Film by Maltese director nominated for 2014 Emmy Awards

Mario Philip Azzopardi's film Time Tremors, which he directed in Canada last year has been nominated for an Emmy Award by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 

Azzopardi is a Maltese director and producer who recently wrote and directed a Maltese co-production in Malta. At the time of writing, he is currently in Malta producing the Staġun Teatru Malti at the Manoel Theatre and directed a spectacle based on Mikiel Anton Vassalli at the Manoel Theatre in April 2014.

Azzopardi's film Time Tremors is in the running for an award in the 'Digital Program: Children and Young People' category. The awards will be announced on 7 April 2014.

There are 12 nominees in three categories, Digital Program: Children & Young People; Digital Program: Fiction and Digital Program: Non-Fiction. The full list of Nominees from: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Portugal, Singapore, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, follows this release.

The International Academy will present the 2014 Pioneer Prize to YouTube for its innovative contributions to the field of digital entertainment. Alex Carloss, Head of Entertainment, will accept on behalf of his company. With one billion monthly users, YouTube is currently localized in 61 countries across 61 languages. 80% of its traffic comes from outside the US.

The Emmys and Pioneer Prize will be presented at the International Digital Emmy Awards ceremony, sponsored by the Bell Fund of Canada for the second year in a row, during MIPTV's Opening night festivities at the Martinez Hotel. Over 200 international executives across all sectors of the mobile, entertainment, and internet industries, are expected to attend.

"This year's nominated programs represent every inhabited continent on earth," said International Academy President & CEO, Bruce L. Paisner. "How fitting that we are presenting our 2014 Pioneer Prize to YouTube, a major agent of growth and distribution of digital content throughout the world since its creation in 2005.

All nominated programs will be showcased at MIPCube, during a special session, sponsored by the Bell Fund of Canada and designed to give MIPTV participants the opportunity to see excerpts of the programs and meet the nominees.

Currently active in Maltese theatre with the Stagun Teatru Malti initiative - which has most recently staged the sell-out Jiena Nhobb, Inti Thobb production at the Manoel Theatre - Azzopardi was vocal in his criticism of the current local media infrastructure.

Speaking to sister newspaper ILLUM, Azzopardi complained public broadcaster PBS was not up to scratch.

"In this sector there's no room for fairness. Either you're good or you're not. Those who are not capable should not be given airtime," Mario Philip Azzopardi told Illum.

The film director said the acting level in Malta was acceptable but from a technical point of view there was much to be desired.