‘Are there any balls left in Malta?’ Film director lashes out at Piano theatre
Franica Pulis Leaving Malta 33 years ago hasn’t stopped Canada-based film director Mario Philip Azzopardi from remaining a Maltese citizen at heart.
“Malta’s interests are my interests. I have never got involved in any press debate but the Teatru Rjal conundrum is something that I am deeply concerned with,” Azzopardi said .
Director of ‘Il-Gagga’, episodes of TV series ‘Stargate Atlantis’ and ‘Angela’s Eyes’, to name a few, Azzopardi has lately taken to the ongoing Renzo Piano controversy with gusto on Facebook.
Asked on Facebook to suggests a course of action to stop the government’s plans, Azzopardi’s advice was: “Public disobedience. Disrupt the work. Sit in our thousands in the bulldozers way. Sit-ins on the site. WE DO NOT WANT THE PARLIAMENT. GIVE US OUR THEATRE BACK. Are there any balls left out there?”
“Yes, if it came to a sit down strike, I would fly down to participate in it,” he affirmed when asked if he would come down to Malta to lead such a protest. “However, I am not sure how many would support this action.”
But what makes him think the government would change its position? After all, nothing happened when thousands protested against the hike in utility tariffs. Furthermore, Austin Gatt said the decision about the theatre is final...
“Regarding the tariffs of water and electricity I cannot comment with much authority. I don’t know all the facts. What I do know is these tariffs are being raised everywhere. It’s a problem all societies have to face, and Malta is no exception. The answer isn’t in charging less. but in using less energy and finding alternative ways for power. It is a problem that has to be faced. Malta has to buy energy, and someone has to pay for it. The Maltese taxpayer has no alternative, however painful it might be. Those are the realities of the modern world in which we live.
“However, Austin Gatt’s reaction to the theatre is very unfortunate. If this project goes forward it is not a PN win, but a national loss. We are all going to lose, including our children and their children.
“I cannot understand the objection to what the artists are saying… Actually I can understand it, and it is not that difficult to recognize that damn stupid, immature national malaise: blind political partisanship. I hope the reason why the PL has kept silent on this issue is because it did not want to politicise it, and leave it purely to the people to fight or ignore.”
He added that those who favour these plans “are unfortunately not seeing, or better still, refusing to see the whole picture. The site is very dear and important in the Maltese psyche and is the subject of an extremely emotional issue. That is why I have involved myself in this.
“We have a chance to return the site to the national significance it once held, but pundits and loudmouths have repeated one untenable excuse after another. They have made fun of and ridiculed the people who sacrifice their free time to bring art, beauty, culture to them. If they succeeded in alienating the people, then their arrogant and cavalier shunning of the arts will be upon their heads. Man does not live on bread alone, goes the saying. Malta needs a national theatre, don’t let anyone dissuade you from that. It is a right and need. It is a prerogative and a duty.”
Azzopardi points out how artists have put forward arguments and reasons why the present plans do not work: “The powers that chose to ignore them, and the silly commentators have rallied behind a political agenda rather than discuss the needs of the country. This indeed is a pity, a disaster.”
He explained why he wrote to the papers “suggesting an impossible dream, based on my deluded impression that in Malta there was still that romantic belief that when the shit hits the fan, the Maltese would rise up to confront any adversity such as this one – which, again, is not a political issue, but is a crisis that will affect the artistic, emotional, and cultural heritage of my country of origin, which I still love, respect and would love to be able to contribute to.”
Azzopardi asks: “Do these reasons deserve the cynicism of certain journalists and media contributors? I don’t think so. There were a couple of well-thought out arguments that went against the idea of a resurgent national theatre, and I respect those thoughts even if I do not agree with them. However, the misinformation and lies that were bandied about in the name of a political party’s agenda are not worthy of anyone who has Malta’s interests at heart.
“I condemn both parties for this state of affairs in Malta. But that’s another subject. What we must be very mindful of is the way artists were ignored, which is shameful and will cost us all. Why are certain people rejoicing about this? Why are people taking this so lightly and don’t they realize what’s at stake here?”
Azzopardi left us with an impassioned appeal.
“Is it worth making a last-ditch attempt to awaken my fellow Maltese (not party members, but Maltese citizens), and urge them to stand up and claim their rightful ownership of their heritage and cultural well being? It’s been ignored for far too long and the consequences are many and very obvious. That’s why I asked: are there any balls left out there?”
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