"Pa Vend" ready for Cannes, expects a new chapter for the characters as well

The team of the film "Pa Vend" has not tried very hard to answer the question that often torments the directors of documentaries: Should they just remain observers or even help the characters of the films they have selected? The story of "Pa Vend" is about athletes from Prizren who do not give up despite the challenges. Same as the team. But, now that the film has made its way to the "Golden Palm", director Samir Karahoda and producer Eroll Bilibani have not left aside those who gave them the confession. They aim to improve the conditions of the table tennis club "Lidhja e Prizren", because they believe in the power of film to change the world

"The film changes the world" - director Samir Karahoda says with conviction. His newest story unfolds the challenges of some young people passionate about table tennis. Karahoda's journey to make his second film was difficult. When his success was crowned by becoming the first local production to compete for the "Golden Palm", the director did not neglect his characters. Even after the end of the film, Karahoda finds it difficult to detach from the characters. Together with the producer of the film, Eroll Biliban, they are looking for ways to help the table tennis club "Lidhja e Prizren".

The film, directed and written by Samir Karahoda, is a project based on the events of the members of the table tennis club, who after full admission to the International Table Tennis Federation realize that they have no space for training. This situation prompts two enthusiasts to mobilize to reactivate the table tennis club and preparations for major international competitions. None of the characters in the film were paid. The film team has not yet received the subsidies from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and that is a separate story. Despite this, just like their characters, the team has not given up.

Mundi is expected to be rewarded at the Cannes Film Festival. Karahoda has indicated that they intend to take the two characters of the film there as well.

"I can imagine that it was an extremely big competition, as there were about 4 competitors. We have the invitations from July 13 to 18 and we plan to go, hoping that the situation will not worsen", he said. He emphasized that the film is an original narrative both from its directorial and cinematographic side, but also from the fact that it was made with real protagonists who, according to him, best showed their reality.

"It's really a story that was worth making into a movie, because it's something that not everyone can do, only among us there are people who fight with all their strength not to give up, regardless of the conditions or other challenges, and that war is a different war altogether. Not insisting on anyone and not submitting to anyone", said Karahoda, who together with producer Eroll Bilibani were guests on KTV's "Express" on Wednesday.

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The director emphasized that the characters did this to keep alive their beloved sport, table tennis, but also to bring out new talents.

"More investment is needed, especially in the new generations, to give them more space, since as a society we have potential in this area, we have extremely many stories that have not been addressed. Maybe it's also the fact that films haven't been made for a long time, especially pre-war, and the stories have been collected and we should use this opportunity as a state and take it as a state policy to promote the country, our artists, our stories", said the director. He is known for his debut with the documentary "Në mes", a project with which in 2019 he put the name of Kosovo for the first time in the official competition of "Berlinales", one of the most prominent festivals of Category A.

"What we can do is tell their story and we will not stop there. We will try to fight for their space and place to be created as soon as possible. We are also in contact with several international organizations, in fact with one of the largest companies in the world that produces table tennis equipment, and we are looking at the possibility for them to come and do something", he said, adding that this will join the saying "Film changes the world".

Producer Eroll Bilibanin said that "Pa Vend" is a special story not only because of the narration, but also because of the way the director handled it. He has conveyed the story of Jeton Mazrek and Ermegan Kazazi, led by their coach Rifat Rifati. "Pa Vend", as announced by the Karahoda and Bilibani duo, will come to Kosovo at the 20th edition of "DokuFest", which will be held from August 6 to 14.

"The characters play themselves, as if it were 15-16 years earlier, but the situation has not changed. This also shows the level of Kosovo's sport, small sports in particular, and how talents are treated, especially those who tomorrow or the day after tomorrow will make us proud", he said. According to him, the way they are treated and the lack of investment in their further development really leaves a lot to be desired.

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"Investment in film should not be done ad-hoc, we have a success and now we will invest here. It is necessary to think about a long-term strategy, since this success is not accidental", he said. According to him, this is only the beginning of successes.

"I believe in this new wave of Kosovo cinema", he said.

Kosovo will have two film projects in Cannes this year. It is the 20-year-old Luana Bajrami who has become the youngest director who, in a half-century span of the history of "Director's Fortnight", a parallel organization within the Cannes Festival, will show her film. Since "Lions of the Hill" marks the first film of Bajram, it has the opportunity to come out with a prize from the Cannes Festival, even though it is not part of the official competition.

Paolo Moretti, representative of the Cannes Film Festival, in an interview for "Cineuropa", while talking about the program, also mentioned the movie "Hill Lionesses".

"And despite the fact that it is located in Europe, the Kosovar film that we have selected clearly shows that there are nationalities and lands that we are revealing that are not so common. We look for films from all over the world, but fortunately the support structure of filmmakers in Europe supports new talents, especially in France, where the system is exceptional", he said while talking about the large number of stories from Europe that are in this year's edition.

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The history of the Cannes Film Festival and Albanian actors and directors goes back many years. In 1967, at this festival, the film "Feather Collector", starring Bekim Fehmiu, triumphed by winning the Grand Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI Prize. Then there is the actress Arta Dobroshi, who shone with the character of Lorna in the magnificent film "Lorna's Silence" in 2008, a role for which she was nominated at the Cannes Film Festival. Thus, Dobroshi became the first actress from Kosovo to walk the red carpet of this festival. And in 2019, there was the short film "The Van" by director Erenik Beqiri, with actors from Kosovo Arben Bajraktaraj and Afrim Muçaj, which premiered at the 72nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival. It also set a record for Albanian cinematography, as it became the first Albanian film to compete for the prestigious "Palma e Artë" award. Now, he made the history of Kosovo's cinematography at Cannes with "Pa Vend".