ROUTES & STORYTELLING MALTA: THE LOCATIONS BEHING THE MYTHS FAMOUS: Film Festivals and Movie Tourism Across UNESCO Sites 18 months st st (1 May 2018 – 31 October 2019) Project: COS-TOURCCI-2017-03-03 TABLE OF CONTENTS *Note: numbers correspond to the sites that are marked in the maps below. A) MAPPING B) STORYTELLING DEVELOPMENT 1.2.3 Malta’s seaside, under the Plangent Rain Locations: Forti Sant' Anġlu, Auberge De France, Grand Harbour 4. In memoriam of Simshar Locations: The Malta Maritime Museum. References to the Church of Our Lady of Pompei - Madonna ta' Pompei and Marsaxlokk. 5.6. Valletta in the II World War: Malta’s story Locations: Valetta Waterfront, Lascaris War Rooms 7.8 Fort Saint Elmo: meeting point of international productions Locations: Fort Saint Elmo & Upper Barrakka gardens MAPPING GENERAL VIEW OF THE ROUTE: ADDITIONAL SHORT TRIP (SEE REFERENCES AT POINT 4) CORRELATION OF SITES AND FILMS/FILM EVENTS: STORYTELLING DEVELOPMENT Malta’s origins as mythical land, therefore, come from afar. With 7.000 years of culture and history, Malta is home to many myths and legends. The islands of Gozo and Malta have logged appearances in Homer’s Odyssey and The Bible, and Malta itself has even been proposed as the site of Atlantis. These stories have been a source of inspiration for artists for centuries. This attraction intensified during the period when Malta was under the British colonial rule, and the island, more than a bastion or citadel, became considered an exotic enclave in the middle of the Mediterranean, halfway between the East and the West. Malta’s intimidating fortifications suddenly were seen as a vestige of a past from where medieval knights defended the values of their civilization against the dangers lurking across the ocean. Inspired by the islander way of living, Romantic poet Lord Byron, for instance, described La Valletta as an island of "bells, yells and smells”. 1.2.3 Malta’s seaside, under the Plangent Rain Locations: Forti Sant' Anġlu, Auberge De France, Grand Harbour Our first Malta-made story, the short film Plangent Rain (watch here), is a tribute to this tradition. Through an adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet, Plangent Rain comprises the essence of the island in a story that shows La Valletta as a site tainted by the anguish of its protagonist. The silent bells that warn of the nearness of death, the smell of the sea, the yells of a man who seeks revenge... Who said you can’t have Byron and Shakespeare at the same time?! In the film, the main character a young man who is torn between his natural ineptitude and the need to break away from the clutches of his bleak environment. As the son of a sailor, the boy lives a mockery of his father's life, rowing a rotting boat across an ancient harbour. The film explores the man’s frustration with his life, and the union between his overbearing mother and his devious uncle. Soaked in a dark, liquefied decrepitude, La Valletta goes from being the idyllic, sunny and warm place we are used to contemplating in postcards and advertisements, to a suffocating scenario implacably whipped by the rain. Prisoner of his torment, the man reaches Forti Sant' Anġlu, one of Malta’s most well-known landmarks. It was fortified in 1530, when the Order of Saint John came to the island. This massive fort has several rooms that reflect its crucial role in the Maltese history. Beneath the fort lies a prison which was greatly feared and housed many high-ranking offenders within the order. In 1609 the famous painter Caravaggio was imprisoned at St Angelo after found guilty of injuring a knight during a quarrel. Speaking of knights, it is mandatory to bring into the discussion some of the history of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, also known as the Knights of Mata. The order was constituted around 1085, to look after the sick in Jerusalem, and it wasn’t until the crusades that they started to be a military corps. The knights settled in Malta in 1530 (after leaving Jerusalem, Rhodes, and Cyprus), thanks to the mercy of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who gave them the lands and the authorization. By then, Malta was a frontier between the Christian and the Muslim alliance. In the act of donation of Malta, Charles V also included the islands of Gozo and Tripoli. In exchange, the Order obliged itself to make an annual tribute to the emperor and his mother, Joanna of Castille. Payable every All Saints day, the tribut consisted in the delivery of a falcon. The history of the Maltese falcon has inspired many works. Among them is the first John Houston film, starring Humphrey Bogart, which was shot in 1941, to adapt a novel of Dashet Hammett with the same name. In the film, considered