Dielli | The Sun

Albanian American Newspaper Devoted to the Intellectual and Cultural Advancement of the Albanians in America | Since 1909

Fuqia e Dritës – Festivali Ndërkombëtar i Video Artit Gjon Mili 2025 në Manhattan

by

Rafaela Prifti/

Festivali Ndërkombëtar i Video Artit “Gjon Mili” International Video Art Festival (IVAF) Gjon Mili 2025 prezantoi një përzgjedhje dinjitoze të krijimeve nga artistë shqiptarë dhe të huaj për pesë ditë-netët e fundit të shtatorit dhe fillimit të tetorit në mjediset e Producers Club Theaters dhe natën e mbylljes në Dolby Screening Room, Nju Jork. Risia e edicionit të tretë të festivalit është ardhja në Nju Jork, pas Korçës dhe Dhërmiut, “e kësaj përvoje unike artistike, ku arti bashkëkohor vizual bashkon kultura, gjuhë dhe përvoja njerëzore të ndryshme,” thanë organizatoret Yllka Gjollesha dhe Suela Bako në natën e hapjes.

Të dyja ato i japin përparësi vijimit të misionit të festivalit si urë lidhëse mes vendeve dhe krijuesve, të vetëdishme për trashëgiminë dhe emrin e fotografit dhe artistit të madh shqiptaro-amerikan Gjon Mili. Nëpërmjet bashkëpunimit të tyre regjizorial, Suela Bako dhe Yllka Gjollesha ia kanë kushtuar filmin dokumentar Light/Dritë pionierit të dritës stroboskopike dhe lëvizjes në artin vizual, që ishte në programin e natës së fundit në Dolby. Në ceremoninë e mbylljes u shfaqën filma të përzgjedhur nga artistë të ftuar në këtë edicion dhe premiera amerikane të disa produksioneve. Mes tyre dokumentari i shkurtër Në Mes In Between (2025, 13’) nga regjizori Samir Karahoda, fitues i disa çmimeve ndërkombëtare https://www.instagram.com/samirkarahoda/?hl=en është një vëzhgim i hollë i kundërvënieve që shoqërojnë emigrimin shqiptar. Filmi i shkurtër Kadillak dhe Manaferra Cadillac and Blackberries (2022, 17’) nga Suela Bako, sjell një portret prekës të rezistencës nën diktaturën komuniste https://www.instagram.com/bakosuela/?hl=en

Nën emërtimin The Skin of the Light /Lëkura e Dritës, përzgjedhjet e jurisë së IVAF 2025 kishin përfshirë krijime që hulumtojnë identitetin, kujtesën, marrëdhënien e njeriut me natyrën, si edhe qasje origjinale të ndriçimit, tingullit dhe lëvizjes. Nga programi i Festivalit të vinte dëshira t’i shikoje të gjitha seancat e tij, duke nisur nga shfaqjet e filmave të paradites dhe pasdites së datës 27 shtator, gjatë të cilave u prezantuan vepra të artistëve nga Italia The Music Box and The Tree of Life, nga Shtetet e Bashkuara The Inherit and Quary, nga Bjellorusia Lake, nga Mbretëria e Bashkuar Elemental Feelings, nga Kina Let it Grow, nga Australia In the Shadow of Small Acts etj.

Unë arrita në orët e mbrëmjes së hapjes së Festivalit që nisi me shfaqjen e filmit të gjatë dokumentar Alexander nga Ardit Sadiku. Shumë mund ta mbajnë mend historinë e bujshme të arratisjes së Aleksandër Grudës nga Shkodra me anije ushtarake në vitin 1992, por dokumentari, ku rrëfimtar është vetë Aleksandri, arrin të përçojë tek shikuesi triumfin e shpirtit njerëzor mbi egërsinë dhe terrorin që mban në këmbë diktaturën.

Prania e Aleksandër Grudës në shfaqjen e filmit dokumentar dhe fjalët përshëndetëse të këtij shqiptar-amerikan me banim në Nju Jork e emocionuan publikun. Pak minuta më vonë, në sallën e katit të dytë të Producers Club Theaters, gjendja emocionale mori tjetër kahje në aktin e monologut komik të aktorit Romir Zalla. Mes urimeve e përgëzimeve të shumta nga miq e dashamirë për standup-in e parë në Amerikë, vinte edhe dëshira për të mos e lënë të kalojë shumë kohë deri në shfaqjen e ardhshme. “Interpretimi plot humor dhe finesë i aktorit të mirënjohur Romir Zalla, solli shumë të qeshura me stand-up komedinë e tij,” tha Tefta Bejko, bashkëproducente me 90 Production Film Company.

