At a press conference held on 2 February at the PBS headquarters in Guardamangia, the executive chairman of the National Book Council (NBC), Mark Camilleri together with PBS chairman, Tonio Portughese signed the memorandum of agreement to launch the Short Film Contest - a collaborative project between both entities in a bid to locally strengthen the mutually beneficial relationship between literature and the medium of film/television productions. Also present for the occasion was Dr Owen Bonnici, the minister for Justice, Culture and Local Government.

Following the success of last year's collaboration between NBC and One - the short-film adaptation of Immanuel Mifsud's short-story Laqgħa ma' Mara Morbi by Shadeena which was premiered during the 2014 edition of the National Book Festival - the NBC and PBS have come to an agreement to synergize and launch this cultural initiative which will eventually bring more quality texts through the national broadcasting platform.

This contest accepts proposals to fund short films based on locally published books or short stories. Funds for the selected proposal will be issued following a rigorous and official judging procedure. The applications together with the rules and regulations are officially out and producers and directors are encouraged to apply.

To download an application form and for the Rules and Regulations log onto www.ktieb.org.mt