"Ocarina" returns to Kosovo with survival in the face of the consequences of the war

It has reached India, where it was given its world premiere, it has traveled through festivals everywhere, and now "Ocarina" under the direction of Alban Zogjan has arrived in its own country. It is a narrative that has its origins in a true story in North Mitrovica: a couple survives the war, but emigration turns into a struggle for survival in the face of loss of identity, morals and family troubles. The title is captured in just one scene, and the sounds of the neolithic instrument touch the foreign audience with the universal language.

The tempting whirlwind of life, which often without warning takes everything that comes before it, causes changes and new confrontations that test individuals to the full capacity of their patience and invincibility. 

Shaqa (Jehon Gorani) and Selvija (Shengyl Ismajli), the protagonists of the film "Okarina" by the Kosovar director Alban Zogjani, face such a test. It is about a couple from Kosovo, who after the war find themselves as immigrants in England. But there, they are put in a dead end, which comes to them as a serious confrontation that leads them to a reflection which, as a conclusion, puts them in front of a threatening stack of developments that becomes the cause of the loss of peace. 

With "Okarina" the director Zogjani debuts in a feature film. And precisely with it, he contributes to Kosovar cinematography with a not very frequent treatment of the theme of war. In this case he is preoccupied with its consequences and the constant languishing of those affected by it. 

After the world premiere last November at the International Film Festival in Goa, India, "Okarina" with a script by Albana Muja came to Pristina as part of the program of the international film festival "PriFest". A large number of attendees, an audience consisting of film lovers, colleagues and friends of the director flooded the "Kino Armata" on Wednesday afternoon, full of enthusiasm to see the film. What they faced at the beginning of the film was the narration with very minimal colors both in similar characters and in other aspects. It is a directorial move that clarifies the director's idea to transform this film into one that resonates with international audiences, beyond the fact that it starts from a local story, that of a family from North Mitrovica looking for a better life in the West. The title of the film breaks down into one scene: Shaqa carves wooden objects, gives his daughter a wooden ocarina as a gift, and the narrative of the title begins and ends here, without any metaphor or connection other than the echo of its sound, sometimes occasionally. 
Inspired by a true story, the story of Shaqa and Selvija by director Zogjani unfolds as a story about the importance of communication within the framework of a family, even though the developments also affect external entities. 

"The moment when I read the script, for me it was a feeling that kept me in emotions until tonight, here at his performance. 'Ocarina' highlights the emotional state of a family when the circumstantial elements that have shaped the course of its life affect the morals of a family", the director said in a statement to KOĖN. 

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Born in Pristina, Alban Zogjani is the founder of the graphic services company "ASHA" and studied graphic design and film direction at the University of Pristina. His first short film is "Dear Nita" from 2015, which was awarded at the Barcelona International Film Festival. As a producer, he continued his cinematic journey with the film "Eho" by Dren Zherka, which won the "Silver Zenith" award in the category of debutants at the "Montreal World Film Festival". "The Last Battle", "Three", "Beyond Our Mountains", "Silent", are the other four short films in which Zogjani has contributed as a producer.

The couple's plans for a future in a better country and close to their daughters Saranda (Rina Krasniqi) and Vjosa (Flaka Latifi) are destroyed, when they are informed by the Immigration Office that the renewal of their residence permit is refused. The disappointment of a failed plan challenges them by questioning their moral values, which leads to unforeseen consequences for the entire family. This atmosphere compressed with drama that maintains the intensity of the tension is broken by several interventions in different more relaxed styles that come in the form of retorts from the couple, often with doses of comedy. The film is shot entirely in Kosovo, even though it takes place in England. Parku i Gërmia and some private neighborhoods in the capital are the solution of the film team to make it as real as possible. Perhaps the latter only applies to foreign audiences. The film does not lack scenes that raise questions, from those that contest their inclusion in the film. Above all, the acting brings out the sensibility of the narrative even though the tension and stress are easily readable. 

What deserves attention is the positioning of the head of the family, Shaqa, played by Jehon Gorani. At first glance, his character is presented as weak, burdened with family burdens that he is desperately waiting to solve under the pressure of the mentality of the society he comes from. It is the pressure that dramatically brings its epilogue, at the same time, of the film. 

Such a theme, which indirectly deals with several defining elements of Kosovar society at the same time, has the potential to internationalize themes that arise from special contexts.
Eya Lintermann, an economist from Germany who spontaneously found herself at the premiere of the film "Okarina", has evaluated the film as a good introduction to the history and understanding of the cultural context of Kosovo. 
"We have just arrived here in Kosovo, we are very interested in the culture and history of Kosovo and we think that this film, its subject, hit the mark in this regard. It is a very good impression for us, which also extends to the global context. We have crises from the wars, from the climate, my family was also damaged by the Second World War in Poland and all the people flee to the West and now more than ever the conflict between the East and the West is exploding and penetrating", he said. she. 

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The development of the film is done in this way, pushing the two main subjects to marry foreigners in order to secure their stay in England. While Selvija realizes the marriage more easily, Shaqa is faced with an internal debate which appears on the screen with his silence, and which in the end does not consist of a definite decision. And this fate, which is part of the history of humanity, seems to have resonated on a personal level with Antonio Falvo, the banker from Germany, who was present at the premiere. 
"My father was Italian and he married a German woman, and he always wanted to come home. But it was too late for him, he was culturally alienated, he could not adapt to the Italian culture. And exactly this film, this story reminded me of that and the fact of how universal experiences can be", he said. 

Alban Zogjani's "Ocarina" - which is in the feature film competition at "PriFest" - will not be stopped. The international itinerary is expected to continue with five screenings of the film in September. Meanwhile, "PriFesti" continues until Sunday, constantly lighting the screens with local and foreign films.