Called Tafxnaf, which roughly translates as “Do you know what?”, the project by the Valletta 2018 Foundation has invited children aged between 12 and 13, in Malta and sister island Gozo, to submit a short story. All of the stories received will be published online, but 25 of them, selected by the national council for children, will get their young authors an invitation to participate in a series of workshops on storytelling and filmmaking.

The participants themselves will then vote on five of their own stories, which they will all get to adapt as a short film over the summer months, with the help of film professionals.

The films will be submitted to various children’s festivals, and in 2018 will be screened in Valletta and in Leeuwarden – the other capital of culture for the same year.