Renowned sound explorer to bring Malta's traditional sounds to life

For the past two weeks, Vincent Moon, a French independent filmmaker and sound explorer, has been immersing himself in Malta’s rhythms, rituals and traditional music to create a unique “live cinema” experience.

Premiering at the Ritmu Roots Festival this Saturday at Argotti Gardens, Moon's Live Cinema is an improvised audiovisual performance featuring the recordings he captured during his time on the island.

“It is a very physical experience for cinema. It is closer to improvising music than a cinema screening,” he explained.

Moon, who has been making films for over two decades, is known for documenting the music of international artists such as R.E.M., Tom Jones, Sufjan Stevens and Arcade Fire.

In recent years, however, he has shifted his focus to exploring sounds from around the world, capturing everything from shamanic ceremonies and religious rituals to musical folk traditions like għana.

“I've been exploring the sounds of the world, how people create them, how they live with them,” Moon said.

“I've always been fascinated by sound, not just in the traditional sense like classical music, but in all its forms. Even the roadworks outside your window are equally sounds.”

This is Moon’s first visit to Malta, where he was invited as a guest of the Ritmu Roots Festival, a four-day event that celebrates traditional music and communal heritage. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to discover the island and its cultural layers.

A Live Cinema Performance Photo: KOMETA

“I feel lucky to have the opportunity to do so and to discover the island, its culture, its landscape and its sounds. It was magnificent!” he said. “And to have this opportunity of (musician) Andrew Alamango as a guide, it’s a daily deep dive in Maltese culture and its various layers.”

The Ritmu Roots Festival is organised by Festivals Malta under the artistic direction of Alamango, who invited Moon to develop a live cinema performance and to record sounds across Malta.

His Live Cinema performances have been showcased in hundreds of venues and festivals around the world, including MOMA in New York, the Barbican in London and le Jeu de Paume in Paris. 

While Moon remained coy about the exact nature of the show, he revealed that his recordings include the organ of the St John's Co-Cathedral, a religious procession, and traditional għana singing.

He noted that while he has documented music similar to għana around the Mediterranean, he finds the Maltese genre especially compelling due to its improvisational nature and uncertain future.

“It was wonderful to witness għana and the question of where it is going,” he said. “Nothing is stuck in time, this is why I think Andrew wanted me to document it.”

Moon also reflected on Malta’s evolving soundscape, expressing concern about losing touch with its roots.

“We should be a bit more careful of our sound environment,” he said, recalling how he felt “disconnected” hearing cover bands on Valletta’s historically and culturally rich streets.

Singer, Marielle Zammit and Vincent Moon in a chapel. Photo: Chelsea Muscat

He praised the festival’s efforts to reconnect the public and younger generations through cultural traditions and highlight underrepresented voices, including women, through events like ‘Women, Chanting’ on Friday night.

Moon’s Live Cinema takes place on Saturday at 10.30pm at Argotti Gardens. Tickets are available at ritmu.mt. The recordings will also be added to his open-source archive Collection Petites Planètes on vincentmoon.com in the coming months.

The Collection Petites Planètes, is a vast open-source online repository of over 1,300 short films and recordings documenting localised, often community-based music and ritual practices. 

Ritmu Roots Festival is organised by Festivals Malta, and supported by the Arts Ministry and Visit Malta. This event is also happening in collaboration with the French and Spanish embassies. This festival is also sponsored by GSD.

Ritmu Roots Festival is organised by Festivals Malta and supported by the Culture Ministry and Visit Malta in collaboration with the French and Spanish embassies. The event is sponsored by The General Soft Drinks Company.