Programme

A hardworking Maltese fisherman, Jesmark is faced with an agonising choice. He can repair his leaky luzzu – a traditional, multicoloured wooden fishing boat – in the hopes of eking out a meagre living at sea for his wife and newborn son, just as his father and grandfather did before him. Or he can decommission it in exchange for a European Union payout and cast his lot with an illicit operation that is decimating the Mediterranean fish population and the livelihoods of the local families who depend on it.

An essential aspect of the festival involves the development of workshops centered around the audiovisual experience on board the catamaran. These workshops are designed to address three key themes: cultural diversity, environmental sustainability and gender equality. Suitable for children aged 5 to 11, the activities are inspired by an audiovisual experience highlighting artifacts from the Louvre, encouraging active engagement, conversation and participatory learning.

Home is where you'll find _____ What is home, and where is it? This informal discussion will focus on the idea of displacement. What exactly does it mean to be displaced? The person? Their collective memory? Their history? And in their new environment, is displacement still present? Three panelists from diverse backgrounds will discuss these questions and more. Literary readings will punctuate the discussion.

EVOCAZIONI E INVOCAZIONI – RITUAL SONGS FROM ASTROMONTE Davide Ambrogio skillfully captures the vast tapestry of Mediterranean culture, spanning from Albania to Greece, from Italy to the Arab world. Raised in a small town in Aspromonte, a mountainous territory in the extreme southwest of Italy, in Calabria, Davide was surrounded by ancient religious rituals and devotional chants that are still very much alive. Tethered to his Calabrian roots, he drew inspiration from the oral traditions of the region to create his distinctive musical language.

Often credited with the revival of Maltese sung pop music, Brikkuni have been around since their seminal 2008 debut Kuntrabanda – a genre-hopping pop/rock/punk hybrid that transformed the band into a local cult phenomenon and ushered in a new wave of Maltese alternative music.

The vibrant multiculturalism of Malta, coupled with a shared passion for Latin rhythms, served as the catalyst for the collaboration between Marco Strafalaci from Italy and Patricia Torres from Uruguay. This unique fusion led to the creation of the musical project known as the Vento y Fogo duo. Their repertoire, spanning from South American tunes to Spanish, Italian, and beyond, invites the audience on a captivating journey through the joyful flavours of Mediterranean and Latin musicality.