New book traces history of Albanian cinema

TIRANA, June 1 – A new book tracing the history of Albanian cinema was promoted this week by the Albanian State Film Archive. The book called “Arti i Shate ne Tirane” (The Seventh Art in Tirana) is the first of this kind being offered to the Albanian public. Written by Spiro Mehilli, it comes as a missing and necessary guide to the movies screened in Tirana cinemas during the past century. “It is the nearly one-century old history of this art which dates back to Tirana life as Albania’s capital. Built on facts and documents, archive sources and daily press, the book is a reflection of the capital’s movies and cinemas starting from 1920 to present days: during the first months of the second decade of the 21st century,” the State Archive said in a statement. The book’s author says his work is also based on his own memories, those of his father, and two uncles who worked with movies. The book is a chronological journey of the cinemas built in Tirana, starting with the first ‘Nacional’ cinema in 1926 and also recent ones, such as the cinema of the Film Archive bringing a compilation of Albanian movie history. Since January this year, the cinema of the Central State Film Archive has been celebrating a special movie event each month, dedicated to renowned Albanian directors; including: female directors, the French cinema, animated films and most recently the Balkan cinema of the 70s and 80s.