Artan P쳮aska
apernaska@tiranatimes.com
The Warrior King Premiere
On the 24th of April 2009, the national hero of Albania Gjergj Kastrioti – Sk쯤erbeu (Georges Castriot – Scanderbeg, 1405 – 1468) made a cinematographic come-back in his country, through the premiere of The Warrior King. The Imperial Cinema hosted the venue and gave shelter to the attendants, pressed with curiosity to discover the documentary film completed by director Nik Gjonaj and Illyria Entertainment.
The screen-play, written by Nua Gjelaj was mainly based on the recordings of the initial and founding book in the huge Scanderbegian literature, written by the Albanian monk, Marin Barleti no later than fifty years after the death of the hero. This book was written in Latin and titled Historia de vita et gestis Scanderbegi, Epirotarum Principis (History of the Life and Deeds of Scanderbeg, Prince of Epirus), and was published in Rome ca. 1510.
But the plot also included extensive research-work done in the archives of the Universities of Cambridge and Nottingham, as well as in the secret archives of the Holy See (Vatican). The film team takes pride in being the first enterprise allowed to film the sword and helmet of the national hero at the Kunsthistoriches Museum in Wien, Austria (Gazeta Shqiptare, 13.04.2009). The team has shot in different locations in Albania, Kosov묠Europe and USA. In Kruj묠the film takes its historical anchorage. In the woods of Michigan, it takes colors and respiration. In Rome, the team interviewed researchers that have conducted research-work in the secret archives of the Vatican. Altogether the completion of the film is said to have requested stays in 12 cities, 9 airports and 3 castles.
The screen-play-writer Nua Gjelaj, formerly a painter, graduated in history at the Wayne State University (USA), and together with the film director Nik Gjonaj, who graduated in political sciences and film studies at the same university, together they founded Illyria Entertainment. The production of the documentary film The Warrior King took five years. The film was funded to an extensive degree by personal contributions of Albanians living in the USA, and the mainstream contributor, Tringa Gojcaj, was made executive producer of the film.
The staff is mainly Albano-American. Strong with a long pictorial experience, Nua Gjelaj has tried to give to the plot of the historic documentary, richly pictorial and detailed settings. The task has been described as tough. Most portraits of Scanderbeg, which were all made after his death, at times he is represented in Venetian nobleman dress and at times in North Albanian costume. The director of the film, Nik Gjonaj, narrates that there is no document that shows how Scanderbeg was dressed in his own time, and the only thing that Barleti mentions is that his right arm, with which he handled his sword was always bare and that Scanderbeg wore a leather jerkin (Gazeta Shqiptare, 13.04.2009).
The film has won two prizes in the USA in international competitions and has lately been “officially selected” for the Riverside International Film Festival. It has also attracted very favorable press. The International Cinema in Tirana is described to have hosted the world premiere of the film [release date], though it was screened in Michigan and New York (USA) in 2008 among the Albano-American community (Kult, 22.04.2009).
The story is narrated by a monk and the documentary film takes a stroll in history which captivates the spectator for 96 minutes. Peter Carrey is the Narrator. Adam Walker has taken care of the music. In the main roles: Anton Gojcaj animates the personage of the national hero Gjergj Kastrioti (Scanderbeg). Iliriana Sinishtaj appears as Donika Kastrioti and Zef Lulgjuraj as Marin Barleti. Worldwide sales are conducted by Fantastic Films International.
Will Mel Gibson and Francis Ford Coppola join the project?
The Warrior King was not yet shown in Tirana, when the Albanian press, speaking of the documentary, presented new projects from Illyria Entertainment (Gazeta Shqiptare, 13.04.2009), (Koha, 21.04.2009). After the completion of the documentary, the entertainment group was attracted by the idea of masterminding a fictional work on the national hero. The director of The Warrior King, Nik Gjonaj, stated that Illyria Entertainment has imagined Mel Gibson as a fictional Scanderbeg and has contacted Icon Production to have the Hollywood actor consider the role. Nik Gjonaj also said that the renowned director Francis Ford Coppola has been contacted with a view of directing the film. None of them is reported to have yet answered to these requests.
Other reported projects to bring Scanderbeg to screen include the project by the Albano-American director Sten Dragoti and the Italian director Roberto de Feo (Koha, 21.04.2009). Sten Dragoti was interested to have Scanderbeg from an intimate point of view “who he was, what did he think [in his own time], what were his concerns, and what made him return to his homeland Albania, after he grew as a military figure in Turkey and when he knew that the extending empire would avenge him with all its might”. Roberto de Feo was expecting to rely on the Arb쳥sh롯f Italy, which are the descendants of the stock of Albanians that left Albania and settled in South Italy, after the death of Gjergj Kastrioti and the complete defeat of all Balkan resistance to the Turks.
A former fictional film concerning Scanderbeg was shot and released in 1953, as a result of an Albano-Russian cooperation. The film black and white of the Sovietic period, but has been reported to have at that time won some attention at Cannes in France. The director was Sergei Jutkevi笠and the screenplay writer Mikhail Papava. Starring: Akaki Khorava (Scanderbeg), Besa Imami (Donika), Avdie Alibali (Mamica), Naim Frash쳩 (Pali), etc. Though a co-product,ion this was the first major film that the Albanian Kinostudio undertook. The film is reported to have been shown in the USA in 1953 under the name Great Warrior Scanderbeg. It was shot in Albania and in the Soviet Union and lasted 90 minutes.
The week in films
Imperial Cinema is showing D. J. Carusos’s Eagle Eye and is advertizing two more films.
Millenium Cinema is showing Ken Kwapis’ He’s just not that into you, with Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, and is advertising to coming soon, Duplicity, starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen, as well as Angels & Demons, starring Tom Hanks.
This week Kristal Cinema had the premiere of W. by Oliver Stone, starring Josh Brolin. This film will be on show as well as the two Albanian films, Provincial Chronicle (Kronik롰rovinciale) by Artan Minarolli and We and Lenin (Ne dhe Lenini) by Saimir Kumbaro.
