The International Ocean Institute-Malta Operational Centre (IOI-MOC) at the University of Malta held a free public screening of two underwater documentaries produced as part of the Panacea project that focused on the Mġarr ix-Xini and Rdum Majjiesa marine protected areas (MPAs).

The documentaries were shown to over 200 ‘Kids on Campus’ summer school pupils at the Sir Temi Zammit Hall on the University campus. Education Minister Evarist Bartolo attended the screening.

Educational material produced as part of the Panacea project was presented to the minister and the pupils.

The screening was the initiative of Alan Deidun, Panacea project manager at the IOI-MOC, who was also executive producer of the three documentaries, along with Monolith Ltd director Pedja Miletic and veteran underwater cameraman Shaun Arrigo.

The Education Minister said Malta is excellently placed to serve as a hub for ocean literacy, with facilities for education on marine issues on the increase. He praised the initiative and encouraged the IOI-MOC and Deidun to continue their work, the fruit of which was both important and useful for the educational, environmental and tourism sectors.

Panacea is a project funded under the Operational Programme Italia-Malta 2007-2013. The University of Malta and the San Lawrenz local council are partners. Its main objective is to foster a greater local appreciation of the marine environment in the Maltese islands.

The marine environmental education centre at Dwejra was opened in March 2013 as part of the same project.

The three underwater documentaries can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArJOWrwwz98, at www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzpPK1pAlLA and at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3tVoY4hlts .

The project website is www.panaceaproject.net.