The Malta Arts Fund can be used to generate cultural activities which reach a large sector of the population, according to Culture Parliamentary Secretary José Herrera.
Addressing a press conference for the review of last year’s fund, Dr Herrera said the fund was essential in cultivating local cultural productions.
There were 95 projects which were partly financed by the Malta Arts Fund last year amounting to €413,000.
The fund provides grants for projects, mobility schemes, translations as well as to supporting cultural organisations.
Thirty eight performing arts projects were financed through last year’s fund along with; 23 visual arts projects, 27 collaborations and seven literary incentives.
Prominent theatre director Mario Philip Azzopardi said the Malta Arts Fund had proven indispensable in assisting a number of Maltese stage productions.
He said he had received some €20,000 in project funds which would go towards the development of a number of productions including the recently launched Jiena Nhobb Inti Thobb.
Mr Azzopardi said a number of other productions would see the tally of Maltese-focused plays brought up to six by the end of this year. This he said would continue with the aim of having staged at least 20 productions by 2018.
“These are not targeted at foreign audiences but they are made by Maltese for Maltese. The Idea that Maltese theatre is not attractive is just not true. These plays have sold out,” he said.
Author Immanuel Mifsud also addressed the conference. He said the fund's Spreading Words initiative had helped him to secure a Slovenian translation of one of his works.
Asked about the apparent lack of funding for literature-based projects, Dr Herrera said the government was committed to supporting such projects but added that funding may have been diverted to areas earmarked for growth last year.
Since then, Dr Herrera said, the government had launched schemes to support literature projects, such as the Francis Ebejer funding scheme.
The parliamentary secretary highlighted the importance of transparency in the allocating of funds.
He said that a recently appointed board had investigated the allocation of last year’s grants and found no irregularities. Asked about the reliability of the board, he said it was made up of a number of foreign and local arts practitioners.