Already known for his The Moonless Night (best film at Rotterdam), Rome Med FF New Jersey Trenton FF) Minarolli started the script development of Alive in 2004 with the help of the Rotterdam HBF. The next year he won the Belgrade B2B prize, followed by the prestigious Montpellier Mediterranean Development Grant. In 2006 Alive was selected by Sarajevo CineLink. Soon after Minarolli entered in co-production with the Paris based Agat Films (www.agatfilms.com) and the Vienna based WildartFilm (www.wildartfilm.com). With the help of the Albanian film fund and the national TV, and the accumulation of multiple national supports, by producers Ebba Sinzinger and Marie Balducho, he succeeded in building a tripartite co-production between Albania, Austria. and France.
The whole summer shooting in Albania (June 9 to July 28, 2008) was overseen by Minarolli's production company Art Film. Since it was founded in 1997, it organized a European Film Festival in Tirana and produced, in addition to The Moonless Night, several shorts and documentaries.
"The most difficult part of the shooting took place in the distant mountainous village Lura. We had to stay there 12 days. The nearest fuel station was at a three hour distance, and because of the bad road we damaged 20 tires. Half of the crew lived in stone houses, belonging to the villagers," Minarolli recounted. At the same time he recognized than working with people from different cultures (13 nationalities in the crew) was very exiting and that his French DoP Jacques Bouquin, with whom he collaborated for the second time, intensively helped the production
The story of the blood feud hanging over the head of the young student Koli will have its world premiere in the East of the West competition during the Karlovy Vary IFF. Showing the dangerous weight of the so called "old code of honour" in contemporary Albania. Minarolli takes side against any obsessive vengeance. The main actor Kreshnik Xhelilaj, freshly graduated from the national Academy, was chosen for his authentic mountain villager looks. The main actress Driada Matoshi was engaged from Kossovo in order to bring a foreign quality to the character of the female assassin. .
Art Film
Rr. Durresit, Pa. 11/31
Tirana, Albania
Tel. + [355] 682053184
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.WILDart FILM
Pfeilgasse 32/1
1080 Vienna
Austria
Tel: +43 (0) 1 595 2991
Fax: +43 (0) 1 595 2991 21
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www.wildartfilm.comAGAT FILMS & Cie and EX NIHILO
52, rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud
75011 - PARIS, France
Tel.: 33 1 53 36 32 32
Fax.: 33 1 43 57 00 22
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