a film by Artan Minarolli
Albanian nominee for
Foreign Language Oscar
Durres Film Festival 2009
Special Jury Prize
Karlovy Vary
International Film Festival 2009
PRESS KIT
WILDart FILM
Pfeilgasse 32/1
A-1080 Vienna
Austria
Phone: +43 1 595 29 91
Fax: +43 1 595 29 91 21
Mobile : +43 664 396 64 55
office@wildartfilm.com
www.alive-thefilm.com
Pusan
International Film Festival 2009
Press Kit Alive!
ALIVE!
2
a film by Artan Minarolli
ALB / A / F 2009, 90min, 35mm, color
www.alive-thefilm.com
World Premiere
Karlovy Vary IFF, 5 July 2009, selected in the section East of the West
Albanian Premiere
Durres Film Festival, 27 August 2009
Theatrical Release
Albania, 5 September 2009, Imperial Cinema
Festivals
Awards
Karlovy Vary IFF, Durres FF, Pusan IFF, Antalya IFF, Bergen IFF, Montpellier IFF, Balkan Snapshots, Connecting Cottbus IFF, Chennai IFF, Pune IFF, Palm Springs IFF, Film d’Amour de Mons IFF, Belgrade IFF, CINEMA MUNDI Brno IFF, Cleveland IFF, Tiburon IFF, International Festival of Medi-
terranean Film Tetouan, Minneapolis/St.Paul IFF, Festival of European
Coproductions Sofia, Moscow IFF, Lato Filmow Warsaw IFF, Scottsdale IFF
starring
written and directed
director of photography
editor
sound
art design composer
producers
Nik Xhelilaj, Xhevdet Feri, Besart Kallaku,
Bruno Shllaku, Niada Saliasi, Luli Bitri,
Tinka Kurti, Reshat Arbana, Eni Çani
Artan Minarolli
Jacques Bouquin
Oliver Neumann
Hjalti Bager-Jonathansson, Daniel Fritz
Mihal Rama, Ylli Beqiri
Baptiste Bouquin
Artan Minarolli, Ebba Sinzinger,
Vincent Lucassen, Marie Balducchi
Albanian nominee for Foreign Language Oscar
Special Jury Award, Durres
Prix du soutien technique GTC, Montpellier
Don Quichotte Award – Federation Internationale des Ciné-Clubs FICC, Cottbus FF
There is cramming and getting laid in Tirana. But all of a sudden the student is caught up by an archaic world which claims that he is a part of it. When his disabled father dies, a blood feud is being
revived and he is held liable for a murder committed by his grandfather 60 years earlier. At first he
endeavours to bring his opponents to their senses. As this proves futile, he – in the course of events becomes increasingly paranoid and, unwillingly, starts to resemble his opponents. When he decides to
arm himself and train, the notion of a modern present dissolves into melancholy. The student is catapulted into an Albanian reality that is devoid of all romantic folklore. In a country where until recently
Hoxherian despotism and a grisly mountaineers’ mentality were ruling alongside, there is neither a
right to a “modern” every day life nor the possibility of escaping to such, while the insistence on tradition is leading directly into catastrophe as well. Thus, Artan Minarolli’s heroes shipwreck on their own
great expectations.
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Logline
In a country where tradition is constantly at war with modernity, a student is forced to assume responibility for an ancient crime. He is thrust into the gruesome, feudal heart of contemporary Albania.
Short synopsis
Koli, a college student, hides in the countryside to escape a blood feud, but soon realizes he has to
go back to his school, to his life in the city, at the risk of confronting his assassin and involuntarily, he
becomes a reluctant mirror of his country’s love-hate relationship with tradition.
Synopsis
Koli is studying languages at Tirana University, but according to the old code of honour “Lek Dukagjine”, vengeance hangs upon him for a killing his grandfather committed some 60 years before.
Koli gets courage and travels to the family that holds the claim of vengeance against him, somewhere
in a distant mountainous region. The elders of the family take him in as a guest and treat him hospitably. His destined assassin, a boy with a clean and pretty face, sits in their midst. When Koli asks for
reconciliation, he is rejected. He is told he has “Besa” (“word-keeping”) for three days only, after this
vengeance will again be upon him.
