TIRANA, Feb. 9 – Hysen Hakani, one of the pioneers of Albanian cinema, passed away on Tuesday in Tirana at the age of 79 after suffering from an incurable disease.
A renowned screenwriter and director, Hakani is remembered as the director of the first Albanian short film (F쮩j촠e saj) in 1957. He is best known for his Debatik movie featuring Albanian under Italian occupation during WWII, a 1961 production which brought his to immediate fame.
Colleagues, friends and family and senior politicians paid tribute to him in a ceremony held at the National Theatre before he was buried on Tuesday.
Some of the best Albanian actors such as Marie Logoreci, Roza Anagnosti, Ndrek Luca etc starred in the movies directed by Hakani who had graduated in the Czech Republic.
Albanian pioneer director dies
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