Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/553115
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 9 AUGUST 2015 15 In our fourth year we had one guy who travelled from Austin, Texas, at his own expense, to come to the festival." It eventually grew enough to be noticed by potential sponsors. "At one point we were invited to form part of the Malta Arts Festival. This would have meant access to funding, better marketing, and so on. But we didn't want that. It was very important for us to try and keep Kinemastik's identity in our own hands, and to steer it in a di- rection where we felt it could have its own life..." Ironically, part of this identity may have been formed by Slavko's 'stupid' choice of venue 11 years ago. Gardjola Gardens may be a lo- gistical nightmare, but the location itself undeniably lent something to the festival's appeal. Same goes for this year's venue, the Garden of Rest overlooking Pieta': which is actually a cemetery with significant historical connotations. Was this also something that came about by chance? Or is the venue as much part of the festival's identity as the films themselves? "All our locations are logistical nightmares," Slavko replies. "And everyone we rent equipment from hates us for it. But there is a reason why we go for these places… why we like to expose sites which are generally unknown to the public. There are so many beautiful places here that are still untouched, yet still well taken care of. There's a kind of political message to it as well, you could say: to take care of what exists, and what we're forget- ting. It is these hidden places, off the beaten path, that form the true beauty of Malta. This is why peo- ple fall in love with the place…" Does the same sort of political approach he outlines above extend also to the choice of films? Glanc- ing at the programme, some of this year's selection seems to touch on sensitive (and certainly topical) is- sues: racism, nationalism and so on. Last year's entries included a dramatic documentary about the Syrian civil war. Is there a common thread between these choices? "Emma is the programmer, so she chose the films shown on the main screen. But if I may say something in her name: when choosing films, we're interested in whatever's con- temporary, whatever's happening now. Having said that, it's not the only factor. As festival organisers, we're kind of a medium between what audiences want to watch, and what film-makers are producing. There is no rule as such. Some- times the programme veers off in other directions: we concentrate on the absurd, the surreal, and so on. This year, and maybe last year as well, we had a lot of politi- cally heavy themes. Next year, who knows? Ultimately, what matters most is the quality of the film." This brings us to the centre of all the 'movie magic', as it were. While Kinemastik Short Film Festival was slowly evolving, Malta's professional film industry seems to have likewise grown sig- nificantly in scope. Yet it remains very much rooted in the servicing of foreign productions. Kinemas- tik deals with films at a lower level of the industry scale: so has Slavko Vukanovic seen any indication of a budding local film industry pro- ducing movies of its own? "In these 11 years we have seen so much change: different people getting involved, many of them go- ing on to make their own films… some have even made feature films. I won't discuss the quality, but something has been happen- ing here. Technology has made it easier and cheaper in recent years. That certainly had a lot to do with it. "But there may be something else. Film-wise, the local indus- try has grown a lot recently. But Malta started identifying itself as a nation that has 'something to do with films' for a lot longer than that. Back when we started in that Valletta bar, I remember talking to people who had worked on Mid- night Express and other films shot locally. They would tell me about when Jean-Claude Van Damme could be seen jumping from roof to roof in Valletta. And I still can't believe how films have been shot here using the same backdrops. Like the Bridge Bar area [lower East Street]… how many times have we seen that in a movie?" We could add Dwejra's Azure Window to the list, and maybe even the Birgu Waterfront (which doubled up as Marseilles in Cut- Throat Island). "There is something magical about Malta as a film location," Slavko concludes. "And it's not just the light, and the colours, and all that. There's a connection. A sense of belonging. People take pride in being involved in the film indus- try… you can feel it." It is this sense of connection that keeps initiatives like the Kinemas- tik film festival afloat. But wouldn't a healthy dose of investment also help… not just in the festival, but also in the industry at large? "It would help certainly. The fi- nancial part is important: yes, we need to rent the screens, to pay ex- penses… but you need dedication as well. In this day and age, it is rare to find 10 people who are fool- ish enough to dedicate so much of their time to something that will never be profitable for them. So when people gather around some- thing like that, it must have some sort of value which is more impor- tant than money..." Here Slavko breaks off to re- count his very earliest experience of Malta… which turns out to have a touch of movie magic about it, too. "About three days after arriv- ing in Malta in 1995, I ended up having dinner in Elio Lombardi's house. Totally by chance. I was hitchhiking… I didn't know how to get from place to place yet… and he stopped to give me a ride. He invited me to dinner at his Naxxar home, I met his family, and so on. But what struck me was that his car was full of posters of his own mov- ies. He is one example of the sort of dedication I mean… I don't know how many films Elio Lombardi has made. Thousands, possibly. Just yesterday I was in a bar in Zebbug, and they were watching a Lombar- di film on VCR. People still love his films. They're proud of them. And that's a beautiful thing…" Interview There is something magical about Malta's connection to the film industry. SLAVKO VUKANOVIC, organiser of the Kinemastik Short Film Festival, on why this island seems made for the movies… It is these hidden places, off the beaten path, that form the true beauty of Malta. This is why people fall in love with the place… VENUE It is rare to find 10 people who are foolish enough to dedicate so much of their time to something that will never be profitable for them. So when people gather around something like that, it must have some sort of value which is more important than money DEDICATION