Malta Pride Week

Malta Pride Week culminates today with the Malta Pride March and Concert.

Participants in the Pride are meeting at Castille Place, Valletta, at 5pm to then march towards Triton Square, where the Malta Pride Concert will start at 7.30pm.

Among others performing in the concert are local acts Denise, Mara, Stefan, The Clintess, Ryan Hili, Howdy Daddy and Chester Hayes. There will also be tribute acts of Diana Ross, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Cher, and drag acts by Saturgay, House of Laverve, feat. Bella Stardust, and international drag stars Davina Devine, MIZZA, Sophia Harte, Pixie Wood and Chantelle Perez.

An official after-Pride party, named Proud & Loud, will follow at Sky Club, Paceville, from 10pm onwards. Performing at the event will be Romania's Eurovision 2022 representative, WRS, together with international GoGo dancers and deejays CB and Marbee.

Another Pride after-party, titled Code Red, will take place at Beachaven in Xemxija from 10pm onwards. Performing there will be I. You, Keane and Carlo Gerado.

There will also be a Queer Art Pop Up event at 19, St John Street, Valletta, from 4pm onwards. The aim is to convene a diverse network of artists, performers and creatives to offer an array of public programming and interactive projects to bring the community together.

Malta Pride Week comes to an end tomorrow. For more information, visit www.maltapride.org and the Malta Pride Facebook page.

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MUSIC

Rockestra

The annual rock spectacle in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund is being held once again today at the MFCC in Ta’ Qali.

Some of Malta’s best known singers, including Ira Losco, Amber, Chris Grech, Moira Stafrace, Frank Calleja, Mikaela, Klinsmann and Cheryl Balzan, will be interpreting songs by Guns ’N Roses, Pink Floyd, Queen, Coldplay, Nirvana and One Republic, among many others. The Rock Troupers and students of Stage Coach will also take part.

They will be accompanied by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and other musicians such as Wayne Camilleri, Luca Colombo, Jonathan Ellul, Simon Agius and Jonathan Spiteri.

The event starts at 8.30pm. For tickets, click here.

Levant Music Festival

The second and final day of the two-day music festival in Xewkija will see local acts Rubberband, deejay Junior B and Tribali performing from 9pm onwards.

Entrance to the event, being held next to the Xewkija heliport, is free of charge. For more information, visit the event's Facebook page.

THEATRE

MADC One-Act Play Festival

The 43rd edition of the Malta Amateur Dramatic Club’s (MADC) One Act Play Festival is being held until tomorrow at the MADC Playhouse in Santa Venera.

This year’s line-up offers a mix of dramas and comedies.

Say What??? – an adult comedy written by Ashley Nader, The Fourth Wall by Michael Mangion, and Darlings, You Were Wonderful! written by Derek Lomas, will be staged today, while Silence by Harold Pinter, What’s for Pudding? written by David Tristram and Is This Seat Taken? by Sean Baker are being presented tomorrow.

A number of awards will be handed out after the performance of the final play tomorrow.

For tickets and more information, visit www.madc.com.mt.

Ma Kuraġġ u Wliedha

The anti-war play, written by exiled German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and translated into Maltese by Loranne Vella, is being staged again this weekend at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta.

Set in 17th-century Europe, the Ma Kuraġġ u Wliedha (Mother Courage and Her Children) follows Anna Fierling and her three children as she operates a rolling canteen business during the Thirty Years War. She fiercely travels across Europe in a covered wagon, selling goods to locals and alcohol to soldiers to make a head-earned living.

The Teatru Malta co-production with the Manoel Theatre stars Josette Ciappara in the main role, together with Rebecca Camilleri, Matthew Dimech Genius, Jamie Cardona, Simone Spiteri and Mark Mifsud, among others. 

It is directed by Jean-Marc Cafa’ with musical direction by Aleandro Spiteri Monsigneur, costumes by Isabel Warrington and set design by Romualdo Moretti.

The play in Maltese, certified 12+, is being staged again today and tomorrow at 8pm. For more information and tickets, click here.

The production is supported by the German Embassy in Malta.

FILM

Kino Dreams: The Reveries of Wim Wenders 

Spazju Kreattiv is this month paying homage to the prolific German film-maker, screenwriter, playwright, author and photographer Wim Wenders, through a retrospective of his films.

Wenders is considered to be one of the most important figures in contemporary European film and has collaborated with many of the most influential film-makers and artists, from Michelangelo Antonioni and Nicholas Ray to Pina Bausch and Yohji Yamamoto. His films cross genres and forms and have been influenced by European and American film-making traditions.

The progamme continues today with the screening of the 4D restored version of the 1987 film Wings of Desire (1987) at 8.30pm.

