FILM
Tnejn għat-Talkies: It's a Wonderful Life
The Embassy Cinemas, in Valletta is today screening Frank Capra’s 1946 fantasy film It’s a Wonderful Life, often voted as the favourite Christmas film of all time.
The story is about an angel who is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed. The Oscar-nominated film stars James Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore.
Tnejn għat-Talkies is an initiative of the Valletta Cultural Agency’s Strada Stretta programme. Today’s film is also part of the ‘Christmas in the City’ programme of activities.
For more information and tickets, visit the Embassy Cinemas website.
MUSIC
Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
The St Paul Choral Society will be performing Christmas music in between seasonal Bible readings at the Holy Trinity church, Sliema, today at 7pm.
Entrance is free. A collection will be taken in aid of the church. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
The St Paul Choral Society in a past performance. Photo: FacebookCHRISTMAS EVENTS AND ATTRACTIONS
Christmas in the Capital
Valletta is hosting a programme of Christmas-related activities until the end of December.
There are Christmas trees in Freedom Square, Republic Street and Merchants Street, Christmas lights in Republic and Merchants streets, an artistic light installation in South Street and a crib next to St John's Co-Cathedral.
The programme, organised by the Valletta Cultural Agency, includes various music and artistic performances throughout the coming weeks, and will culminate with the New Year's Eve concert in St George's Square on December 31.
For details of the programme, visit vca.gov.mt.
The Magical Illuminated Trail
Verdala Palace in Buskett is once again hosting the Magical Illuminated Trail, featuring new and bigger attractions, light installations, projections and a new Christmas village.
The magical after-dark adventure for all the family runs until January 7. Proceeds from the event will go towards the Malta Community Chest Fund.
For tickets, click here.
Visitors walking through an illuminated structure at the Magical Illuminated trail. Photo: Facebook/Illuminated TrailOther Christmas villages and attractions
Triton Square, in Valletta, is hosting Fairyland − Santa’s City, featuring favourite attractions such as Rudolph’s Wheel, an ice-skating rink and a Christmas market, as well as a World Cup Village. Santa’s City runs until January 6.
The Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre in Ta’ Qali has turned into Santa’s World Malta until January 1. Activities include an elf school and cinema, Santa’s House, live shows and entertainment by Danusan.
Other Christmas villages are taking place at the Artisan Village in Ta’ Qali (until December 24), Popeye Village in Mellieħa (until January 8) and the Malta National Aquarium in Qawra (until January 8).
A jam-packed programme of activities is planned for the whole month at the Valletta Waterfront, and the Christmas Village Malta runs at the Ta' Xbiex Marina until January 6.
Christmas Under the Bridge is being held once again in Labour Road, Marsa, until Friday, December 23. For tickets, click here.
In Gozo, the Magro Brothers are hosting The Magro Christmas Family Fest at the Savina Artisan Centre, Xewkija, until the end of the month.
For more information, click on the links above.
Animators at Christmas Village Malta, taking place at the Ta' Xbiex marina. Photo: Facebook/Christmas Village MaltaCribs
Mechanical crib in Żejtun
The mechanical crib at the Jesus of Nazareth Institute in Żejtun, which has been operating since 1947, will be open to the public again this year until Janury 8 from 9.30am to noon and from 4.30 to 7pm. There will also be a bazaar in the adjacent hall during the same opening hours.
Mgr Bishop Emmanuel Galea had envisioned the creation of this crib, which was the first of its kind in Malta, while Paul Pavia handled the mechanical work. At present, Pavia's nephew Joseph, takes care of the crib's upkeep.
The clothes of the figurines (pasturi) were the handwork of the Sisters of the Missionary Congregation of Jesus of Nazareth of the time.
A section of the mechanical crib. Photo: FacebookIl-Qala tissaħħar bil-presepji
A crib exhibition is being held at the Qala parish centre until January 8. It is open Monday to Saturday from 5 to 7pm and on Sundays and public holidays from 10am to noon and from 5 to 9pm. On Boxing Day, doors will be open from 10am to 9pm.
Għaqda Ħbieb tal-Presepju Malta exhibition
The Għaqda Ħbieb tal-Presepju Malta is holding its annual exhibition of cribs at Palazzo Ferreria (in front of Pjazza Teatru Rjal) in Valletta, until December 30. Opening hours are from 9.30am to 7pm. Entrance is free.
