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TEODOR RELJIC MARIO Philip Azzopardi will take on the role of Valletta 2018 Foun- dation artistic director as from 1 January 2015. Azzopardi will be effectively 'replacing' British com- poser Wayne Marshall who, after being appointed artistic director for the Foundation in 2012, failed to have his contract renewed once Jason Micallef became the Founda- tion's chairman in 2013, following a change in government. As European Capital for Culture of 2018, Valletta – as well as the whole of Malta – will strive to be- come a year-long hub for culture and the arts. Azzopardi was the director of 'Courage to Vote' – a Labour Party campaign television advert which depicted a 'pepe' family fighting over their daughter's annoucement to vote for the Labour Party ahead of the 2013 general elections. How- ever following backlash to the ad- vert – which inspired a parody video by comedy group Lamp Stamp – a proposed second advert was never filmed. A veteran theatre producer on the local scene, Azzopardi left Malta for Canada to pursue a career in film and television. More recently, Az- zopardi has set up Staġun Teatru Malti, a private company that com- missions, develops and produces plays in Maltese – most notably the widely talked about gay rights dra- ma 'Jiena Nhobb, Inti Thobb'. Azzopardi is an artistic practition- er, director, administrator, producer, and original creator of products and events. By the time he was 17, Az- zopardi had written, produced and directed three of his original thea- tre works at the National Children's Drama Festival, winning awards for three consecutive years. At the age of 21, he founded the Royal University Students Asso- ciation (RUSCA), where he directed the first Maltese full-length feature film called Gaġġa (The Cage). Extensive TV and theatrical work followed. When his original play Su- lari fuq Strada Stretta was banned from the National Theatre due to censorship issues, he emigrated to Canada. The same play was success- fully presented to sold-out houses at the Manoel Theatre 30 years after it was banned. His stay in Canada led Mario Philip to gain consider- able experience in North and South America and Europe, where he was one of the early pioneers who ven- tured in the untested experiment of producing American programming abroad. He has directed over 300 hours of prime time American television for top US production houses, includ- ing MGM, Disney, HBO, Warner Bros, CBS, NBC, CBC, among oth- ers. Most recently, Azzopardi has set up Staġun Teatru Malti, a private company that commissions, devel- ops and produces plays in Maltese. Under his management, STM pre- sented seven original new plays in Maltese in the last six years, two of which he wrote and directed. Last year Mario Philip produced, direct- ed and wrote the first Malta/Canada co-production SAUL: the journey to Damascus, currently being distrib- uted worldwide by E-ONE Enter- tainment. As artistic director for Valletta 2018, he aims to "research, discover and understand local needs, aspira- tions and expectations with the help of a specialised team to support in- novative programmes, inspired by local talent, to leave a long-lasting legacy". Valletta – and by extension, Malta – won the bid to become European Capital for Culture 2018 in October 2012. The Foundation was origi- nally led by architect David Felice as Chairman, with Wayne Marshall having been chosen as Artistic Di- rector in the summer of that year. Marshall was to be accompanied by seven artistic programme direc- tors: artist and lecturer Raphael Vella, actor Paul Portelli, actress Coryse Borg, actor and theatre di- rector Marc Cabourdin, transmedia producer Jean Pierre Magro, com- poser Ruben Zahra and musician Mario Frendo. After Jason Micallef was appoint- ed as the new chairman of the Foun- dation, the contracts of both Wayne Marshall and the entire artistic programme director team were not renewed. Speaking to MaltaToday, Micallef had said that in his opinion, the ideal artistic director for Valletta 2018, "should have an international perspective". "But I would also wish for them to be Maltese. But most of all I want a passionate artistic director… I don't want someone who's just here to collect a paycheque, but who would deem the Foundation as family… and take pride in their work accord- ingly." On the day that Azzopardi's ap- pointment was announced, the Arts Council also revealed that two other key artistic director posts. Broad- caster Toni Sant will become artistic director of St James Cavalier, while Michelle Castelletti will be taking on the role of artistic director for the annual Malta Arts Festival. Having most recently occupied the role of Artistic Director at the Royal Northern College of Music in Man- chester, Castelletti is not a known entity in local cultural circles. maltatoday, SUNDAY, 2 NOVEMBER 2014 News Mario Philip Azzopardi made artistic director of Valletta 2018 Foundation People you can trust Atlas Healthcare Insurance Agency Limited is authorized under the Insurance Intermediaries Act 2006, to act as agents for AXA PPP Healthcare Limited and is regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority. The policies are underwritten by AXA PPP Healthcare Limited. 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