Maltese DownUnder will start broadcasting a 30- minute program on C31 (Melbourne) TV channel, Sunday, 28 February at 4.00 pm on a weekly basis. This was announced in a press release issued by the Maltese DownUnder TV production team.
Maltese DownUnder is a new Melbourne-based community show catering for the Maltese community, showcasing Maltese cultural heritage, featuring the arts, music, food, travel, cultural events, stories of special interest and sport. Its aim is to inform and entertain our audience through stories that inspire and strengthen the pride of all Maltese Australians.
According to the press release, programs will be in both Maltese and English. It is a fact that the younger generations of Maltese in Australia don’t relate to Maltese as a spoken language and hardly follow any Maltese media in Australia. So it was felt the only way to really be inclusive of all Maltese Australians was to broadcast in both languages; some segments will be in Maltese, some in English, some in both languages.
On Demand viewing
It was further announced that all program segments featured on C31 will be available on online platforms to reach a wider audience, as the demand for such a program has been very high. The team has had interest expressed from other States/Territories around Australia as well as New Zealand, Canada, the US, UK and Malta. Segments will be available on our Vimeo channel, Maltese DownUnder TV https://vimeo.com/user48830308 and their FaceBook page www.facebook.com/MalteseDownUnder
THE TEAM
Marlene Scicluna – Director/Executive Producer/Presenter/Assistant Editor
Marlene has over 28 years of experience in broadcast media. She started in 1988 as a radio presenter in Malta and for the past 15 years until August 2015, Marlene was a Senior Producer/Broadcast Journalist with Maltese Language Programs on SBS Radio.
Marlene has interviewed numerous Maltese and Australian personalities, from Presidents of Malta, to Prime Ministers of Malta and other ministers, to musicians and artists. She has also presented numerous community events both in Malta and Australia. Marlene has also attended two Conventions for Maltese Living Abroad, as a main speaker as well as a reporter for SBS Radio.
Mark Avellino – Executive Producer/Presenter/Filming
Mark is a multi award winning freelance photojournalist with 20 years of experience in photography. Represented by prestigious photo libraries Getty Images, Lonely Planet and Imagebrief his work has graced the pages of The Age, The New York Times, Times of Malta as well as The Guardian.
Mark has been actively involved in the Melbourne photography community. His work with the Ballarat International Foto Biennale as co- ordinator of the Projections Program for both the 2013 and 2015 festivals has seen him recently been appointed to the board of the Festival.
Fulya Kantarmaci – Editor
Fulya has editing experience with Visual Production Group, a video production company with 12 years experience in the video production field. The director of Visual Production Group, Daniel Calleja, has gently offered the facilities for editing.
MALTESE TV GROUP
The Maltese TV group, formed recently for this purpose, will evaluate the program on a regular basis. The group consists of a number of Australian professionals, of Maltese descent.