Saim Kokona 26 February 1934 – 30 March 2012 Cinematographer of documentary, documentary and feature films 
He was born on February 26, 1934 in Gjirokaster. He spent his childhood in Lushnje, Kavaje and Prizren as his father was a judge. He attended primary school in Prizren and in June 1944, at the age of 10, his family moved to Tirana, where he received his first education. During the years 1951-1955, he graduated from the artistic high school "Jordan Misja", in the branch of painting. It must be said that at that time he was passionate about the camera that his uncle, the well-known photographer Mehmet Kallfa, had bequeathed to him. 
He studied for several years as a cameraman at the Academy of Arts – Faculty of Cinematography (FAMI) and did his internship at film studios in Bratislava, Prague, Czechoslovakia, which he finished in 1960. From 1960, until 1991, when he retired, he worked at Kinostudio "Shqipëria e Re" as a cameraman, where he made 30 feature films and as many documentary films. Initially, he shot various clips for newsreels, chronicling films and documentaries, of which 12 documentaries independently, where he stood out for his professional craftsmanship and figurative side. We can mention: "Qemal Stafa" – 1964; "In the flow of life" – 1965; "Meeting with Arberes" – 1965; "They Don't Die" – 1966; "School, sounds, colors" – 1972; "They were called Arber" – 1973, etc. 
From 1978, he moved almost completely to the shooting of feature films, making 27 of them, which stand out for their figurative side. Director of Photography among 30 films produced by the former Albanian film house, Kinostudio "Shqiperia e Re". "Njeriu i Mire" was the film that gave him the fifth Festival Cup in 1983. He has worked with prominent directors such as: Dhimitër Anagnosti, Vitor Gjika, Gëzim Erebara, Xhanfise Keko, Rikard Ljarja, Kristaq Dhamo, Hysen Hakani and many others. For the high professional level of the camera, the purity of the figure and the composition, in 1984 he was awarded the title "Merited Artist". 
Here are his most successful films and documentaries from 1964 to 1990: Qemal Stafa – (1964); Meeting with the Arbreshets – (1965); In The Course Of Life – (1965); Death Note – (1967); In the partisan tracks – (1967); Ambush – (1968); Guerrilla Unit – (1969); The Brave – (1970); Encounter with Chinese Revolutionary Art – (1971); School and life paths – (1971); Looking Through the Millennia – (1972); Color sounds school – (1972); Conscience – (1972); Grooves – (1973); They were called Arbër – (1973); The Explosion – (1974); Friends at Our Party – (1974); Saving, Saving, Saving – (1975); Ben Walks Alone – (1975); Freedom Forest – (1976); Breaking the Idols – (1977); With Military Students – (1977); Circus in the Village – (1977); Concert in 1936 – (1978); Radio Station – (1979); Balloons – (1979); Sketerre 43 – (1980); On the verge of freedom – (1981); First Name Day – (1981); The Good Man – (1982); City Lights – (1983); Apassionata – (1983);Taulanti is looking for a sister – (1984); Don't be silent – (1985); Mondi and Diana – (1985); Words Without End – (1986); Come on! – (1987); Love Signal – (1988); Hope – (1988); The Student's Father – (1988); Pirate's Cave – (1990); Saim Kokona is no longer alive, but the name of the "Deserved Artist" is like a compass that shows the way to the passion of the cinema, the young generation. He passed away on March 30, 2012. _____________ Published for the first time on the "Albanian Cinema" Facebook page in 2016.
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