Koli has no choice but to seek shelter with his relatives Zef and his son Fike in a village not so far from
Tirana. Fike is about Koli’s age and the two of them get along quite well. Fike gets Koli a job at the
local car-wash. But he cannot accept that his life should suddenly have stopped, and when he finds
his presence in the village actually endangers the others, he decides to take whatever risk there is, and
returns to Tirana to the university, Diana, to life.
Now Koli can study, he has his girlfriend, but he is now easy to be found and the assassin’s bullet can
hit him any second. Koli gets a gun and starts target practice, to be able to defend himself. He secretly
carries his gun everywhere, even into the study-rooms of his university. Diana understands him less
and less every time. He is not the Koli of the old days anymore.
His assassin makes an attempt on his life. In a reflex, Koli fires back, the assassin is killed, while Koli is
wounded in the leg. Koli is looking closely at the beautiful face of the dead assassin. He unbuttons his
shirt and realizes that his assassin is female. The family has grown up the girl like a male because she
was in charge for this revenge. The only thing he can do now is to disappear, flee the country. He gets
a ride on an old ship which smuggles illegal immigrants, and gets into the crammed hold. As a result of
an accident the ship sinks.
“My film isn’t about killing and getting killed; it is instead born out of the need to show the colors and
the complexity of a world in transition towards something mysterious and beautiful.” Artan Minarolli
Director/Screenwriter Artan Minarolli
Born in Tirana, Albania, Artan Minarolli is a graduate of the University of Albania, Albafilm, and the Film
School in Denmark. He has worked as an actor and director in theater and film, as well as in documentary. His filmography includes The Moonless Night (2004), The Clay Bullet (1995), and 100% (1994).
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DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
In 1998 a cargo ship with hundreds of illegal Albanian emigrants being trafficked towards Italy’s shores
went down in the Adriatic. Most of them perished. Among those trying to move on to a better life was
college student Koli. He was fleeing his country to get away from a blood feud. This is how the screenplay was born.
Koli, the main character, is threatened by a death sentence. He suddenly turns into the victim of an
old customary law that keeps devouring human lives. Innocent, he is nevertheless to be punished by
death.
The mountaineers, somber and stern, can’t but accurately repeat what they have inherited from their
ancestors. They consider promises as sacred and their personal dignity as untouchable. According to
the customary law known as “Lek Dukagjini’s Canon”, “man only lives for an inch of honor on his forehead”, and “where honor is concerned, life is worthless”.
In stark contrast, life in places like Zef’s village is ruled by cheap practicality. People and cattle move
about together. The indoors are a mixture of tradition and urban kitsch. The inhabitants, usually shorter
than the mountaineers, look apprehensive, talk too much, gesticulate and curse. They are cheerful, optimistic and funny. The real genuine drama for them is life itself. I’ve met people who have told me that
it is just fine to have a single problem only; the real trouble is when you start having more than one.
When Koli arrives in Zef’s village, time stops for him and his personal drama. He‘s outside of present
reality, outside of his own problems. This moment plays like an aparté inside the initiactic travelling of
Koli and also, the film falls into comedy.
Tirana is the capital, where an effort towards civilization can be felt. Some streets are genuinely modern, people try to dress up and act like in the Western world. But people have moved in from all over
the country, and the resulting tableau is often puzzling. With a lot of building work going on, city blocks
often resemble construction yards. The energy sizzling around seems to be due to an overall will to get
closer to the Western world, and make up for the time lost during a half century of totalitarianism. The
city has discovered modernity as noise and chaos.
College students represent the peak of local evolution. They have no special relationship with the totalitarian past, nor with the transitional efforts during post-communist years. They are the future, smart
and civilized. It is impressive to think that the mountains, with their medieval customs, are only a few
dozen miles away from the city. Still,among students, tales about Customary Law are often considered
amusing or droll.
The mountaineer’s world with its old social system; the village in the plains and the capital city are
three different aspects of the same noisy, chaotic and disjointed tableau of the present-day Albania.
Koli, a modern hero, unites in himself all three aspects, becoming the principle holding them together.
Women take different places in the three different worlds mentioned above. Diana, Koli’s girlfriend,
comes from an urban middle-class family in Tirana. She doesn’t have much in common with Fatime,
Fikja’s girlfriend from the village. Fatime, who is gullible and naive, is not allowed to go out with boys,
unless they come to her house and meet her parents first. The third girl is the Handsome Mountaineer,
whose gender is only revealed at the end of the film. Detached from modern life, she must pass for a
man in order to enforce the death verdict on a victim she doesn’t even know.
