Feature film
Beni Walks on His Own
Beni ecën vetë
Xhanfize Keko · 1975
Synopsis
Beni is eight years old and lives in Korça with parents who shield him from everything: his mother does not let him play outside, and when he goes out, the children of the neighbourhood call him a coward and a mummy's boy. His uncle Thomai finds him in tears after the others have taken his horse. For the summer, he takes him on horseback to his village, far from the town, where the boy reconnects with nature and learns from him about life, and what is expected of a man.
Context
The screenplay is by Kiço Blushi, who received the Prize of the Republic for it. The title role went to Herion Mustafaraj, chosen from more than four thousand seven- and eight-year-old children from state schools; Pandi Raidhi plays the uncle, alongside Yllka Mujo and Dhorkë Orgocka. The film was released on 24 January 1975; its director also directed the editing, her first trade. The Reina Sofía museum in Madrid included it in a retrospective of her work, presenting it as a delicate exploration of childhood kept apart from the obligations of adults.
Who it is for
Eighty minutes in black and white, for children, spoken in Albanian and rarely subtitled; nothing to know in advance.
Prizes and reception
Cup for direction at the first Albanian film festival, in 1976; awards the same year at the Giffoni and Belgrade festivals.
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