Vladimir Prifti (1942 – 2023)
Director, screenwriter and producer.
Prifti was born in Tirana, on June 1, 1942. He graduated from the High School for actors in “Aleksander Moisiu” and soon after he was appointed an actor at the “Teatri Popullor”, he played several supporting roles there, he stood out with Kogo in the drama “Second Face” by Dritéro Agolli (1968). After some experiences as an assistant director, in 1974 he started working as a director in TVSH.
This is where his passion for filming began with the dramatization of Ismail Kadare`s novel by Pirro Mani “The General of the Dead Army” (1976) transforming the code of the theater show into the specific language of the television film, without losing the artistic quality.
He also continued this path with the film “When the foundations were laid” (1978), according to Kolé Jakova’s play “Pomegranate Flowers”.
His first original feature film was “The Way of Letters” (1978), honored with a special award at the III Festival of Albanian Artistic Film and with the Republic Award of the first degree. No matter how many years have passed, it remains among the pinnacles of the film director and Albanian Cinematography itself, an inspired, psychological film, with strong dramatic themes and tones, powerful messages, realized characters, tension and suspense. The impetus was taken from the story “Bread and knife” by Dh. Shuteriqi, but the fable of a journey of Dhaskal Todri with Albanian letters on horses, his murder as well as the little dialogue of the story have undergone transformations and enrichments, thanks to the image to have a film that was obtained during the shooting and the understanding of the idiolect from the literature in the film.
“The warm wind of the depths” (1982), co-author of the script with Naum Prifti, regardless of the embellishment of life in the mine, pays attention to human relationships and the need for trust, love, dignity.
His first film produced in the cinema studio “Shqiperia e Re” was “Who dies on Foot” (1985, co-screenwriter with N. Prifti). In this film, he continues to consolidate his style for dramatic and tragic accents, for the social dimension of the fact, the harshness of the action, focusing on the self-denying figure of Petro Nini Luarasi, his relations with the church, the Turkish administration, the enemies of the language and of the national movement.
On the contrary, in the film “And one day comes” (co-screenwriter with Teodor Laco) he now focuses on the psychological plans, hidden behind a seemingly ordinary dialogue, which is interspersed with episodes felt by simple people in the village, where it also begins the meaning of the truth of the hero alienated by the temptation for position, privilege and career. With this film, Albanian cinematography was presented for the first time at the Venice International Film Festival (1987).
As a co-screenwriter with T. Lacon, he would make the successful film “Butterfly in my cabin” (I 988), winner of the second prize at the VIII Artistic Film Festival. The director presents with a deep realism the regenerative and healing ability of a good man, of virtue and nobility towards a young man who is desperate, and with problems of formation, caused by the unfair circumstances of life.
Among the best levels of V. Prifti is also the film “Sako`s Wedding” (1998), winner of several awards in its component. Thanks to a subject rich in ideas, characters and events, the director has taken care to create the metaphor of the barrenness of the man, the ambitious and vengeful man and of his own backward relations of property against nobility, love and human beauty, in an apparent reality. drowned by luxury and wealth, but in fact spiritually weak and hostile. Recently, the quality of the director stood out for a feeling and true acting, full of tension and drama, as well as his ability to create historical syntheses through meaningful images.
V. Prifti also produced several documentaries in the years 2000-2004, among them: “The Blessed”; “Legend of mud”, “Egnatia Street”, “Butrinti”. The latter also has the elements of a feature film, as it is built on a fable and fictional characters. The film won a special award at the X International Archaeological Film Festival in Kiel, Germany.
Prifti held the role of external lecturer at the Academy of Arts and at the “Marubi” Multimedia School. He is a director-producer at the EUROFILM company.
Holds the title “Merited Artist”. Prifti passed away on November 5, 2023.
Ppublished for the first time on Facebook page “Albanian Cinematography” in June 2020
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Albanian Cinematography in activity since 2013
Reference: “Encyclopedia, Theater and Albanian Cinema” – Toena 2009 / J. Papagjoni / p. 362
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