Besim Levonja
(March 16, 1922 / June 21, 1968)
Actor, director and playwright of the pioneering generation of the Albanian scene, especially in the theater, he is “Golden pen” and the “father” of the comedy “The Prefect”, one of the Albanian masterpieces.
Born on March 16, 1922, in Elbasan. During the Second World War, he was active in the resistance movement, and for his anti-fascist activity he was imprisoned by the Italian occupation authorities.
With the intervention of the Tirana`s prefect, Q. Mulleti (a collaborator of fascism) was released, and after his release, Levonja performed artistic theater activity in the ranks of the national liberation army, in the partisan theater. After the war, he belonged to the creative staff of the “People’s Theatre”, in 1945, from where it was later called the National Theatre, even becoming one of the first directors in this staff.
Besimi made his debut in the drama “Coni, Ishja, Roma” in 1945. Since 1945, his artistic activity was mainly focused on writing plays, the most famous of them will be the comedy “The Prefect” in 1948, as one of the most frequent shows shown in different periods on Albanian stages and with different protagonist actors, from where we can mention some of them such as: Mihal Popi, Nikolin Xhoja, Xhemil Tagani to the last and most well-known Robert Ndrenika’s “Prefect” has remained in the memory of every Albanian art lovers.
As an actor, some of his leading roles in the “People’s Theater” cannot be forgotten, such as Gjeloshi “Votra e huej”, the wise old man “The good brave with many friends”, Sokoli “Halili and Hajria”, Tetarefi “Microbourgeois”, the gravedigger ” Hamlet”, Dobčinski “Revizori” etc.
In 1951, he wrote the drama “It’s the wounds that speak”; 1955 drama “Big Wedding” bears the signature of Besim Levonja. In 1967, his last play is entitled “Flag in the waves”.
In cinematography, there are only two feature films that he performs as an actor in episodic roles, 1961 – “Debatik” in the role of coachman Xha Lymi and 1965 in “Our Land” in the role of a guard.
Besim Levonja, the golden pen of Albanian dramaturgy and its pioneer, has been honored with the title of “Merited Artist” and also for the time with the title of “Hero of Socialist Work”.
His wife was the excellent actress of the “People’s Theater” and Cinema, the honorable lady Behije Cela. Passed away on June 21, 1968.
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Albanian Cinematography in activity since 2013
Reference: Abaz Hoxha: “Encyclopedia of Albanian cinematography” Authors & works. Tirana: Toena, 2002. ISBN 99927-1-555-3. (alb.) / Flori Slatina: “60 years of the National Theater” 1945-2005. Page 28 Tirana: 2005. ISBN 99943-715-9-2. (alb.).
Photos: Contribution of site administrators.
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