Solar Cinema

I recently had an article published in the Times of Malta about a Solar powered cinema that was returning to Malta for the Valletta 2018 Capital of Culture.

The project had already been in Malta previously, but as its ever-growing presence expanded further and further across the globe, they decided to partner with the Valletta 2018 foundation to become one its focal events during Valletta 2018.

The project was founded by Maureen Prins back in 2009 in the Netherlands, but has acquired a global presence, where it is now travelling to some of the most unusual places that the world has to offer.

The project utilises the sun’s solar power in order to generate enough energy for its 10-hour-long batteries for its huge projection screen.

The van that carries the solar panels, will sit during the day or tour on the road in the sunlight, which will generate enough electricity for multiple screenings. So, if a rainy day is in store, the project will always be ready for this and they can ‘stock up’ on extra power if needed.

I found the entire ethos and thought behind this project to be entirely innovative and unique. It offers some of the most hard-to-reach locations, the capabilities to showcase and view local film makers works, which in turn will help to boost the promotion of media in that given area.

The project recently visited the Sahara desert, where they provided some refugee camps with the tools and capabilities of producing their own films.

I wanted to visit the project myself and tour one of the locations that they would be screening a locally or environmentally themed film. So, I headed to Selmun Palace in Mellieha, where they would be screening Enroute, a programme of short films that showcases travelling to unknown places.

This seemed very fitting to my own personal scenario at the moment, as I too, took the plunge in travelling somewhere completely unusual and entirely out of my comfort zone.

The screening itself was very popular and when we arrived there, there were few spaces left to sit. However, we managed to park ourselves within a good distance of the screen, but not too close as to where you have to strain your neck in an upwards angle to see the production.

The production was given a short introduction as it welcomed the films to be featured in the programme, all of which sounded incredibly interesting and unique.

My favourite of the bunch was Journey Birds – an animated short film that explored the experiences entailed with migration, which seemed very fitting during the period of time where migration was a prominent issue in the world of news at the moment.

The screening itself was very well organised and ran without a hiccup. The project is one that I believe everyone should experience and also support.

Without the support of the local people, project’s such as this would not run and would not be able to survive.