Today’s “Głos Wielkopolski” features an interview with the director of Malta festival – Michał Merczyński. In his conversation with Cyprian Łakomy he talks about the old and the new ways of presenting art on Malta, about the controversies surrounding Rodrigo Garcia’s ‘Golgotha Picnic’ and this year’s protests directed against one of the curators of the idiom – Oliver Frljic, as well as about the idiom itself and the program of the festival.
I will never betray the ideal I had when I was preparing the first edition of Malta 27 years ago. The festival has to be open, everyone must have access to it. Naturally, it is hard to expect people to take part in every one of the 290 events in 10 days, because it is impossible. I believe, however, that since there are so many events, everyone can trail their own path. Some will be drawn by the idiom, which is a sort of task we set for the participants. It always revolves around a problem, something that happens in Poland or around the world. We write about it, we have discussions. It’s worth reading, listening, giving it a thought. Others may choose Liberty Square and dive into the entertainment offered by Malta Generator, says the director.
At this testing moment for the festival, he does not lose his calm. He quotes Andrzej Wajda: We must look for an understanding with reality, the here and the now. And I am not afraid of that dialogue.
We invite everyone to read the whole conversation.