FIRST ALBANIAN FILM IN CANNE

By Fatmir Terziu

The film won an award from the Cannes Film Festival.

The first Albanian epic film Skënderbeu is a cooperation with Soviet artists chronicling the life and fight of Albanian national hero Georgej Kastriot - Skanderbeg. The film won an award from the Cannes Film Festival. According to Myftiu this film was the first attempt for making a new way in the filmmaking industry in Albania (Myftiu; 1999:145). The film's director was S. Jutkevic and the film was produced in 1954.

Skënderbeu's preproduction, according to one of the actor's was problematic. For example the filming of the sequence when Skenderbeu was arriving for his wedding to Donika, the director Jutkevic, had thought in his first plan that the Hero would be in the middle of the shot, but when he saw another actor crying, he focused on his stature. So the film was changed many times from planning to shooting.

According to the Central Archive of the Albanian Films, Skenderbeu is "historical film about our national hero Scanderberg. Gjergj Kastrioti unites the Albanian princes through his marriage with Donika and also organises the Alliance of Lezha, but he confronts his nephew Hamza's betrayal" (AQFSH).