The film “The day begins” written and directed by Gentian Koçi since its premiere has continued to be shown in different countries. The film was recently shown in Vienna, at the “Apollo Theater” cinema, as part of the “Albanian Culture Weeks”.
The film “Day begins” had its premiere at the Sarajevo festival, where it won the “Heart of Sarajevo” for the best protagonist actress Ornela Kapetani. “Daybreak” written and directed by Gentian Koçi is an intimate drama, which takes place in an apartment in Tirana. In fact, it is a story that can happen anywhere. The story is based on two female characters, Leta and Sofia. Leta is a young mother in an extremely difficult financial situation. Due to this situation, she has not been able to pay the rent for several months.
When Leta and her one-year-old son are evicted from their rented apartment, they move into the house of Sofia, an elderly woman bedridden by illness whose daughter has hired Leta as her mother’s caregiver. In order to maintain her new job and shelter, Leta must keep Sofia alive at all costs. The axis of the story is the fragile relationship between young and old woman, a relationship that fluctuates between mutual empathy and pragmatic goals. “The day begins” is a film shot in the interior and with few characters, starring actors Ornela Kapetani, Suzana Prifti, Kasem Hoxha. This film was produced by ArtLab Film (Albania) in co-production with Graal Films (Greece).
After taking place in three co-production markets (Cinelink, Connecting Cottbus and Euro-Mediterranean Co-Production Market), this Albanian-Greek production found the financial support of the National Cinematography Center-Albania, the Greek Film Center, Eurimages, the Ministry of Culture, VAT of the Municipality of Tirana as well as the Balkan cinema development network See Cinema Network.
The film “Day begins” has been welcomed by the public and has been a success so far for the director by Gentian Koçi. A film, which has been awarded at various festivals at home and abroad, but also current in the times we are going through. Written and directed by Gentian Koçi, the film continues its international journey. “Day begins” has also been selected as Albania’s official nomination for “Oscar” in the category of “Best Foreign Film.