Valletta Open-Air Cinema Explains Choice Of Hollywood Films: ‘We Want To Attract As Many People As Possible To Capital’
A spokesperson for the Valletta Cultural Agency (VCA) has defended the decision to screen blockbusters at the Cinema City event happening this month, saying that “the films were chosen primarily to appeal to the widest range of public.”
Following the Government of Malta’s announcement on 22nd May that open-air cinema screenings may be organised as part of its easing of COVID-19 measures, the VCA organised a “cultural activity permissible within restrictions active at the time.”
Members of the creative sector expressed their disappointment at the VCA’s decision to put up an event screening solely Hollywood films. Some also saw Cinema City as a quick replacement for the Valletta Film Festival, which was cancelled following the implementation of COVID-19 restrictions and cuts to public funding.
“The films were chosen primarily to appeal to the widest range of public so as to attract as many people as possible to Valletta,” a spokesperson for the VCA said, “Valletta has suffered tremendously socially, economically and culturally during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The VCA said that through the implementation of the Cinema City project, amongst other cultural events, the organisation seeks to facilitate the “revival of our capital city.”