In this drama/fantasy film starring Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin and Peter Falk, an angel tires of his purely ethereal life of merely overseeing the human activity of Berlin's residents, and longs for the tangible joys of physical existence when he falls in love with a mortal. 

The film programme will continue with Alice in the Cities (1974) on September 15, Kings of the Road (1976) on September 17, The American Friend on September 22, The Salt of the Earth (2014) on September 24 and Pina (2011) on September 29.

For more information and tickets, click here.

Anime Festival

The Eden Cinemas in St Julian’s is hosting its first-ever Anime Festival, showing feature-length films of some of the most popular anime series of all time, including Dragon Ball Z, Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia.

All films are dubbed in English or are screened in Japanese with English subtitles.

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising is currently being shown.

For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page and the Eden Cinemas website.

PHOTOGRAPHY

150 / Richard Ellis

The Richard Ellis Archive, consisting of 39,000+ glass negatives documenting the period in Malta and Gozo between 1861 and 1938, has been digitised in archival-grade quality for the first time in its history. 

The British-Maltese photographer (January 1842-December 1924) was one of the pioneers of photography in Malta during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Thirty large prints taken from his archive will now be exhibited at Spazju Kreattiv, in Valletta, until October 23.

The exhibition is curated by Charles Paul Azzopardi and Ian Ellis. For more information, click here.

Wiki Loves Monuments 2022

Malta is once again taking part in Wiki Loves Monuments, the Guinness World Record holder for the largest photography competition, which has reached its seventh edition.

The competition brings together photographers from around the world to take stunning pictures of Malta’s cultural heritage, which are to be shared on Wikipedia. Participation is free and open to all. The deadline for all submissions is September 30.

Photo uploading workshops will be held throughout September.

A jury composed of experts within the fields of cultural heritage, photography and Wikipedia will be selecting the winning entries and 10 submissions will be nominated for the international Wiki Loves Monuments contest, with the opportunity to win further prizes.

For details, visit www.wikimalta.org and the Wikimedia Community Malta Facebook page.

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OTHER EVENTS

Qormi Cheese & Wine Festival

The second edition of the Qormi Cheese & Wine Cheese Festival is taking place today from 7pm onwards in Main Street, Qormi, in front of St George’s parish church.

There will be over 30 cheese and wine options available, besides live entertainment and a children’s play area.

Claudia Faniello and DBanned will be the main performers on stage.

Entrance is free but a token system will apply to buy the cheese and wine. More information is available on the event’s Facebook page.

Lunchtime tours at Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum

The Mdina palazzo is hosting a guided lunthtime tour around its significant collection, highlighting objects linked to the rich cultural heritage of the Maltese islands and focusing on its people, trades and traditions.

Gustav Café is open to guests for refreshments on the rooftop terrace of the museum.

Bookings against against a suggested donation of €10 can be made via e-mail at bookings@palazzofalson.com or by calling on 2145 4512.  Pre-bookings are recommended.

The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday. For information about opening hours and more, visit www.palazzofalson.com.

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EXHIBITIONS

Bellum in Mundum

An exhibition of works that reimagine a world shaken beyond its tipping point by Tonio Mallia is closing tomorrow, September 11.

Curated by Giulia Privitelli, Bellum in Mundum is on display at  on display at MUŻA – Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta.

The museum is open daily from 9am to 4.30pm. For more information, visit muza.mt.

One may also read the Times of Malta interview with the artist.

Disrobed

A collective exhibition by more than 10 artists is on display at the Art by the Seaside gallery in Senglea wraps up tomorrow, September 11.

These include Gabriel Spiteri, Trevor Diacono, Feng Hongzhao, Patrick Scicluna, Alison Agius, Ray Agius, Amber Fenech, Alexia Baldacchino, Edoardo La Francesca, David Debono and Chris Ebejer.

For opening hours and more information, visit the Facebook page of the gallery found at 65, Triq il-Mina, Senglea.

Lost in the Ether

Nicole Sciberras Debono's first solo exhibition at Il-Kamra Ta' Fuq in Mqabba closes on Monday, September 12. 

Through her works, the artist brings forward esoteric narratives of a domestic familiarity, with notes on online and para-social relationships, and the reflections of a young woman in a contemporary society.

The gallery is open today from 6am to noon, tomorrow from 7am to noon and on Monday from 6am to noon. For more information, visit Il-Kamra ta' Fuq Facebook page.

Read the Times of Malta review here.

Ħbieb

A group of women who meet regularly to paint together are putting on an exhibition at the Razzett tal-Markiż Mallia Tabone in Mosta.

They are Joanne Azzopardi, Audrey Vella, Judith Dingli, Fabiola Agius Anastasi, Mariuccia Zammit, Josephine Hili, Marita Fenech, Graziella Calleja, Elena Toncheva, Yvette Carabott and Maria Cauchi.

