The collaboration between Harabel Contemporary Art Platform and DokuFest brought four film screenings to the premises of “Tirana Open Air” on July 26th 2019. Namely, the films selected for the Tirana public were: “Crannog” (Isa Rao, United Kingdom, 2018); “Skin” (Guy Nattiv, USA, 2018); “The Story” (Jola Bańkowska, Poland, 2019); “Last year when the train passed by” (Pang-Chuan HUANG, France /Taiwan, 2018).
The film “Crannog” is a contemplation of life and death, but above all a contemplation of kindness, which must accompany the human being along his life journey from one end to the other. At the centre of the film is Alexis, a young woman who spends her time in Northern Scotland, taking care of 48 endangered and sick animals and staying with them until they die, emphasizing the idea that no one should to die alone.
The idea of clashes between races is at the heart of the movie “Skin”. It reflects the contempt, hatred, and violence emanating from the self-perpetuating superiority of a particular human divide. A single moment of misunderstanding in the film will suffice to highlight that the skin (depending on race) still constitutes a cause for outrage within the human being. All this will lead to a relentless confrontation between the two categories, leading to a shocking conclusion.
The reflection of contemporary man in the age of comprehensive technology is made possible by the film “Story”; the reflection of the lonely, lost man, already oblivious to the reality surrounding him, often immersed in many social media platforms. The action takes place within a day and features short ironic scenes where the virtual world eclipses the real one.
At last, the movie “Last year when the train passed by”. A photo taken from the train a year ago. At the same place, a year later, questions are asked to those who appear in it. Throughout the year things have changed, but time it-self, at a certain point in time, was captured on film and memories were sealed in it. In a way, the film proves how certain moments can die and others not, due to the memory and technological capabilities.
DokuFest is an all-inclusive event for every age group and on its 18th anniversary it carries 280 films, which will be screened in open air cinemas in Prizren.
