By Skifter Këlliçi
– The sad odyssey of the Kinostudio “Shqipëria e Re” film that won the award of the President of the Italian Republic at the Giffoni International Festival, (Italy), in 1979 –
Memorie.al / These days on the pages of this portal that I follow with great desire and curiosity every day here in Waltham, (Boston), I read some memoirs or more precisely a poetic prose with memories, written by Herion Mustafaraj. It is a very well-known name among children and parents, because in the 1970s of the last century he, a 10-12 year old child, became a protagonist in several films that even today are watched with curiosity by the children of today’s generation and I am convinced that the same will happen with the children of future generations. Herion came to my mind too, who in this film plays the role of Skënder, one of the main characters of this film, because in those years, based on my children’s novel ‘Pas gjurmëve’ (In the Footsteps), I had written a feature film screenplay with the same title, which the extraordinary director Xhanfise Keko, together with her other films, turned it also among her best films of the Kinostudio ‘Shqipëria e Re’. Along with Herion, a sad event came to my mind, which is related to this film and which I am recounting to the readers of this online media.
It was an evening of September 2, 1979. An unforgettable evening for me, because the next day I would get married. And behold, suddenly, knocking was heard at the door. I opened it and saw that in the middle [of the doorway] my friend entered full of joy, the well-known journalist Napoleon Roshi, at that time head of the foreign editorial office of the newspaper “Bashkimi”. He was holding in his hand a sheet from those of the bulletins of the Albanian Telegraphic Agency, which he stretched out to me and said: “The film ‘Pas gjurmëve’ has won the Special award at the International Children’s Film Festival in Giffoni in Italy. Congratulations to you too as its screenwriter!”. And he embraced me. My mother’s eyes filled with tears of joy.
Precisely on a rare day of joy, another equally rare joy was added. I read the sheet he stretched out to me. The news was taken from the Italian Telegraphic Agency “Ansa”. It wrote that; “Pas gjurmëve”, a film by the talented director Xhanfise Keko and with my screenplay, had won the award of the “President of the Italian Republic”, among 95 films from 75 countries of the world. Then details were given about how the president of the Film Festival, Guziboti, at the award ceremony had characterized the Albanian film as a pleasant surprise and that the members of the jury, who were over 1500 children present during the days of the festival, a truly very original jury, had liked this film immensely. In that expanded news there was also the echo of the festival and of the film in the Italian press.
“Tomorrow this news will be published on the front pages of the press,” Napoleon told me, embracing me once again. – “It is not only the success of Xhanfiseja, yours, of the creative group, but of our entire cinematographic art”. The next day at dawn I hurried to the bookstore and bought “Zëri i Popullit”, Bashkimi, “Drita”, newspapers that were published on Sunday, but in vain – this news was not published not only on the first page, but not even on the last. I turned on the radio, then also the television, but, again in vain: for this event not even a notice. I went and met Napoleon at home and told him what had happened. He too remained surprised. “Perhaps the notice will be published on Tuesday,” he told me, because on Mondays newspapers were not published.
But neither on Monday, nor on Tuesday, nor even one day was this notice published. Xhanfiseja was also surprised, who was also the wife of the well-known filmmaker Endri Keko. Since they had a close friend, Dritëro Agolli, (not only one of the main leaders and a great literary figure, but also a member of the Central Committee of the PPSh), the two of them hurried to meet him too, to find out how it was possible that such a success was not made publicly known!
Let us not forget that the Kinostudio “Shqipëria e Re” until then with the film “Lulekuqet mbi mure” (Poppies on the Walls), of the well-known director Dhimitër Anagnosti, had won the First Prize at the International Film Festival in Belgrade and another award also at the Children’s Festival in Giffoni with the film “Beni ecën vetë” (Beni Walks by Himself), according to the screenplay of the distinguished writer Kiço Blushi, with direction by Xhanfiseja herself, undoubtedly the best director even today for children’s films and with international recognition.
So to these successes was added a third. But not even Dritëroi brought anything to light. After several days this truth came to the surface, as anxious as it was ridiculous: The notice for this success was neither published, nor given on RTSH, by order of the Central Committee and neither would any meeting be held, as happened in such cases, because the award had been given by… the President of the Italian Republic!..
It was indeed a horned stupidity. First, because the Italian president, who at that time was Pertini, a man so popular also for his anti-fascist activity during the Second World War, had not been at all at this ceremony and, second, this award was symbolic and permanent for this festival, regardless of which president was in Italy.
That is why neither Dritëro Agolli, nor the then director of Kinostudio, Vangjush Zallëmi, nor Endri Keko, also a well-known director, had been able to break through this high wall that the “Red Dome” was erecting, with the justification that in our press could never be published the giving of the above-mentioned award to an Albanian film… by a president of a capitalist country, like Italy. What dogmatism!.
And let us not forget that, as was learned later, to withdraw this award, in Giffoni, a small town near Naples, the cultural attaché of our embassy in Rome had gone, who in fact was an employee of the State Security. He was put in a position when journalists and filmmakers had asked him questions about the developments of Albanian cinematography and our art, which, needless to say, he had found it difficult to answer. Of course, it could not happen otherwise, when at this festival had not gone at least the director of the film, who had been requested there with much insistence by the organizers of the festival.
I had a close friend in the Central Committee, with whom I had finished my studies, who had direct connections with Ramiz Alia. But in vain. He too advised me not to deal with this matter anymore. And let us not forget that Ramiz Alia himself in January of the year 1979, after having seen the film “Pas gjurmëve”, had liked it and had given orders that the authors be congratulated too, including me as the author of the screenplay.
