Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/920426
maltatoday SUNDAY 31 DECEMBER 2017 29 This Week 2018... and beyond "Take your ego out of the equation" "No one can deny that good improvements have been made with more opportunities being made available for the creatives, new spaces opening up, international practitioners and speakers coming over to share their experiences and to collaborate with the local art scene. Practitioners in the creative sector have also started to be more active and to make their voice heard when needed. I do have my doubts, however, on how genuine and long-term the current vibe is. On one hand I still think that locally the arts are not considered as relevant to society and thus they are not given their due importance and the professional respect they ought to receive. On the other hand I also feel that as practitioners we should be more open and less competitive. In my opinion, the removal of one's personal ego so as to create more healthy and genuine collaborations should come as top priority." – Kristina Borg, artist "Bands don't need rehearsal spaces – they need performance venues" "One of the matters which I would change would be to improve actual conversation between governmental entities and the underground scene – as, evidently, we're on two entirely different planes of reality. Case in point is the increasing expenditure on this 'bands hub' project. Bands don't need any help to find a rehearsal space, but they do need well-organised areas where they can perform. It also seems that funds have been quickly given to a select few that don't really have an idea of what they're doing. Such practices tamper Malta's rock/metal reputation, unfortunately. Hopefully, a healthy conversation between the government entities and the underground scene festival/events organisers may help to bridge this discrepancy." – Michael Spiteri, musician "International contacts are key" "[The Malta Book Festival] is our main platform for reaching out to the public and enabling fruitful interaction between authors, publishers and other stakeholders in the book industry. Over the next few years we intend to expand the possibilities of such encounters by encouraging more international participation and greater interaction. This will require more planning and more investment but, crucially, it will require more international contacts, which we procure thanks to our participation in international book fairs such as the London Book Fair. It is important that the Festival continues to grow year after year both in terms of visitor intensity and participation." – John Grech, Manager, Malta Book Festival "It's difficult to cast major acting roles" "One of the greatest drawbacks is the fact that most actors in Malta have been lured into the local telenovela world and that starring in some great role like John Proctor, Maggie or even a Richard III is unimaginable as the professionalism is not there. So while I can cast a Donna Elvira or an Eurydice or a Nemorino with a Maltese opera singer I cannot do that with a major acting role. I hope that this situation will be addressed by Teatru Malta, but it's going to take a long time." – Kenneth Zammit Tabona, artistic director, Manoel Theatre "Producers need to take a more business-like approach" "The [local film sector] has been stagnant over the past decade and while many are trying hard to establish strong structures for the development of the sector, too much attention is still being placed on tourism and servicing. I think that more producers need to take a more business-like approach to the work and talented individuals need to stop working for free for commercial projects such as films and TV shows. As a nation we need to produce more projects that support creative talent, establish a healthy economy for the industry and then find the support needed to create art." – Martin Bonnici, producer, founder of Shadeena