the first of noir cinema, the gift falcon was actually a piece covered in jewels and diamonds. According to historians, the great grand entrance in Malta of the first commander of the kinghts of St John, Philippe Villiers de l’Isle-Adam, took place ion 26 October 1530, day in which he sailed into Malta's Grand Harbour to take claim of the island. Malta’s Grand Harbour commands the respect of many sailors, visitors and historians of all nationalities. This deep natural harbour has been regarded as a safe refuge since ancient times. Breathtaking views of Fort St.Angelo, Fort Ricasoli and thehistoric Three Cities of Bormla, Birgu and Isla, on one side and the magnificent re-developed Pinto Vaults on the other. As you might be expecting, being a story whose protagonist is a fisherman, this harbour also appears in Plangent rain. 4. In memoriam of Simshar Locations: The Malta Maritime Museum. References to Church of Our Lady of Pompei - Madonna ta' Pompei. Reference to Marsaxlokk. As the history of the Grand Harbour shows, the sea life has always played an important role in the life and development of the island, through sailoring and through fishing. As we have already pointed out at the beginning of this route, the eternal presence of the sea has given rise, throughout history, to many legends rooted in the folkloric tradition of Malta. One of them is Atlantis. First described by Plato, the sunken city of Atlantis has always fascinated archaeologists, historians and scholars of the classical world. Although there is some divergence on the exact location of this submerged (and imaginary, according to some!) city, Malta has always been one of the most commonly targeted locations, due to the temples of Ġgantija, thee Ta’ Ħaġrat Temples and the Skorba temples. The oldest of them dates from 3600 BC, which makes it one of the oldest preserved monuments in history. It is surprising, however, the complexity of its form and the civil ingenuity that is perceived behind its structure. Are they the vestiges of an ancient civilization, much more advanced in its time than its contemporaries? Some say so, at least! Unfortunately, not every story born in the sea is so hopeful. The life of sailors and fishers of Malta might be full of the wonders of the sea, but also of its dangers, as the exhibitions at the Malta Martitime Museum show. In 2008, the boat Simshar departed the coast of Malta on a fishing trip, expected to return on 11 July. The boat was carrying five people, among the crew, its relatives and a Somali man. At some point, a blast took place on board ,destroying the boat. The five people on board survived the blast and survived for several days adrift a makeshift raft made of floating debris from the blast. This incident was dramatized in the film Simshar (2014). Based on true events, Simshar tells the story of a traditional Maltese fishing family who are left stranded in open water when an accident occurs on their rickety fishing boat. Meanwhile, also in the Mediterranean Sea, a Turkish merchant vessel rescues African migrants, but cannot disembark when neither Malta nor Italy will accept responsibility. The sea survival stories unravel in parallel and culminate tragically when the fishermen are mistaken for irregular migrants. A short trip departing from La Valletta can take us to the current locations of the film. Simshar was shot between different sites of the island of Malta and the finishing village of Marsaxlokk, in the south. At the south eastern tip of Malta sits the picturesque fishing village of Marsaxlokk. This charming little fishing village is popular for its daily open-air market, its fine fish restaurants, peaceful walks around the coast and harbour, the colourful luzzu boats and its secluded and untainted swimming areas. Another of the sites of the village that appears in the movie is amazing Roman Catholic church, devoted to Our Lady of Pompei, worth visiting for its beautiful gold, white and red indoors. Take special note of the historical statues that decorate the building and the superb paintings by Maltese artist Giuseppe Calì. Marsaxlokk is without a doubt a village to which any person interested in entering and getting to know the regional life of the island should approach. If you spend a few days on the island and feel like a change of scenery, a trip to Marsaxlokk is an excellent idea. A fascinating opportunity to mix with the locals and experience everyday Maltese life. The popular Marsaxlokk fish market takes place every Sunday and offers fresh-off-the-boat fish. The most popular fish in Malta are the Swordfish and blue fin tuna. During spring and autumn dophin fish or Dorado, known locally as ‘lampuki’ is caught in abundance and is very popular with the locals.