Italian Teresa Cavina has been appointed artistic director of the Malta Mediterranean Film Festival, whose second edition will take place from June 22 to 30 in Valletta, the island’s capital.
Cavenagh, who has over twenty years of experience in programming and artistic director roles at festivals including Locarno, El Gouna, Rome, Venice and Abu Dhabi, curates the Mediterranean festival’s selection in four programming areas: In Competition, which showcases films from around the world; . Mediterranean sea; Out of competition, it includes films from the rest of the world; “Mare Nostrum” – “Our Sea”, showing feature films and documentaries dedicated to sustainability and the environment; and Visions of the Future – a selection of experimental virtual reality projects.
Last year’s inaugural Mediterranean Film Festival trial included a total of 24 films, nine of which competed for Golden Bee Awards. The ceremony was attended by more than 300 film professionals, according to a statement. Among the talents who made the trip to Malta are Eric Bana, Annabelle Wallis, Jared Harris, Natasha McAlone and Joaquim de Almeida.
“It is an incredible honor for me to lead the artistic direction of a festival dedicated to all countries of the Mediterranean and beyond,” Kafina said in a statement. “We want the Mediterranean to be a place of culture and global exchange, a place that enables film production and career launches. We want it to be an unmissable event that contributes to shaping the future of filmmaking in the Mediterranean region,” she added.
Malta’s Film Commissioner Johan Grech commented: “With Malta’s unique geographical location, throughout our history, we have been a bridge between different Mediterranean countries. A bridge between the continents of Europe and Africa. A bridge between Europe and the world.”