Three of these four names are internationally acclaimed, one is an Oscar nominee, and another is a Golden Globe nominee.
A Masterclass on scriptwriting in both television and film will be held between Monday and Wednesday. The Masterclass will be led by Dr John Collee, scriptwriter of 'Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World', a film which won two Oscars and which stars Russell Crowe. Dr Collee also wrote the script for the popular movie 'Happy Feet' which won the Oscar for Best Animated Film in 2007. The three sessions will start at 9.30am and will be held at Spazju Kreattiv - St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity in Valletta.
The Masterclass is being organised by the Directorate for Culture within the Ministry of Justice, Culture and Local Government in collaboration with the Australian High Commission in Malta, the Broadcasting Authority, the Maltese Council Arts and the Malta Film Commission.
Between Wednesday 11 September and Saturday 14 September, the first edition of the Malta Film Conversations will take place. Every evening, at 6.30pm, a film will be screened at the Spazju Kreattiv - St James Cavalier Valletta and film critic Mario Azzopardi will interview one of the key players in the making of each film.
On Wednesday, 11 September, 'Hotel Mumbai' will be screened. This is the most recent script from Dr John Collee. The film is based on real-life events when, in November 2008, ten terrorists carried out twelve attacks over four days in Mumbai, India. The film stars Dev Patel who, in 2017, was nominated for an Oscar. After the screening, a discussion will be held with Dr John Collee. The public is invited to attend and ask questions.
On Thursday, 12 September, the controversial film 'A Clockwork Orange' directed by Stanley Kubrick will be screened. The guest for this screening will be the star of the film, Malcolm McDowell himself, who was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his role.
On Friday, 13 September, a screening of 'Pulp Fiction' will be held. It remains one of the most important films from the nineties. One of the actors in 'Pulp Fiction' is Harvey Keitel who dominates the final portion of the film. The guest for this evening who will be holding an interactive discussion with the audience will be Harvey Keitel who is also an Oscar nominee.
Both Malcolm McDowell and Harvey Keitel will participate in these conversations with the collaboration of Just Noise Ltd. This company is a joint venture between the Maltese Arts Council, the Ministry of Justice, Culture and Local Government, and Monolith Productions.
Just Noise Ltd. is producing the film 'Noise' based on a script by Jean Pierre Magro. The film is about the events of 7 June 1919. The film will be under the direction of Davide Ferrario, winner of two independent awards at the 2004 Berlin Festival. The film producers are Aaron Briffa, Pedja Militic and Jean Piere Magro. This is the first film a Maltese production will include two internationally acclaimed actors: Harvey Keitel and Malcolm McDowell. The Culture Directorate of the Ministry for Justice, Culture and Local Government is grateful to the producers to make both actors available for the Malta Film Conversations.
For the final screening on Saturday, 14 September, a Maltese film will be screened - the thriller 'Silhouette' from director Mark Doneo. This film was released in October 2013. Mark Doneo will be in attendance for the follow-up discussion where the audience will have the opportunity to hear the views of someone who has worked for several years in the local film and television industries.
The public is invited to attend and participate in these Film Conversations. Bookings are available from Spazju Kreattiv - St James Cavalier. As seats are limited, early booking is recommended.