Titled Ħbieb, the collective exhibition opens today and runs until September 18. Opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 6 to 8pm. On Sundays, the centre is also open from 10am to noon.

For more information, visit the Razzett tal-Markiż – Cultural Centre Facebook page.

Tempus Edax Rerum 

Artist David Borg attempts to explore the representation of time and the thematic concept of the human condition through a series of woodcut prints on display at Gemelli Framing in Ta’ Qali. 

The exhibition, curated by Hannah Dowling, runs until September 24. 

For more information, visit the exhibition’s Facebook page.

Exhibition by art group Brushes

The artistic group Brushes is putting on its eighth exhibition at Palazzo Ferreria, 310, Republic Street, Valletta.

Artists Fabiola Agius Anastasi, Adrian Camilleri, John Caruana and Madeleine Vella Satariano are taking part.

The works on display include aquarelles and acrylics and varied themes.

The exhibition will be open to the public until September 28. Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 9am to 6pm and Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 1pm.

The Cappuccino Brigade

The ninth solo exhibition of Debbie Caruana Dingli is on display at the Palm Court Lounge of The Phoenicia, in Floriana.

Curated by Charlene Vella, the collection of watercolour works is based on the artist's observations of the native Maltese population and is named after one of the paintings on display whose heroine is a bossy woman, often pictured in the artist's colourful works.

The exhibition will be open throughout September.

Read an article by the curator here.

An Ode in Stone

An exhibition of limestone sculptures by artist Joe Xuereb has opened at The Phoenicia's Deep Nature Spa.

His rounded figures and forms represent universal shortcomings among humans such as greed, solitude and the entrapments of love. 

An Ode in Stone, curated by Louis Laganà, runs until the end of September.

Read the Times of Malta interview with the artist.

Amelia Saint George works at The Phoenicia

Artist Amelia Saint George is exhibiting a number of her sculptures at The Phoenicia, Floriana.

The sculptures are in clay, bronze and mixed media, and portray animals, which Saint George is particularly well-known for, as well as some humorous sculptures that are more closely associated with her portrait sculptures.

Saint George, who has made Valletta her home, is an established, award-winning contemporary sculptor who has exhibited locally and internationally. She is also the author of several books on diverse subjects and holds sculpting lessons in her Valletta studio.

One may view her works at The Phoenicia’s reception area until the end of September.

Dying Planet

Illustrator, designer and visual London-based artist ‘iella’ (Daniela Attard) is presenting a body of illustration work and paintings focusing on climate anxiety and existential dread at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta.

The artworks on display focus on the global impact of climate change with some reference to local issues and include strange figurative work and characters which serve as modern allegories.

The exhibition runs until October 9. For more information, visit www.kreattivita.org. 

Willie Apap – Colour and Light 

A retrospective exhibition of works by Willie Apap (1918-1970), considered one of Malta’s leading exponents of 20th-century art, is currently on at Il-Ħaġar – Heart of Gozo Museum in Victoria.

The 70 works on display feature portraits, landscapes and still-lifes, dancers, human figures, sacred and ethnic works in oils and inks, and are accompanied by a lavish 100-page GEMS # 20 catalogue.

The exhibition, curated by Maria Cassar, runs until October 10. Opening hours are from Monday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Entrance is free.

The exhibition is supported by the Malta Tourism Authority and the Gozo Ministry’s Cultural Directorate. For more information, visit the museum’s Facebook page.

Read the Times of Malta interview with the exhibition's curator Maria Cassar here.

Meet the Phoenicians of Malta

A Phoenician stone sarcophagus excavated last year at Għajn Klieb, on the outskirts of Rabat, is one of the major attractions of an exhibition that has opened at the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta.

The exhibition brings to light the results of months of painstaking studies by a multidisciplinary team researching the sarcophagus and two other tombs discovered in the area, as well as their contents. The three tombs, although inherently different, shed light on the burial rituals of the earliest Phoenicians on the island.

The exhibition is open until October 30. The museum in Republic Street, Valletta, is open from Monday to Sunday from 9am to 4.30pm. Entrance to the exhibition is free of charge.

Dumnikani fil-Palazz: Home & Temple

A new exhibition at the Inquisitor's Palace in Vittoriosa tells of the special relationship between the palace and the neighbouring Dominican Order, especially in the post-war years.

Enemy war bombing in 1941 had left the Dominican community without a convent and a church, and they found temporary refuge beyond Vittoriosa. But they were called back by the need to fulfil their spiritual and educational mission among their people.

Eighty years ago, in August 1942, the Dominicans asked for temporary shelter at the Inquisitor’s Palace and, for almost two decades, the palace became the community’s home and temple.

The exhibition runs until January 8. The Inquisitor's Palace is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 4.30pm. 

whatson@timesofmalta.com