Mark Cousins goes to Albania for five days, and films what he sees. He discovers that the movie prints in the country's film archive are decaying. In investigating this, Cousins begins to encounter bigger questions about the history and memory of a place. Perhaps a country whose 20th Century, dominated by its authoritarian ruler Enver Hoxha, was so traumatic, should allow its film heritage to fade away? Perhaps a national forgetting should be welcomed?

Influenced by the films of Chris Marker, Cousins' film broadens to consider the architecture of dictators and the great icon paintings of Onufri.

In the past, when cartographers knew little about a country, they wrote on it "here be dragons". Albania was, for decades, one of the least well know countries in the world.

Cousins' road movie meditation takes the advice of Goethe: "If you would understand the poet, you must go to the poet's land."

A Hibrow Production
Directed, filmed and written by Mark Cousins
Editor Timo Langer
Producer Don Boyd
Associate Producer Dominic Dowbekin
Co-writer Thomas Logoreci
Creative Consultant Iris Elezi

Special Thanks :
Elvira Diamanti and Eriona Vyshka; The Albanian Film Archive; Artan Minarolli; Qendra Kombetare e Kinematografise; Ismail Kadare; Regina Longo; Gentian Koci; Genti Gjikola; Fatmir Koci; Rubens Shima; Majlinda Tafa; Rudy Prifti; Flori Balliu; Hermelinda Troque; Andi Lubonja; Alba Kongoli; Nendori I Dyte Lab Restoration; Colorlab Film Corp

Permissions to film the Icons:
The Onufri Museum, Berat: The Presentation of Christ at the Temple by Onufri; St Theodore Tironi and St Theodore Stratelates by Onufri; St John the Baptist by Onufri; The Virgin with Christ
The Collection of the National Museum of Medieval Art, Korce: St Michael of Mborja; The Virgin Mary; Christ Pantokrator by Onufri; St George on Horse
Collection of the National Gallery of Arts: Onufri the Cypriot; John the Theologian; St Demetrius

Poems:
After the Revolution by Ferdinand Laholli
Sado-Ngado Adverbs/Shkaterroj

Music:
Immigrant Suns
Elizabeth Temple

http://www.thealbaniancinemaproject.org/

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