As the main visual staple, landscapes help the film breathe, filling it with movement and life. The film’s
narrative is headed towards tragedy, but it often stops along the way to show us rich romantic
tableaus.
Artan Minarolli
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CURRICULUM VITAE
Artan Minarolli director, producer
born May 13, 1958, Tirana
Education
1978-1982
Graduated from the University of Tirana-Albania,
majoring in Fine-Arts, speciality actor
1990-1992 Graduated in film directing at Albafilm Studio, Tirana
1993
Graduated in film directing at European Film School–Denmark
Work experience
1983-1986
1986-1990 1991
1994
1995
2004
Worked as actor and theatre director
Worked as as film director in 8 movies produced by Albafilm Studio,Tirana
Director of the documentary “For a centimetre“
Scriptwriter and Director of the short feature “100%“ (in collaboration)
Scriptwriter and Director of the feature “The clay bullet“ (in collaboration)
Scriptwriter and Director of the feature “The moonless night”, an Albanian-France collaboration
Other works
1997
1998
Published a volume with short novels entitled “The Corpse of a Telephone“
Organised, in the producer quality, Eurofilm Festival in Tirana - Albania
Prices
2004
“The moonless night” was awarded “The best film” in MedFilm Festival-Roma, Italy
2005“The moonless night” was awarded “The best foreign film” in Trenton Film Festival,
New Jersey, USA
2006“The moonless night” was awarded “The best music” in Napoli Film Festival, Italy
Other prices and special honours
1991“Menzione Speciale“ for the documentary “For one centimetre”
in the International Sport-Film Festival in Torino
1996The movie “The clay bullet“ was selected in the International Film Festival of
Cottbus-Germany
1996The short movie “100%“ was selected in the International Film Festival of
Trieste-Italy
The movie “The clay bullet“ was awarded the “Cup of the President“ in the Eurofilm-
Festival of Luhashevic-Czech Republic
1998-99His projects for long movie “The Professor goes for a little walk“ (1998) and the project for long movie “The moonless night” (1999) were selected in the International Concourse of Projects in Montpellier, France
2003 His project for the movie “The Journey” was awarded “Price For Developing” in
Balkan Fund-International Film Festival of Thessalonica-Greece
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His feature “The moonless night” was selected at
2004
Rotterdam Film Festival – World premiere
Moscow Film Festival – Official Competition
Valencia Film Festival – Official Competition
Pusan Film Festival – International Section,
Bordeaux Film Festival – Official Competition
Thessalonica Film Festival – Balkan survey
Montpellier – Perspective
New Delhi – International Section
Beograd Film Festival – non competitive festival
Skopje Film Festival – Non competitive festival
Oslo Film festival
Sarajevo Film Festival – Competition Off
2005
Tautan Film Festival, Morocco
Wiesbaden Film Festival – Highlights
MedFilm Roma – Official Competition
Trenton Film Festival, N.J, USA – International Section
Naples Film Festival – Official Competition
Black Sea International Film Festival, Rumania – Official Competition
Alexandria Film Festival, Egypt – Official Competition
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CURRICULUM VITAE
Nik Xhelilaj
tudent at the Academy of Fine Arts, Tirana Albania since 2003
S
born 1983
Film
SORROW OF MADAME SCHNEIDER LEADING ROLE: Lek Seriani
104 Min, fiction, 2005/08, Albania, Czech Republic
D: Piro Milkani, Eno Milkani, P: Bunker Film, Studio Fama 92,
Festivals: Karlovy Vary 2008, Valencia 2008, Salento, Italy 2008,
Poland 2008, Palm Springs 2008, Durres IFF, Albania 2008
SINGLE USE - 25Min, Short film, 2005, Albania
D: Erion Mucollari
