Only six weeks left until Malta Festival Poznań 2017! During the ten days of the festival we planned 290 events, created by 580 artists, animators and activists from 20 countries.
We announced the program of the festival on press conferences in Warsaw at Winosfera Chłoda 31 and Malta Foundation headquarters [GO TO PHOTO GALLERY]. It features an international section – the Idiom - the curators of which are Frljić and Goran Injac, as well as the urban part – Malta Generator - curated by Joanna Pańczak, Agnieszka Różyńska and Zofia Nierodzińska.
We tried to chose a conceptual program and make it as un-theatrical as possible. We play with stereotype, we counteract the expected image of the Balkans, says one of the curators Goran Injac, about the program of the Balkans Platform.
The works presented during this year’s Malta festival will prove that the Balkans might serve as an incubator for a revision of the social, artistic and political reality which surrounds us, explains Oliver Frljić, one of the curators of this year’s idiom.
The international section of the festival The Balkans Platform features a play by anonymous artists entitled The Republic of Slovenia, about the involvement of the country in illegal trade of weapons and corruption among politicians. 350 Janez Janša Bottles will be presented by a collective founded by three artists who changed their names to that of a known Slovenian politician. The Container, a project by Milica Tomić, refers to the events in Northern Afghanistan from several years ago, when a thousand Taliban fighters were locked in containers. Another featured project by the same artist is Sans Souci: Four Faces of Omarska, about the concentration camp in Omarska, which is currently a factory of an international concern. A collective from Vienna called God’s Entertainment will present their Chauvinism Scanner, which will examine to what extent we succumb to chauvinist and xenophobic thinking. Oliver Frljić shall present a play about the combination of kitsch and violence. His Turbofolk refers to a music style which obtained the greatest popularity in 1990s, during the Balkan war and was a carrier of nationalist ideas.
The program also features films including those by the representative of the Yugoslavian Black Wave, a Serbian director Želimir Žilnik and Dušan Makavejev.
Liberty Square shall become a Forum, where we will meet figures such as Bogdan de Barbaro, Adam Michnik, Ludwik Dorn, Agnieszka Arnold, Sławomir Sierakowski, Rafał Matyja and Monika Płatek.
During the festival finale on 24th June in Wieniawski Park at 22:00 we will witness the Polish premiere of The Sound of Music by LAIBACH, which will be presented in collaboration with Poznań’s l’Autunno Orchestra under the guest direction of Simon Dvoršak. This legendary Slovenian band expresses resistance against nationalism and mistrust towards social, political and aesthetic systems with each one of their albums, interviews and performances. Admission is free of charge!
The program also includes plays by Kate McIntosh and Laurent Chétouane, supported by the network of European cultural institutions. Liberty Square will also be the venue of solo performances by actors representing various generations and acting styles. The Malta stage will be graced by Danuta Stenka, Mirosława Żak, Jan Peszek, Mariusz Bonaszewski, Maciej Buchwald. Malta Festival will also feature dance projects from the Old Brewery New Dance series as well as a review of the most interesting productions from the repertoire of Teatr Nowy and Teatr Polski in Poznan, Republika Sztuki Tłusta Langusta, Scena Robocza, Teatr Ósmego Dnia, CK Zamek and Polski Teatr Tańca.