Open Door
Starring Luli Bitri and Jonida Vokshi
Director Florenc Papas
Writers Florenc Papas, Ajola Daja
Producers Eno Milkani, Riccardo Neri, Vincenzo Filippo
Co-producers Besnik Krapi, Goran Stoilkovic, Vladimir Stojcevski
Cinematographer Sevdije Kastrati
Editor Stefan Stabenow
Production Designer Eri Daka
Set Designer Andon Koja
Sound Designer Igor Popovski
Music Alexander Pejovski
Costume Designer Borana Gjyzeli
Make-Up Artist Nina Myftaraj
Synopsis
Rudina, a married middle-age mother sets off on a long car journey with her five year old son and her pregnant and single sister, Elma, to the far off Albanian village where they were raised. Rudina's plan is to meet their strict and traditional father then head back to her own home before dark. As Rudina's car slowly makes its way across southern Albania, Elma comes up with a plan to enlist an ex-classmate to play the part of her husband.
Technical Information
Original Title: Dere e Hapur
Format: Shot in 2K Digital / DCP / Color
Image Format: 16:9, 1:2.3
Duration: 78 minutes
Sound Format: 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround
Original Language: Albanian with English Subtitles
Director's note
Open Door is about understanding who we are as a people and what we must do to change the circumstances that keep us tied to the past.
The story follows two sisters, Rudina and Elma, who are unable to go to their strict father’s home owing to the fact that the younger of the two, Elma, is pregnant and unmarried. Elma and Rudina have evolved in different ways, and the trauma of the past has made them grow apart. Yet, that strong link that once united them in the past is still there. Together, they will help each other face the circumstances brought about by the closed, patriarchal Albanian society.
The film takes place in present-day Albania, a fast-developing country that attempts to navigate a delicate balance between traditional values and modernity.
As a younger filmmaker coming from a certain generation, I feel tremendous empathy and fascination for these characters. I find myself particularly drawn to this confrontation between the traditional values of our parents and values in our present environment. Perhaps this is the one thing ideology has not been able to impact: the very specific nature of the Albanian family.
The characteristics of these clans are often marked by an extremely stubborn and serious father, a long-suffering, hardworking mother, and children who attempt to live their own lives but feel they must please and live up to their parents’ expectations.
For me, as a director, the inner workings and dynamics inside families, Albanian and otherwise, is the compelling material of which great cinema is made. The sisters in my story go to ridiculous lengths to please their unhappy father by producing a pretend husband for his benefit— a decision that puts their lives in danger.
This absurdity perfectly captures the awful, tragic, and sometimes humorous social landscape that marks Albania in the past three decades.
Awards & Festivals
*Official submission of Albania for the 'Best International Feature Film' category of the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021
Sarajevo Film Festival (World Premiere) - Bosnia & Herzegovina
Manaki Cinematographers Film Festival - North Macedonia
Tetovo International Film Festival - North Macedonia
Seanema Film Festival - Montenegro
*Special Mention Award
Tirana International Film Festival - Albania
Cineast Film Festival - Luxembourg
Thessaloniki International Film Festival - Greece
Zinebi-Bilbao Film Festival - Spain
Kolkata International Film Festival - India
Authors Film Festival - Serbia
Brussels Mediterranean Film Festival - Belgium
*Best Film Prix de Francophonie
Sofia International Film Festival - Bulgaria
Al Est Festival du Film D´Europe Centrale et Orientale - France
Festival del Cinema Europeo Lecce - Italy
*Audience Award
*Cineuropa Prize
Crossing Europe Film Festival - Austria
FilmFest Munchen - Germany
Cartagena Film Festival - Colombia
Pristina International Film Festival - Kosovo
Cambridge International Film Festival - United Kingdom
Uruguay International Film Festival - Uruguay
SEE Film Fest - Los Angeles, USA
Pera Museum – Turkey
Arlington International Film Festival – USA
New Mexico Film Critics Awards
*Best Foreign Film
Farj International Film Festival – Iran
Manarat Film Festival – Tunisia
Kolkata International Film Festival – India
FICCI Interruptus – Colombia
Festival der neue Heimat - Austria
Visionär Film Festival – Germany
Balkan Film Festival – Albania
Arava Desert International Film Festival – Israel
European Union Film Festival – Canada
Otranto Film Festival – Italy
*Unisalento Prize
Bolzano Film Festival - Italy
Noli Film Festival - USA
*Best Supporting Actress for Jonida Vokshi