LEADING ROLE: Bledi
ALIVE! (Gjalle!)LEADING ROLE: Koli
90 Min, fiction, 2008, Albania, Austria, France
D: Artan Minarolli, P: ARTFILM, Albania, WILDart FILM, Austria,
Agat Films & Cie , France
Theatre
KËMBANAT E MUZGUT (Sunset’s bells), leading role: Lieutenant Llukan
National Theater, Albania, 2007
D: Alfred Bualioti, Andon Qesari
STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (Tennessee Williams), leading role: Stanley Kovalsky
Fine Arts Academy, Albania, 2007
D: Timo Flloko
TANGO (Slavomir Mrozek), leading role: Arthur
Theater “Aleksander Moisiu”, Durres, Albania, 2008
D: Driada Dervishi
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CAST
Koli
Diana
Fikja
Zefi
Mediator
Rok
Pool‘s girl
Fatime
Tiku
Fatime‘s Eldest Brother
Fatime‘s brother
Fatimes‘s younger brother
Fatime‘s grandmother
Koli‘s friend
Koli‘s sister
Fike‘s sister
Fike‘s little brother
The guy with the sunglasses
Ilir
Fredi
Keti
Laura
The godfather
Coffeeshop owner
Nik Xhelilaj
Nijada Saliasi
Besart Kallaku
Xhevdet Ferri
Arqile Lici
Bruno Shllaku
Luljeta Bitri
Eni Çani
Romir Zalla
Gentian Zenelaj
Julian Deda
Ermal Mamaqi
Tinka Kurti
Mario Deda
Rozina Prendi
Flonja Kaba
Franko Hoti
Kasem Hoxha
Florian Binaj
Xhejni Fama
Esela Pysqyli
Lisa Kujofsa
Reshat Arbana
Avni Rada
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CREW
No less than 15 nationalities were involved as crew in the creation of this film!
Production
Production Albania
AL
Delegate Producer
AL
Production Austria
AT
Delegate Producer
AT
Producer
AT
Production France
F
Producer
F
ART FILM
Artan Minarolli
WILDart FILM
Ebba Sinzinger
Vincent Lucassen
AGAT FILMS ET CIE
Marie Balducchi
Production Management
Production Office Albania AL
Line Producer
AT
Production Executive
AL
Co-Production Coordinator DE
Production Assistant
DE
Production Accountant
AL
ART FILM
Vincent Lucassen
Dritan Huqi
Oliver Röpke
Andreas Dießner
Mariela Zajmi
Script
Script Writer
Script Consultant
Script Consultant
Script Consultant
AL
I
DE
UK
Artan Minarolli
Salvatore Lista
Franz Rodenkirchen
Clare Downs
AL
AL
Anxhela Cikopano
Anola Decka
AL
AT
AL
AL
Artan Minarolli
Sabine Panossian
Kelmend Karuni
Anxhela Cikopano
Casting
Casting
Casting
Direction
Director
1st Assistant Director
2nd Assistant Director
Script / Continuity
Camera Department
Director of Photography
F Jacques Bouquin
Focus Puller
F Frederic Beaugendre
2nd Assistant Camera
KO Isak Duraku
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Underwater Shoot
DoP
DoP Assistant
Art Department
10
AT
AT
AT
Jerzy Palacz
Alexander Bilic
Maria Gruber
AT
AT
Hjalti Bager-Jonathansson
Atanas Tcholakov
AL
AL
AL
Mihal Rama
Ylli Bepiri
Anola Decka
Sound Department
Sound Recordist
Boomer
Production Design
Production Designer
Art Director
Set Decorator
Costume Design, Make-Up/Hair
Costume Designer
Make-Up/Hair Stylist
AL Emira Turkeshi
RO Mariana Andreescu
Postproduction Management
Post Production Supervisor F
Mélanie Zaffran
Editing
Editor
AT
Oliver Neumann
Sound-Postproduction
Sound Editor
AT
Music
Daniel Fritz
Peter Roesner
Composer
Baptiste Bouquin
F
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THE PRODUCERS
Albania
ART FILM Artan Minarolli
Contact
Artan MinarolliPhone: + 355 4 233 558
ART FILMMobile: + 355 69 40 62 995
Rr. Durresitartanminarolli@yahoo.com
Pa. 11, sh. 4, ap 31www.alive-thefilm.com
Tirana, Albania
ART FILM, a production-distribution company, was founded in 1997 in Tirana, Albania. During the 12
years of its existence ART FILM has produced some shorts and documentaries, also has organized
Euro Film Festival in Tirana. The most important work is the producing of the long feature “The moonless night” which participated at 25 film festivals and won awards “The best film” in Roma, Italy and
New Jersey, USA and in Naples “The Best music”.