Cribs and more at Mosta cultural centre
The Razzett tal-Markiż Mallia Tabone is hosting the 24th edition of its Christmas exhibition, featuring various cribs and other Christmas-related artworks until January 1. Opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 5.30 to 8.30pm and Saturday and Sunday also from 9.30am to noon. Entrance is free.
A detail of a crib on display at the Mosta cultural centre. Photo: Facebook/Razzett tal-MarkiżLive crib
Iklin is today hosting a live crib with re-enactors in costume and the traditional procession with Baby Jesus, from 6pm onwards. The Għaqda Mużikali San Pio X will accompany the procession.
VISUAL ARTS
Mediterranean Dreams 2
Following his exhibition titled Mediterranean Dreams, Kenneth Zammit Tabona presents the second chapter in his idyllic depictions of our country’s way of life.
The over 30 watercolour works are 'fuoridentros' in which gardens, pockets of landscapes, chapels, watchtowers and Montgolfiers are observed through open windows, thus bringing the outside in.
Mediterranean Dreams 2, curated by Charlene Vella, Mdina, is on display at Xara Palace in Mdina until Thursday, December 22. Part of the proceeds from sales will be donated to Id-Dar tal-Providenza.
Consult the artist’s Facebook page for more information. You can also read this review.
Mediterranean Dreams II by Kenneth Zammit TabonaThe Malta Photographic Society Annual Exhibition
The 57th edition of the National Competition and Exhibition of Photography, organised annually by the Malta Photographic Society, is open at Palazzo de La Salle in Valletta, the seat of the Malta Society of Arts (MSA).
This year 74 photographers submitted around 700 photos for the competition. From these, the jury chose more than 100 works that are being exhibited as printed and framed photographs, as well as over 110 digital photos to be displayed on a monitor. The jury was made up of eight experts in the field of photography.
The competition honoured photographs in the four categories of colour prints, monochrome prints, colour projected images and monochrome projected images.
The exibition will be open until Thursday, December 22; Monday to Friday from 9am to 7pm and Saturdays from 9am to 1pm. It is closed on Sundays and public holidays. Entrance is free. Anyone who would like a guide should contact the MPS on info@mpsmalta.com. For more details about the exhibition visit www.artsmalta.org/events or www.facebook.com/maltasocietyofarts.
Nuances
An exhibition by Carmel Bonello and Peter Seychell is open at Gemelli Framing in Ta' Qali.
The title of the exhibition essentially defines a spectrum of inspirational sources, especially so when the whole enterprise is that between two artists who have an identifiable and very personalised style of expression.
Bonello is a veteran of the local art scene; with expressionism finding its way very earlier on into his oeuvre. He explores the world around him in full colour, black lines delineating the composition.
Seychell is a relative newcomer to the local art scene. However, his impressive intricate paintings have captured the attention of the art-loving public.
Nuances runs until Friday, December 23. Consult this Facebook group for opening hours and more information.
Open Your Wings and Fly by Carmel BonelloVersatility
Veteran artist Joseph Barbara is exhibiting an array of his works, dating back to 2000, at Wignacourt Museum in Rabat.
The artist is renowned for recycling plastic mineral bottles to construct sculptures that deliver an environmental message. This exhibition, however, also includes his paintings which range from ones that have a strong pop-art imagery, featuring mostly ballroom dancers, to others having an oriental theme and on to multi-thematic collages.
Versatility runs until December 28. The museum is open daily from 9.30am to 5pm, with last entry at 4.15pm.
Artsy Christmas
Christmas-related artworks and more by a number of artists are on show at the Art by the Seaside gallery in Senglea until the end of the month, following an extension.
The collective exhibition, as the name indicates, is linked to the Christmas season, having a wide range of hand-made arts, from candles, to jewellery to Christmas decorations and obviously wall hanging works.
Participating artists include Kevin Attard, Dave Calleja, David Debono, Rebecca Ranieri, Thomas Scerri and Kevin Sciberras, among many others.
Refer to the venue’s Facebook page for more information.
