artists and cultur- al practitioners? With such varied artistic expe- riences, international networks and creative ideas we were not short of programming potential. We worked hard in a very short span of time and we maximised our own resources to create an- other memorable festival for our audiences and artistes. Toni Attard 2Cellos Up-Close Fecha de Caducidad