My essentials: Francesca Zammit's cultural picks

About  

I am interested in togetherness and movement; how we support and are in turn supported by each other; how we move together and navigate our identity, politically and as humans. I am especially fascinated by women’s perspectives. I feel like these have been stowed away for a long time, and it is now time to bring them to light. At the moment I am working on a short film which is just about this, called Ravjulata/What Women Do When Men Die.

Book

One of the latest books I’ve read was The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk. It was recommended to me by my dear colleague Julienne during some research I was doing in preparation for a community performance for the Women’s Day march in 2025. The performance was about lies that we have been told as women, and how we can rid these from our bodies. I found the book to be scientific confirmation of what we’ve intuitively known for a long time—that whatever happens to you, lives on in your body. 

Film 

This is always so hard for me, because I watch a lot of films, and when I like them, I fall in love with them. My all-time favourite film is Where Do We Go Now? By Nadine Labaki. It is a Lebanese film about a village, where Muslims and Christians live together in harmony, until they get a glimpse of the tensions rising outside the village. The women in the village—Muslim and Christian women—stand together to keep the men from fighting each other. It is a testament to women’s genius and the invisible work that they’re constantly doing to keep societies intact.  

Internet and TV 

I love murder mystery series. My favourite would be BBC’s Poirot (1989–2013). It is a masterpiece and a classic; the set design, the music, the acting. I started watching this series when I was a teenager. On Saturday afternoons, my mother and I would make tea and sandwiches and bet each other on who the murderer would turn out to be. Every time I hear the iconic opening soundtrack, I am a 13-year-old again.

Music 

Recently I’ve been relistening to Nina Simone. Her voice holds great power over me. Her music always manages to turn my mood around and make me feel better. I love the song That’s All I Ask. It makes me think of slow Sunday mornings, when it’s sunny outside and you have all the time in the world to enjoy your coffee.

Place 

I recently discovered the Kalkara Bocci Club and their restaurant Ta’ Salvina. It was the best food I’ve had in a while, and the service was just so homely. I also love going on walks in the Selmun area. My father would take me on these walks when I was young, and being there now makes me feel his presence. The area is full of walks and spaces to picnic and swim, it is truly a jewel to be explored.