Film buffs are in for a treat when the first edition of the Malta International Television Short Film Festival will be broadcast on the national station in April, the first event of its kind.

The festival aims to go beyond the regular short-film fests held overseas in cinema halls or theatres.

Instead, a television audience will be able to watch short films from different countries competing against each other over the course of 13 TV programmes. Viewers will then be able to vote for their favourite film.

Festival director Tony Parnis said: "There is a lack of film appreciation in Malta despite the several TV series that we are inundated with on our screens.

"Producing a short film is the right platform to increase the interest in the art. The open secret of making a short film is that it can be made on a low budget or no budget at all. Many renowned filmmakers have launched their careers as a result of a low-budget short film."

The films taking part must be of a 10-minute duration and the panel of judges will be Tony Cassar Darien, Winston Azzopardi, Fr Saviour Chircop and a guest judge every week.

The submitted films must be either in English or in another language with English sub-titles.

Mr Cassar Darien described the festival as a wonderful opportunity for film enthusiasts. "Let us look forward to these opportunities if we want to make an impact as nowadays we have ample facilities to work with."

The closing date for submissions is February 14. The postal address is PO Box 26, San Ġwann. For more information one can contact Joyce Grech on 9942 5594, Mr Parnis on 9945 3982 or send an e-mail to info@maltashortfilmfest.com.