Austria
WILDart FILMEbba Sinzinger, Vincent Lucassen
Contact
WILDart FILMTel: +43 (0) 1 595 2991
Pfeilgasse 32/1Fax: +43 (0) 1 595 2991 21
A-1080 ViennaMobile : +43 (0) 664 39 664 55
Austriaoffice@wildartfilm.com
www.wildartfilm.com
WILDart FILM concentrates on the development and production of art-house fiction and high quality
creative documentaries for cinema & television that appeal to an international audience. Most of our
films are realized as coproductions. We are interested in crossovers of film cultures and formats and
offer space for young talent.
Recent Films:
DOMAINE, fiction, 2009. starring : Béatrice Dalle. D: Patric Chiha, CoP: Aurora Films, F
International premiere: Venice Film Festival 2009, Critic´s Week
PIANOMANIA, feature docu, 2009. D: Robert Cibis & Lillian Frank. CoP: OVAL Filmemacher
Rating in Germany: highly recommended. International premiere: Locarno Film Festival 2009, Critic’s
Week Award. Other festivals and awards: Saarbrücken, Diagonale, Austrian Award: Best Editing/Documentary, Nominated for the European Film Academy Award – Documentary 2009 – Prix Arte, Sheffield,
Leipzig, IDFA, LÜDIA audience award, Filmfestival Lünen, German Film Rating: Highly Recommended
Press Kit Alive!
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ALIVE!, fiction, 2009. D: Artan Minarolli. CoP: ART Film, ALB; AGAT Films, F
International Premiere: Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2009, East of the West. Other festivals
and awards: Durres Filmfestival 2009, Special Jury Award, Pusan, Antalya, Bergen, Nominated by
Albania for Foreign Language Oscar, Prix du soutien technique GTC, Montpellier, Don Quichotte Award
– Federation Internationale des Ciné-Clubs FICC, Cottbus FF
A JOURNEY WITH PETER SELLARS, feature docu 2007. D: Mark Kidel, CoP: Agat Films, F; Calliope
Media, GB. Festival: Telluride.
HOME, fiction, 2006. D: Patric Chiha, CoP: Aurora Films, F. Festivals: Viennale 06, Diagonale 07,
Indielisboa/Lissabon, Belfort, Pantin (Prix de la Presse, Prix Emergence)
In production:
FORGOTTEN SPACE, cinema docu. D: Noel Burch & Allan Sekula. CoP: DocEye, NL
In postproduction:
BORN IN THE YEAR OF THE HARE, feature docu, 2009. D: Ebba Sinzinger
In development:
INVASION, fiction, D: Dito Tsintsadze, CoP: Pallas Film
THE VIRTUAL ORCHESTRA, docu. D: Werner Boote
STALIN ON MY MIND, docu
France
AGAT FILMS & CIEMarie Balducchi
Contact
Agat Films & Cie / Ex Nihilo 52, rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud
75011 PARIS
FRANCE Telephone.: 01 53 36 32 32
Fax: 01 43 57 00 22
E-Mail: marie@agatfilms.com
www.agatfilms.com
AGAT FILMS & Cie / EX NIHILO was created more than 15 years ago. It is a unique and original
structure, run by a collective of eight associate producers. It leads a politically committed and diversified production policy, tackling the most varied genres in audiovisual (fiction, documentary, magazine
program, television and cinema), in a spirit of independence and creation, and opposed to any formatting or standardization of the works.
Amongst the films that mark the artistic identity of the company, there are Robert Guédiguian’s movies
(Marius & Jeannette).
AGAT FILMS & Cie has also been working on a regular basis with several film-makers such as Lucas
Belvaux (La raison du plus faible, Official Selection at Cannes Festival 2006), or Pierre Trividic and
Patrick-Mario Bernard (L’Autre, Volpi cup for Best Actress at the Venice Mostra 2008). The last film by
Marina de Van, Don’t look back, starring Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci was recently released.
For several years, AGAT FILMS & Cie has been producing around four feature films a year. It is through
this policy of diversified production that AGAT FILMS & Cie strives to participate in the good shape of
the ambitious French cinema. Our catalogue now shows 80 fictions and more than 200 documentaries.