To celebrate J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit’s 75th anniversary and in anticipation of the forthcoming ‘The Hobbit’ film in local cinemas, Euro Media Forum, Science is Culture in conjunction with Eden Cinemas are organising an event comprising a discussion and exhibition, taking place on Monday 10 December at 6pm at the Workers Memorial Building, South Street Valletta. Entrance is free.  Film researcher Justin Camilleri talks to Erika Brincat

 

Who is organising the discussion?

The discussion is being organised by Euro Media Forum in conjunction with Eden Cinemas. I will be presenting the event and moderating the discussion while Tolkien enthusiast Andrew Ciarlo and Tolkien researcher Mark Anthony Fenech will take the audience on a fascinating journey as to what inspired the professor to create Middle Earth and how it was brought to life by Peter Jackson with the Lord of the Rings trilogy and now The Hobbit. The speakers will seek to answer intriguing questions that will undoubtedly lead to an interactive discussion with the audience on whether The Hobbit and LOTR are an allegory of J.R.R Tolkien’s life or events in the 20th century such as World War I and II. Speakers will also give an insight into how Peter Jackson adapted the book into a film script and if The Hobbit/LOTR is part of popular culture on the same league as Star Wars. To spice up the evening there will also be on display a Hobbit and LOTR memorabilia exhibition.

 

How did this event come about?

With The Hobbit celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and in anticipation of the forthcoming The Hobbit film there is no better time to acknowledge its timeless qualities. 75 years later The Hobbit still holds a treasured position in the canon of children’s literature. Today’s children are discovering it prior to the film release just like children back in 2001 read Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings to draw comparisons with the films. Some even read it after having watched Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring. So it goes to show that even in this day and age of Facebook and Twitter that some basic things like the joy of reading through discovering new worlds in literature has not changed. Indeed, we welcome and support this notion and hope our event encourages people to read these books and come up with their own interpretation of Middle Earth.

From that famous opening sentence: “In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit…” and the rest, as they say is history. 75 years later The Hobbit still holds a treasured position in the canon of children’s literature. With that single line alone, readers were instantly hooked as they became immersed in a new world namely Middle Earth. Thus, from Tolkien’s ten words on a blank page, the bestselling fantasy novel epic was born. The Return to Middle Earth discussion event celebrates J.R.R Tolkien’s enduring legacy.

 

Are you a big J.R.R. Tolkien fan?

To be honest I became a Tolkien fan having seen the first film back in 2001. Prior to that my bias was strictly in analysing the Star Wars storylines which I believe have been influenced by Tolkien’s works such as Gandalf being the father to Obi Wan Kenobi and Luke SkyWalker bearing a strong resemblance to Frodo and Bilbo Baggins. In this media induced world we live I believe the movies were catalyst in boosting the books’ popularity and there is no better time to analyse and read about the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.

 

Please tell us more about the drawing competitions?

We have organised two competitions - one for children up till the age of 13, and the other is for ages 16 and over. Children have to draw their favourite fantasy character and 16 year old and over have to draw and colour their favourite Hobbit or Lord of the Rings character. The Children’s competition winner will receive two tickets, plus one ticket for an accompanying parent to watch any suitable rated film at Eden Cinemas.

The ages 16 and over competition winner will be the receiver of two tickets to watch the Hobbit screening on Thursday December 13th at Eden Cinemas at 9.15 p.m., including free parking. The second prize is a complimentary voucher valid for two persons for any other movie. All participants are allowed one entry, which should be on A4 paper, together with full name, age, address, telephone number and identification number of participant. Entries can be submitted by post or delivered by hand to the reception staff at the Workers Memorial Building, South Street, Valletta, VLT 1103, during office hours. The closing date is 10th December at 3 p.m.

 

Is the event solely for avid Tolkien fans?

This event is aimed for everyone. Entrance is free. The speakers will take the audience on a fascinating journey as to what inspired the professor to create Middle Earth and how it was brought to life by Peter Jackson with the Lord of the Rings trilogy and now The Hobbit. Speakers will also give an insight into how Peter Jackson adapted the book into a film script and if The Hobbit/LOTR is part of popular culture on the same league as Star Wars. And most importantly where are Tolkien’s characters headed.

 

Will audience participation be encouraged?

Yes, the audience is invited to participate and put forward to the panel their questions regarding their favourite character or scene from the book or film. The speakers promise an interesting debate and fantastic entertainment, seeking to answer the questions about Tolkien’s world.

A Tolkien quiz is also being organised where the first winner will win an all inclusive package – two cinema tickets, a bowling game for two persons and free parking. The second winner will win two cinema tickets and free parking. The third winner will win two cinema tickets.

The quiz will consist of questions related to Tolkien trivia and characters, scenes from both the books and Peter Jackson’s films related to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. So quiz participants must keep their eyes open on the Hobbit and LOTR clues!

We also have an exhibition of Hobbit LOTR memorabilia such as collectibles, swords and shields that will be on display between 10 and 11 December, and again between 18 and 22 December between 9am and 7pm. It’s very important that members of the audience book their seat in advance by text on 99454066 or email [email protected].

 

For more information regarding the Return to Middle Earth event and the Lord of the Rings exhibition please call 99454066, email [email protected] or log in http://www.facebook.com/Euro.Media.Forum

 

J. R. R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, (3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’.

Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College, Oxford, from 1925 to 1945 and Merton Professor of English Language and Literature there from 1945 to 1959. He was at one time a close friend of C. S. Lewis - they were both members of the informal literary discussion group known as the Inklings.

After his death, Tolkien's son Christopher published a series of works based on his father's extensive notes and unpublished manuscripts. These, together with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings form a connected body of tales, poems, fictional histories, invented languages, and literary essays about a fantasy world called Arda, and Middle-earth within it.

While many other authors had published works of fantasy before Tolkien, the great success of ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ led directly to a popular resurgence of the genre. This has caused Tolkien to be popularly identified as the "father" of modern fantasy literature or, more precisely, of high fantasy. In 2008, ‘The Times’ (UK) ranked him sixth on a list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945.