TIRANA, Jan. 15 – Albanian movie Bota (World) has been shortlisted to participate in the Goteborg film festival in Sweden, the leading film festival in the Nordic countries brining films from all over the world.
The movie directed by Albania’s Iris Elezi and Thomas Logoreci made its Albania premiere last November showing in Tirana cinemas after its world premiere last July in a Czech Republic film festival where it won a prize.
“The Elezi-Logoreci couple have made a delicate, visually striking debut, where the desolate plains mirror life’s emptiness. Produced with support from Göteborg International Film Festival Fund,” says the festival on its website.
The film revolves around an isolated café, Bota (Albanian for “the world”), located at the edge of a swamp. It is the site of a triangle drama moving from present-day Albania to its dark, Communist past. To this area, people were banished who were deemed non grata by the old regime and the swamp itself hides historic horrors. Juli, a waitress, is taking care of her dementia-stricken grandmother, who no longer knows who Juli is, confusing her with Juli’s mother Alba who mysteriously disappeared during the Communist days. Beni, the owner of the café, hopes for better days with the motorway that is being built nearby, but is entangled in a romantic affair with his assistant Nora.
Albanian movie Bota (World) was announced the best film in the East of the West category at the 49th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic where it made its world debut.
“The jury found Bota a remarkable film with a rich script, three-dimensional characters, exquisite photography of current day Albania and beautiful nostalgic music soundtrack of past heritage,” the festival said on its website.
“Bright and delicately framed, creating a blend of different shots, with just enough editing to allow the film to set its own pace, avoiding any tedious parts, Bota is a great surprise. The viewer gets swept away by a plot that takes a while to hit its stride, but that, in the end, succeeds in building finely shaded characters, played by a trio of charismatic actors,” says the movie review by Domenico La Porta.
