The next guest on the show "Nëpër Film" was actress Zana Berisha, who plays the protagonist in director Parta Kelmendi's new film, "Era".
She revealed everything about her experience in the film that is now showing in local cinemas, telling about the emotions of showing the project in front of the Kosovar public, the auditions accompanied by many interesting moments, the collaboration with other actors in the film and much more.
"It really wasn't easy. It was a very big responsibility. At that time, I had just started studying at the Faculty of Arts in the acting department and I was very aware that I was not professionally prepared to carry a film on my shoulders as the protagonist, from beginning to end. I had many conversations with the director about this issue. I was very open with Parta and she was very open with me. I had only one goal: not to disappoint her, because she trusted me with this role, something that every young actor dreams of. But with work and thanks to very good colleagues like Alban Ukaj, Armen Smajli, Irena Aliu and Majlinda Kosumovic, everyone helped me a lot," Berisha said about her first protagonist role in a feature film.
The film had its world premiere at the Brooklyn Film Festival, where Zana saw her film for the first time, accompanied by a large audience in the cinema.
"I've been waiting for that moment for years and I've always refused to see the film in any other way than on the big screen. If I had insisted a little, maybe Parta would have shown it to me, but I never told him, because I always wanted to experience all those emotions that night, with an audience, on the big screen, in a cinema and finally I went through quite a process until I got there, because the film was chosen to participate in the 'Brooklyn Film Festival' and we had the invitation to go there to present the film, but there were some problematic processes with the American Embassy and no one from the team was able to come to America. I was in Belgium at the time and I got the visa more easily and I had to go there alone. I went to New York and saw the film. Of course I met some people from Kosovo there, but I was still alone. I sat in the hall, watched the film and I can't explain what emotions I experienced throughout the film... Every frame that changed was "an emotion in itself," the actress added.
But according to Berisha, he experienced the greatest emotions at the film's premiere in Pristina, where the entire team had the opportunity to meet the audience, their friends and colleagues.
"I received a lot of comments, and they were comments from people whose opinions I value and appreciate. But one thing that comes to mind now was from a very simple woman, when I was in New York, she came, hugged me and was in tears. She told me how she saw herself during that period of time. With all the stories that Era goes through, with all the images of that time. I mean, she was telling me how the images of the film took her back in time and I think that was one of the comments that is being remembered now."
The film "Era", written and directed by Parta Kelmendi, brings together many individual stories, led by Era (Zana Berisha), and through several families and a few collective scenes, brings to the screen the years when Albanians experienced an apartheid era. The portrait of Era as she looks back at the road as the family leaves Pristina is one of the main images of the film. She also leaves behind her future. She turns her back violently, to be lost in a village that has zero prospects.
For Zana, as a young actress who had just started her acting studies, hopes of winning the role of Era were slim. She explained the audition process with emotion.
"It was a very small room and there were about 8-9 people, starting from the production people to Parta Kelmendi. I went in there without any hope or expectation of winning the role. I started to perform my scene, everything was over in five minutes and I said to myself 'ok, that's it'. I thanked everyone and went out. The next day I was invited back to the close circle of actors in the audition and there was also a colleague of mine, who was probably five years older. We were both in the close circle of actors who were being considered for the role of Era. We were given to perform a scene that was very difficult for me at the time, because it required me to cry and that was not easy for me to do at that moment. I performed the scene first and I couldn't hold back my tears, my colleague performed that scene and managed to cry successfully. She even performed the role very well, I liked it too and it touched me emotionally. "So I said to myself, 'There's no point in this, because she did the role better than me.' The audition lasted a full ten minutes, there was no need for more. I left there, called my mom in Peja and said, 'Mom, I don't know why I came because this other girl was so good, and I have no chance of getting the role.' Then I took the bus back to Peja and fell asleep on the way. When I got to Peja, I saw the message they had written to me saying that Parta wanted to meet me again. I returned to Prishtina the next day and that's how things went. Parta keeps telling me that the moment she saw the video I sent them before the auditions, she knew I was the actress in her film, but I don't know why she wanted to harass me a little with this whole audition process," the actress said, laughing.
"Era" brings together a cast of actors, such as: Alban Ukaj, Irena Aliu, Armend Smajli, Maylinda Kosumovic, Allmir Suhodolli, Melihate Qena, Kumrije Hoxha and many others.