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By:
Alberina Haxhijaj
- 5 May 2021 10:15
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"LevelK", the company from Denmark which has the rights to the global sale of the film "Woke up" directed by Blerta Basholli, has brought good news to film lovers. It has reached several agreements with distributors, thus making "Zgjoi" start its journey through cinemas and different platforms for the promotion of film projects
"Zgjoi", directed by Blerta Basholli, can now be considered the first film in Kosovo that has a wide sale. The story that highlights survival as hope in post-war Kosovo will communicate with almost the whole world, as "LevelK", the company from Denmark which has the right to sell "Zjjoi" globally, has brought to film lovers on Tuesday a good news. It has reached several agreements with well-known distributors in North America, Europe and even Asia. The film team has announced that in the coming days there will be news about new agreements with distributors. Thus, the screening and promotion of the film based on the life of Krushian Fahrije Hoti will soon begin in cinemas and various platforms.
"LevelK" has sold the drama to "Kino Lorber" as a collaboration with "Zeitgeist Films" for North America. Kino Lorber, founded in 1977, according to the description on their website, brings audiences the best titles in cinema, including hits from the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlin Film Festival, the Sundance Film Festival and Toronto Festival. Zeitgeist Films is an independent American distributor founded in 1998 in New York. The films that this company has received for distribution have been nominated for important awards in cinematography, and the film "Nowhere in Africa" (2001) won the "Oscar" award for the best film in a foreign language. An award that according to filmmakers in Kosovo - in an article published in KOHA in February of this year with the title "Five stars for the cinematography of Kosovo" - can also receive "Zgjoi", since for the same film it was seen as an opportunity for Kosovo's first "Oscar".
The well-known production company "Altitude Film Entertainment" has sold the right for distribution in Great Britain. The company founded in 2012 is known for the co-production of the film "Big Game", directed by Jalmari Helander, starring the well-known actor Samuel L. Jackson, and for the production of the film "47 Meters Down", directed by Johannes Roberts. which went on to become one of the most successful independent films in the US.
"LevelK" has sold the rights for distribution in New Zealand and Australia to the company "Icon". Founded in 1989, Icon is Australia's leading independent cinema and film distribution company.
"Zgjoi" has also been sold to China (Hugoeast Holding); Scandinavia (Edge Entertainment); Portugal (Films4you); Czech Republic (HBO Central Europe); Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia (Kino Mediteran); Turkey (Filmarti) and Greece (Cinobo).
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"Zgjoi" of Kosovo fills the cinemas of Switzerland
"Wake up" made history in the cinematography when, in the early hours of February 3, at the largest American event of its kind, "Sundance Film Festival", it received a triple award trophy: the Jury Award, the Audience Award and the Director Award in the "World Cinema Dramatic" category.
In the 1 hour and 24-minute film, the actress Yllka Gashi sublimates 22 years of the real character, Fahrije Hoti, who is torn between grief for her missing husband, poverty at home and a social circle that fails to help her, except to add pain with lashings of prejudice. But where everything seems finished by fatalism, hope shines. It is precisely the entrepreneurial spirit of Fahrija that returns as a beacon for dozens of women who have been left without husbands in the village of Rahovec, where Serbian forces killed 240 people.
The directors of "Zeitgeist Films", Emily Russo and Nancy Gerstman, told the British newspaper "Screendaily" that they had already reached their ideal limit by judiciously choosing five films to distribute for this year when they accepted "Awake".
"This film had such an effect on us that it was impossible to ignore, and impossible not to bring it to the North American audience," Russo and Gerstman were quoted as saying. It was impossible for "Altitude" to avoid "Zgjoi".
"While 'Woke' shines as an important light after the war in Kosovo, the film is also a story about women overcoming injustices in a patriarchal society, which will resonate and inspire throughout the world," he was quoted as saying about " Screendaily" host of "Altitude", Laura Wilson.
The producer Yll Uka, from the "Ikon" studio, told KOHEN that the film is made for the audience and when it is possible for the film to have such a large distribution in cinemas, almost in all continents, it is a great pleasure.
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"We worked hard to reach these agreements. Now, together with our distributors, we are working on distribution strategies in cinemas, festivals and even the biggest awards, such as 'EFA', 'BAFTA', 'Oscar' and others", he said.
The Cinematographic Center of Kosovo supported the film "Zgjoi" in the 2015 competition for script development, and a year later in the feature film category when it was awarded 140 euros.
Arben Zharku, head of the KKK, told KOHEN that it is a great success for the film, and for the authors of the film, this huge sale in many territories.
"The success at 'Sundance' and the high quality of the film have awakened great interest from distributors to have it in their territories, and this means a lot to the creators of the film. We are very happy when we see the finalization of the projects we support in this way", he said. According to him, it is important that the film is seen everywhere in the world and earns as much as possible.
"While we as supporters have the percentage based on the law for every possible benefit", said Zharku. What will be the percentage that KKK will receive depends on the support given to the project and the revenues that will benefit the producers.
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"Zgjoi" is a film co-production between Kosovo, Switzerland, Albania and North Macedonia, and in addition to the KKK, it was also supported by the Federal Office for Culture FOC and Cinéforom (Switzerland), the North Macedonian Film Agency and the National Center for Cinematografi (Albania), produced by "Ikon Studio" and "Industria Film", with co-production by "Alva Film Production", "Black Cat Production", "AlbaSky" and "Swiss National TV".
