IBRAHIM MUCAJ | GREAT ALBANIAN DIRECTORS!

Ibrahim Mucaj (1944 – 2010) Director / Honored Artist. A big name in Albanian directing, for feature films and documentaries. He was born in Vlora on December 8, 1944, where he completed secondary school. He graduated from the High Institute of Arts for acting in 1968, majoring in drama. He first worked at Kinostudio "Alhqiperia e Re" as an assistant director in the films: "I teti ne bronz" (1970) directed by Viktor Gjikës, "When it dawns a day" (1971), "Conscience" (1972) by Hysen Hakan, "Brazdat" (1973) by Kristaq Dhamos and "Gunat mbi tela" (1977) by Muharrem Fejzo. As an independent director, he first made the documentaries: "Kënga e re" (with M. Topallaj 1971) and "The life of a monument" (1974). Then I shoot "The Struggle for Bread"; "Drini changes its path again" etc. He completed a post-graduate course in film directing at ILA and at Kinostudio. Later, his profile took the direction of Artistic Film and together with the other director Kristaq Mitro he cooperated for a long time around 25 years, creating a successful duo, the compatibility of ideas, concepts, findings and aesthetic treatments. Thus in v. 1975 they write their first film "The Last Winter", giving a story with a heroic and dramatic character from the national-liberation war. In this film, they both showed their mastery in the sensitivity to the frame, the contrast of the line of black women in the white snow, the dynamics of the mise-en-scene and its poetics. A complement to this acting image was the soundtrack, the music, the silences, so much so that this film won the first prize at the 1st Albanian Artistic Film Festival, 1976. Starting from this film, the two directors Mucaj-Mitro now set out towards the film with a tragic emotional and epochal character like "Toke e pergakur" (1976), the murder of Miti and her friend's murder, the murder of Mullisi proves the strong dramatic sense of the director. Another historical plan is the film "Freedom and Death" ( 1979) dedicated to the peaceful warriors of the prominent captain in Albanian history, Cerciz Topulli, against the Ottoman hordes and the famous battle of Mashkullore. his mother and his wife. From films with the theme of the national war, the tension, the compression of the action and the drama, such as "The Bride" (1978), or "On the verge of freedom" stand out. , based on the novel "Before dawn" by Sh. Musaraj. The film "Njeriu i mire" (1982) stands out for the sharpness of the social and moral conflict, without rhetoric and political pathos, showing a psychological aspect, and seeing the phenomenon of careerism as a social evil that destroys the person and the society itself. Yes, this film won the First Prize and the Cup of the 5th Albanian Film Festival, 1983. The films "Love Your Name" (1984) and "Apassionata" (1983) deal with almost the same theme. The interweaving of a love line with a social and often political phenomenon reappears in the film "A Boy's Phone" (1978), where the drama and courage to articulate a strong criticism of the corruption of the authorities give dimension to the directorial idea of "A Boy and a Boy". (1990) is the last one in collaboration with Kristaq Mitron. After this year, he resumes working as a director in the shooting of documentary films, without losing the former theme of orientation towards social problems, as are a series of films shot in the period 1997 – 2004, with the desperation of neglected and unrepentant people who cannot find the right. Thus we can mention the documentary "A floating land" (the serious incident of the shipwreck in Otranto), "Desperimisht" (call for protects created values), "Modern times" (the corroding phenomenon of drugs and its consequences), "Flowers of a winter night" (sadness, melancholy and humanity that melt into the form of a solid structure on New Year's Eve. Together with his son, Irvin Mucaj makes the artistic short film "A wonderful day" (2003) where he feels the concern to respond to the life of an immigrant in all its difficulties. The director I. Muçaj was the director of Alba Film Studios, 1995-1997, and then a lecturer at the Academy of Arts, and for some time director of Projects at the National Cinematographic Center. Recently, the center approved his film project "The End of the Illusion", which would be a collaboration with his son, which Irvin will probably now take forward alone. He was decorated with the Order "Naim Frasheri" of the 1st class and holds the title "Merited Artist". Changed life on January 5, 2010. Published for the first time on the page "Albanian Cinema" (Facebook) in December 2013, revised in the following years. ___________________________ Albanian cinematography in activity since 2013 Reference: Online – selection of information extracted from various Albanian newspapers and portals / "Encyclopedia, Theater and Albanian Cinematography" – Toena 2009 / Papagjoni. J / F. 310-311.

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