Don Heywood: Artist in Residence at the Phoenicia
Don Heywood, a distinguished British painter specialising in portraits and wildlife studies, is currently exhibiting at the Palm Court Lounge of the Phoenicia Hotel.
The artist is presenting paintings related to the seven important migratory birds that are found on the Maltese islands, these being the hawfinch, the goldfinch, the linnet, the greenfinch, the siskin, the serin and the chaffinch.
Also included in this exhibition are three large paintings of two endangered species of wild animals, the snow leopard and the polar bear.
The exhibition, curated by Louis Laganà, runs at Phoenicia Malta until January 1.
Art at the Corinthia Palace
The Corinthia Palace Hotel in Attard is hosting a collective exhibition of contemporary artworks by 13 local and international artists.
The paintings are from the Allura Art collection and range from landscapes and seascapes to florals and abstracts. They include new and previously unseen work.
The artists taking part are Andrew Borg, Christine Porter Lofaro, Jo Dounis, Kevin Sciberras, Debbie Bonello and Rosette Bonello from Malta and Christopher Saliba and Bob Cardona from Gozo. Foreign locals include British-Maltese painter Andrew Smith, Bulgarians Vania Goshe and Bogdan Dyulgerov, Natasha Dadush from Russia and Marianne Ogden from the US.
The exhibition runs until January 8. More information about the exhibition is available here.
Violets by Jo Dounis100 years – Commemorating Frank Portelli’s Art and Life
A small retrospective exhibition dedicated to artist Frank Portelli, one of the pioneers of Maltese modernism, is on at the Camerone, MUŻA, Valletta until January 8.
The oeuvre of Portelli, who was born 100 years ago, is at times very personal, like in his masterpiece La Vie, while at others he experiments with his version of cubism, which he termed as ‘crystallised cubism’.
100 years – Commemorating Frank Portelli’s Art and Life is a collaboration between MUŻA (Heritage Malta) and Frank Portelli’s family.
'The tree is saying things, in words before words'
Catherine Cavallo, a contemporary painter who lives and works in Malta, is presenting her latest collection at Il-Kamra ta' Fuq in Mqabba.
Her work is rooted in observations of the everyday, and looks to both the pockets of serenity and the upheavals that life presents for her inspiration. This is evident in her evocative figure compositions which are influenced both by daily life and by current world situations.
The exhibition runs until January 8. For more information and opening hours, visit the gallery's Facebook page.
Works by Catherine Cavallo on display at Il-Kamra ta' Fuq in Mqabba. Photo: Facebook/Il-Kamra ta' FuqExpressions
An exhibition by Rachel Galea at Il-Ħaġar - Heart of Gozo Museum features 31 of her latest works inspired by Gozo’s landscape.
The exhibition runs until January 10. The museum is open daily from 9am to 5pm. Entrance is free.
For more information, click here.
Sights and sites
A new exhibition by Silvio John Camilleri at the King’s Own Band Club in Valletta investigates contemporary reality in which the ugliness of roads and pristine countryside have to co-exist as a dichotomy in Malta’s way of life.
Yet, the artist deciphers beauty even in the most inauspicious of locations, such as in the geometry of the road network and its juxtaposition with trees, streetlights and general urban elements.
Sights and Sites, curated by Fleur-Marie Ebejer, is on until January 11. Refer to the artist’s Facebook profile for more information.
OTHER EXHIBITIONS
Sunetti: Minn Fomm u Qalb il-Poplu
Malta Libraries is holding an exhibition on Maltese sonnets at the National Library of Malta in Valletta.
It is open to the public, free of charge, until the end of December. One may visit between Monday and Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm and on Saturdays from 8.30am to 12.30pm.
The exhibition catalogue and a sonnet written specifically for the occasion and printed on silk (limited edition of 100) are available for sale from the Reading Room.
Some of the texts on display at the National Library. Photo: Malta LibrariesHonor Frost’s Malta: A Pioneer in the Centre of the Mediterranean
An exhibition highlighting underwater archaeologist Honor Frost’s connection to Malta is open at the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta.
Besides honouring Frost’s considerable legacy, the exhibition aims to offer a snapshot of Frost’s work in Malta through illustrations, artefacts and even some of her diving equipment.
The exhibition runs until January 15. Entrance is free of charge. One may visit the museum daily from 9am to 4.30pm.