Tardy budget allocation prompts Malta Arts Festival Director’s resignation

Malta Arts Festival Director Mario Frendo has announced his resignation from the post he has held uninterruptedly for the past eight years, citing the tardy budget allocation for the upcoming June Festival as the main reason.

Contacted by MaltaToday, Frendo explained how in an email dated November 14, while being busy with the preparations for the upcoming Festival, Malta Arts Festival (MAF) Chairman Albert Marshall had informed him not to commit financially with international artists until the appointment of a financial controller within the MAF Board.

"In my experience within the Board and as founding director, I have always liaised with the Chairman and the CEO but never with a financial controller," Frendo argued.

Questioned by MaltaToday as to whether he had any problems with the appointment of a financial controller, Frendo said he did not consider it "appropriate practice" for an artistic director to discuss artistic content with a Financial Controller.

"What the Financial Controller should do is allocate and control budgets. This I have no problems with. The responsibility of the Artistic Director is to work within these budgets. This is what I always did and what I would have continued doing, also because it is stipulated in my contract that I should stick to budget restrictions as stipulated by the MCCA," Frendo said.

He added that the problem was that  until 20 December, when he resigned, there was no budget to work with.

Moreover, he said he could not have confirmed the appointments of international artists and the Festival's preparations without financial commitment.

"As a director I could no longer enter in discussions with international artists and then not commit due to the fact that the budget had yet to be allocated," Frendo stressed while explaining that standard practice for artists to be tied down by November.

"You cannot leave any artists hanging, let alone international stars. It is useless for me to enter into discussions while at the same time being unable to commit because funds have yet to be allocated."

Traditionally jam-packed with several performances of top local and overseas artists, the future of this year's two-week-long Malta Arts Festival now hangs in the balance as artists are normally confirmed by November before entering into the nitty-gritty in February.

The former director explained how on Christmas Eve, he had received an email confirming a 12.5% or €50,000 reduction in the budget allocated to the Malta Arts Festival.

"By then I had already submitted by resignation because, notwithstanding the allocation of the budget, it was too late to tie down any international artist," the 40-year-old argued.

"However, due the fact that the money was not allocated up until December, it was too late. This is totally unprofessional and it is detrimental to the festival and my professional image that six months after preparations began on the 1 June, artists are yet to be confirmed."

Frendo reiterated that in line with the V18, the Malta Arts Festival as well as the country must ensure that it is not only advocating a professional attitude but it must also practise it.

Meanwhile, asked whether there was any meddling into his work by Albert Marshall or Parliamentary Secretary for Culture Jose Herrera, Frendo said he had not clashed with either of them. Moreover, he insisted that he experienced no interference in his work or preparations.