The sixth edition of the Malta Short Film Festival will kick off on Friday with the first of nine programmes broadcast on TVM at 9.45pm.

Festival Producer Joyce Grech said the Malta Film Foundation, an NGO, received 1,700 film submissions from more than 50 countries.

Twenty-seven have been chosen, four of which are Maltese. These will be discussed during nine programmes broadcast on Fridays on TVM, with a repeat on Wednesdays at 9.45pm on TVM2.

Speaking at the Radisson Blu Resort in St Julians, where the final award ceremony will be held and then broadcast at the end of September, Ms Grech said a tenth programme will discuss local film productions that made it to the cinema but were not participating in the festival. These include Soul and Simshar.

Present for the launch, Culture Minister Owen Bonnici said the festival was part of the culture chain of activities in Malta.

“Culture makes people better – it makes them more intellectually fulfilled and film is a cultural aspect that goes down well with all parts of society,” he said, adding that his mum would not go to the Manoel Theatre but would stay up late to watch a movie.

The festival was a good example of how NGOs, the private sector and the government could work together.

“The Government should not be the beginning and end of cultural expression. Society should make cultural expressions,” he added.

Joe Debono, chair of Studio Seven, which is supporting the festival, paid tribute to Paul Avellino, a pioneer in the film industry in Malta. He also called for a Film Museum in Malta, as the island has always been of interest to film makers, he said.

The festival is being supported by the Malta Arts Fund and the Local Culture Initiative.