Sarah-Lee Zammit and Caroline Tonna, co-producers of Maltarti, tell Ramona Depares all about the challenges of putting together a weekly cultural show.

What is the aim behind Maltarti?

Firstly to celebrate our home-grown artists and the relevance of their work in our culture. Guest artists from abroad are also given exposure of their talent and contribution to the art world. We also invite artists who have benefited from the various funding that Arts Council Malta offer.  These features aim at reaching prospective applicants and providing them with life experiences of other artists.

We have created airtime space for visual and performing artists, together with leaders in theatre, fashion, festivals, art research, film-making and literature to express their creativity in liberty and in their own words. We create features that are not time based or tied to a specific event but give more prominence to the artistic creators and their creations.

Which artists does Maltarti primarily target?

Anyone who is creative and innovative, whose artistic work will inspire others and will evoke feelings. We focus on the artists in order to better understand their work, not necessarily with a specific message but to elicit debate, provoke emotions, evaluate the relevance of their work in our daily lives or simply for aesthetic enjoyment.

Can you describe a typical programme?

The programme is just over 20 minutes long and includes three short features related to different artistic disciplines. The features are brought together to create a harmonious balance as a whole programme; we try to avoid talking heads and exploit as many visual footage as we can.  Ray Calleja, who was previously the anchor/presenter of Maltarti, is this year introducing and linking the features with a voice over recording based on the creative scriptwriting of Leanne Ellul. 

What are the biggest challenges in putting it together?

The most challenging part is scheduling the filming of the interviews, because most people involved in the cultural and art scene have other jobs besides producing their artistic work, rehearsing, performing, researching, etc. 

We also have other commitments, but we dedicate much of our energy to Maltarti.  We have weekly meetings and practically daily contact about the programme.  Once we select and decide upon subject and content, we meet the interviewees, set up filming schedules with our technical team (led by Frederic Testa) and set the ball rolling.  We also prepare literature for the scriptwriter and coordinate voice-over recordings. We encounter difficulties when the subject of the feature does not lend itself enough visual material for footage, such as in the case of literature work. 

Once the filming and editing is done, and we are satisfied with the result, the programme is released for airing. This year we have managed recordings well ahead of time and we are more active with the artists and viewers through social media. All features are presented individually and are immediately available on Maltarti FB page and on the Arts Council Malta website.

And the greatest satisfaction?

The greatest satisfaction is that the programme is serving as a voice to many talented artists, established and less known on the island.  It is an opportunity not only for the artists to reach out to the audience but for us, as producers, to meet so many creative minds. 

In the past few years there has been a healthy increase in art and cultural activities, and this attracted a sound audience

The programme was conceived four years ago and has continued to grow. The idea was proposed that Arts Council Malta should produce a cultural programme that would encourage artists to take advantage of the funding schemes the Council provided, to help them improve their artistic careers and also to offer exposure to other independent artists who are valid contributors to our culture.

It was Albert Marshall, the chairman of the Council, who was instrumental in facilitating this idea.

Would you say it caters to a pre-existing audience of culture  lovers or is it attracting new audiences?

We target both. However, we constantly aim to attract a young audience.  We have a good mix of well-established artists and young debutants.

How have you seen the arts scene in Malta change through the years?

In the past few years there has been a healthy increase in art and cultural activities, and this attracted a sound audience. Throughout this year we are experiencing a full calendar of cultural events thanks to Valletta holding the title of European Capital of Culture. We feel that there is a variety in presentations with more new spaces available, besides the traditional theatres and exhibition halls.  It is important, though, that we keep striving to achieve excellence in all forms of creativity and keep the momentum to stimulate innovative ideas.

What about the way people perceive locally-created art – do you feel that there has been a change in attitude?

Yes, there is more appreciation of local talent. The public is more informed on conferences, exhibitions, fairs, festivals and artistic projects taking place regularly in the media especially social media.  Cultural events are not only concentrated in Valletta but have spread out in our towns and villages engaging the local communities more.  We also see new forms of art emerging such as digital art and computer animations that attract a younger generation.

Do you believe Valletta 2018 has raised more awareness about the local arts scene?

The awareness of the local arts scene is the result of many years of hard work of the artists, cultural policymakers and public money invested in our cultural development. Valletta 2018 has stimulated the artistic appetite and artists have an opportunity to foster their art on a European platform.

Maltarti can be viewed on https://www.youtube.com/user/maltaculture .

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