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maltatoday SUNDAY 1 APRIL 2018 43 This Week Il-Premju ghall-Arti winners announced Philharmonic Orchestra take Best Production while Oliver Friggieri is honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award ARTS Council Malta has an- nounced the list of winners for the first edition of Il-Premju għall- Arti, the national arts awards which celebrate the achievements of the cultural and creative sec- tors. The award acknowledges excel- lence in artistic work premiered during the preceding year and works that are unique in their fo- cus on culture and the arts. "These awards are another way in which we recognise and en- courage excellence in the arts, as well as strengthening the sector so as to foster its further growth," said Culture Minister Owen Bon- nici at the Awards Night, a red carpet gala event which was held at Teatru Manoel on March 24. The winners – spread over 11 categories – included Prof. Oliver Friggieri receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award while Fran- cis Sultana received the Ambas- sador for the Arts Award. The People's Choice Award, which was voted by members of the public, went to MADC for their production of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. The Malta Philhar- monic Orchestra, which also had the highest number of nomina- tions, received the Best Produc- tion Award for Symphony No. 9 by Ludwig van Beethoven, Europe Day Concert. Other categories included Best Project in the Community, Best International Achievement, Young Artist of the Year and Best Creative Enterprise. The catego- ries were selected according to Arts Council Malta's strategic pri- orities as outlined in the Council's Strategy2020, its five-year plan for the cultural and creative sectors. The winners were selected by a jury of sectoral experts and Arts Council Malta representatives from the nominations submitted through an open call. The Awards cover projects, pro- ductions or activities in the cul- tural and creative sectors which have been premiered or presented between 1 September 2016 and 31 August 2017. The award given to winners is a sculpture in glass and ceramic by Maltese artist Kane Cali. A tribute to Maestro Joseph Vel- la, who passed away recently, was also presented during the event. "The Awards are set to become a yearly appointment for artists and all those involved in the cultural and creative sectors, serving as a point of inspiration," said Arts Council Malta executive chair- man Albert Marshall. Il-Premju għall-Arti is an initia- tive of Arts Council Malta through the National Fund for Artistic Ex- cellence within the Ministry for Justice, Culture and Local Gov- ernment. Il-Premju għall-Arti is proudly supported by Hotel Phoe- nicia, Nexos Lighting & Video, 111 Holdings, Aġenzija Żgħażagħ, Te- atru Manoel and PBS. FULL LIST OF WINNERS Best project in the community Ahdar id-Dezert Opening Doors Association Best International Achievement Charlene Farrugia's international performance Charlene Farrugia Best work for young audiences Fanfare Family Concert The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra Best Artistic Programme or Season ZiguZajg Arts Festival for Children and Young People 2016 Fondazzjoni Kreattività Best Creative Enterprise Anvil Game Studios Young Artist of the Year Matthew Schembri Artist of the Year Moveo Dance Company (Dorian Mallia, Diane Portelli) Production of the Year Symphony No. 9 by Ludwig van Beethoven, Europe Day Concert The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra People's Choice Award The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie MADC Ambassador for the Arts Award Francis Sultana Lifetime Achievement Award Prof Oliver Friggieri Culture Minister Owen Bonnici presenting Ambassador of the Arts Award to Francis Sultana Struggling smiles for the children of Phnom Penh Phnom Penh: The Struggling Smiles will be the first solo exhibition and book launch by photographer Jacob Sammut AHEAD of an upcoming exhibi- tion at the Malta Postal Museum, photographer Jacob Sammut re- calls his experience of document- ing Phnom Penh – the capital city of Cambodia. Coming across a five-year-old boy who "smiled broadly, exposing several missing teeth, as I aimed my smartphone in his direction to take a photo," Sammut evokes the poverty which still predominates this deeming city – still reeling from the devas- tation wrought by the brutal Pol Pot and the legacy of the Khmer Rouge. "Sitting on the ground playing with hundreds of discarded sea shells at a slum in Phnom Penh the boy offered me a piece of his clearly-undercooked chicken leg, unfazed by the two mice crawling into the reeking garbage beside his feet. "Come let me show you my house," says the boy's neighbour Chen Srey, a pretty 17-year-old girl who dreams of becoming a doctor. Her 'house' is a rickety wooden structure perched on stilts above a stream of sewage. The sewage or 'black water' as it is called by the locals is washed down from the city to the lower areas where the slums of Phnom Penh are situated. In heavy rain the levels of this river of filth rises, flooding the already raised floors of these stilt huts..." Steering an orgy of violence be- tween 1975 and 1979, the Pol Pot regime decimated almost two mil- lion people in a purge of the edu- cated, the commoners and anyone who stood in its warped sights. Today almost 40 years later, the scars continue to fester. Abuse and extreme poverty are the rule of the day. Yet, as Sammut struggles to show, in the smiles planted on the faces of the homeless and or- phaned children in Phnom Penh defy this daily hardship. Like many of his peers, photog- raphy has played an integral part in Sammut's life from a very young age. The fact that his father was also a professional photographer had great impact on him. "Grow- ing up, I saw the world through his eyes in every shot he took. Our experiences are what make us and for me, therein lies the purity of photography; capturing a moment and having that memory forever available and cherished." Years after the tragedy that befell Cambodia, Sammut captures the lives of the future of Phnom Penh: the children that if given a chance can make a change, and the people who are working hard to make that chance a reality. Sammut holds a Diploma in Professional Photography from London's Institute of Photogra- phy and is currently reading for a BA (Hons.) Photography with the Open College of the Arts. He has participated in group exhibitions, has held solo exhibitions on the lo- cal scene and one can see his work on most large local magazines and publications. Phnom Penh: The Struggling Smiles will be launched at the Malta Postal Museum, Archbishop Street, Valletta on April 6 at 19:00. The exhibition will remain on dis- play until April 17, and is spon- sored by Malta Postal Museum & Arts Hub, The Pub, Frank Salt Real Estate, Ede Books, Do Project and Deco Manufacturing PHOTO JACOB SAMMUT