On this occasion I find it reasonable to dwell briefly on the content of this film. In 1972, I had published the novel “Pas gjurmëve”, the continuation of the events of the other novel “Kujtimet e mëhallës së vjetër” (Memories of the Old Neighborhood), both works for children, a topic that I had never dealt with, since I had not been and even today I am not capable of writing even a fairy tale for children.
But in these novels I had described events of my childhood, especially of “Pas gjurmëve”, whose events take place in the early years after liberation, interwoven with adventurous actions: two twin brothers, as in fact I and my brother, Luani, were, with friends, undertake actions to discover a wrongdoer, hidden behind the appearance of a good-natured old man. They do these actions both day and night climbing from the window of their room with sheets tied as ropes onto the street and inventing further comic-dramatic episodes.
Encouraged by some friends I also wrote the above-mentioned screenplay, based on this novel which, later, Xhanfise Keko liked. After the remarks of the screenplays editorial office at Kinostudio, the screenplay was subjected also to the requirements of the talented director herself and the editor, Muharrem Skënderi. Thus, in 1979, the film finished being shot and edited. In the main roles played the children Ylli Trajçe, Herion Mustafaraj, Genci Mosho, the great actor Sulejman Pitarka; composer of the film was Nikolla Zoraqi, painter Shyqyri Sako, in other words, a truly authoritative creative group.
But here is what came out. After the success in our cinemas, after the good words, even in the newspaper “Zëri i Popullit”, which wrote only for well-known literary-artistic works, came an even greater achievement, this time in the international arena, a notice that was given neither in the press nor on RTSH, because “the award had allegedly been given by… the President of the Italian Republic…!”? Meanwhile people were asking me what had happened that the award was not published in the press! I did well then to shut my mouth, because I could complicate myself in unpleasant situations, if the word went up there… where they could even accuse me of doing hostile propaganda by insisting on such an award…!
Thus came the end of January of the year 1980. One Saturday late in the evening, quite by chance, I learned that the film “Pas gjurmëve” would be shown the next day on the screens of TVSH. Immediately on Sunday morning I telephoned my friend in the Central Committee, to make a phone call to Ramiz Alia and explain to him that; there was no reason that before the film began, the notice should not be given that this film had won an international award…! He answered me that it was difficult for him to do this, all the more so since it was Sunday.
Then another idea was born to me, which turned out well.
I went to the home of Alfons Gurashi, our well-known telechronicler at RTSH. I knew that he had friendship with Dhimitër Tona, director of the Press directorate in the Central Committee of the PPSh. And this, because Alfonsi, as the author of telechronicles for the highest leaders, had had the opportunity to be directly acquainted also with Enver Hoxha and Ramiz Alia and that his chronicles, before being broadcast, were always checked also by Dhimitër Tona.
I explained to Alfonsi how the matter stood, and fortunately he did not hesitate to telephone in my presence the great director of the Press. The latter, on the other end of the phone, promised that he would give an answer later. And so it happened. I do not know with whom Dhimitër Tona spoke. As I learned later, with Ramiz Alia. But the fact is that permission was given that in the notice that would be given on TVSH, before the start of the film, it should be emphasized that the film… now become… a “legend”, had won an award, but not “of the President of the Italian Republic”, but simply the Third award.
Again “Muka’s tune”, since the third award is one thing and the award in question is another. But I did not have the mind to think about this disinformation!…! I went together with Alfonsi to the programming office of TVSH. There I formulated the notice myself. I returned home. I was tense and could hardly wait for the time of the film’s showing to come. I was still afraid that perhaps from above they had changed their minds. Nevertheless, I notified Xhanfiseja about everything I had done. She was immensely happy.
The time 21:00 came. On the screen appeared the program presenter who pronounced these words: “And now we will show the Albanian feature film ‘Pas gjurmëve’, a production of Kinostudio ‘Shqipëria e Re’. This film has won the Third award at the International Children’s Film Festival in Giffoni, (Italy), of 1979, among 95 films from 75 countries of the world”.
The next day before I had even left the house well, people I knew and did not know were saying to me: “Congratulations for the award, congratulations for the film! A great success…”! This happened six months after the film had been honored with this award at such an important festival…! And six years could have passed and “Pas gjurmëve” could have continued to… lose the tracks. Only and only because it had had the “sin” of winning the award of… the “President of Italy”!
In 2007, being already for many years in the USA, a friend, a well-known journalist, had done in a newspaper an interview with Ramiz Alia, already retired and gave me his home phone number: 245-935 and the email address: [email protected]. I sent an email to the above address. I reminded him briefly of the recommendation he had given for the award with which the film “Pas gjurmëve” had been laureled at the International Festival…!
I reminded him also how he, in the summer of the year 1986, when he was not only first secretary of the Central Committee of the PPSh, but also president of Albania, had given the order that I should no longer direct the ‘Sports Column’ on TVSH, because; “I resembled the Italian sports commentators”.
Surprisingly he returned this answer to me: “Such were the times”.
Epilogue
From then until today 46 years have passed since these events. The film “Pas gjurmëve”, alongside other Albanian films, is shown according to the occasions on all Albanian television channels and those of the Diaspora. Moreover, any viewer can watch it on their own television; it is enough to click on the title of the film. But still after almost half a century, below its title these lines have not been placed: “This film has won the award of the President of Italy at the International Children’s Film Festival in Giffoni, Italy, 1979”, as, as happens everywhere in the civilized world. Until the year 1992, a small symbolic statue and a diploma that testified to this special event in the history of Albanian Cinematography, was placed in one of the stands of the Exhibition “Albania Today”, alongside the symbols and diplomas that other Albanian films had won. But with the dismantling of this exhibition, besides the disappearance of the objects placed in this exhibition, they too disappeared. (I hope they are preserved somewhere). Also the symbol and the diploma./ Memorie.al