Ajo e quajti festivalin “një dhuratë të çmuar për ne në diasporë. Ai na sjell pranë vepra artistike e kinematografike që, ndonëse shpesh nuk kanë mundësi tjetër distribucioni, mbartin një nivel të lartë artistik dhe na bëjnë të ndiejmë më afër kinemanë tonë.”

Në datat 2-4 tetor, juria e Festivalit vlerësoi me çmime në kategoritë e video artit dhe artit eksperimental, animacionin, performancën, realitetin virtual dhe dokumentarin e krijuesve nga Shtetet e Bashkuara, Gjermania, Holanda, Irani/Mbreteria e Bashkuar dhe Kanadaja.

Ashtu si teknika stroboskopike e shqiptaro-amerikanit nga Korça Gjon Milit e bëri të dukshme dritën dhe lëvizjen në fotografi, edhe Festivali Gjon Mili IVAF 2025 në tërësinë e tij iu dha artdashësve larminë e krijimeve të artistëve si edhe aftësinë e pakufizuar të subjekteve të artit vizual dhe kinemasë.

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Foto – Takim në Muzeun Metropolitan të Artit MET në Manhattan gjatë ditëve të Festivalit, Romir Zalla, Suela Bako, Rafaela Prifti, Mimoza dhe Izmir Bako.

Unlocking the Power of Older Persons Benefits all of Humanity- Message of 35th UN Day of Older Persons

by

Rafaela Prifti/

For the second consecutive year, Arjanita (Ariana) Elezaj chaired the UN International Day of Older Persons at the UN Headquarters on the designated day for the community. The theme of 2025 Summit was Older Persons Driving Local and Global Action: Our Aspirations, Our Well-being, Our Rights.

Ariana Elezaj, Chair of the UNIDOP 2025 Programme Sub-Committee of the NGO Committee on Ageing in New York thanked each of the agencies including DESA and all the groups, speakers and representatives of member states, Argentina, Chile, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, that collaborated for today’s summit.

In his opening remarks, William Smith, Chair of the NGO Committee on Ageing in New York, summed up the priorities of the program in three areas: Healthcare, Financial Security and Social Inclusion.

The keynote address by Jeannette Takamura, Professor and Dean Emerita of the Columbia University School of Social Work, presentations by an excellent panel of speakers and two video messages reinforced the point of the urgency of inclusion of older persons and “moving from words to actions”.

What is it about?

In one word: preparedness. From a list of statistics, what stands out is that the 60+ community will constitute 1.4 billion of the world’s population and in 2050 that number will double.

One more statistic:

Currently in the US the number of people that are in the 60s and older group is bigger than the group that is 18 and older.

Why it matters?

The age expectancy is now at 78. While medicine has advanced, our policies have not. The impact for the country’s population, economy and society overall can be vast.

What to do? Get involved. Promote a universal convention launched in Geneva to establish an International Body to strengthen the protection of Human Rights of Older Persons.

The challenges and issues of aging concern all of us. To that end supporters are truly valuable. Fotini (Foti) Kokeri of Kosloski Family Foundation joined New York NGO Committee on Ageing last year after being introduced to it by Ariana Elezaj. Ms. Kokeri said she was thrilled to be at this year’s Summit “to share a meaningful commitment to the New York NGO Committee on Ageing. I have witnessed firsthand how NGO programs empower and uplift older adults, whose life experiences and wisdom are invaluable to our communities”

The two superstars of today’s summit were Edilia Camargo Villarreal, Ph.D, Former UNESCO Population Education Programme Specialist and Master Athlete Women 85-89 category and Dr. Howard Tucker, the 103 year old Neurologist and Adjunct Professor at Case Western University. Both of them exemplify the message of the summit – older persons are valuable and essential for a prosperous society.

“I was profoundly inspired by Dr. Howard Tucker’s speech—103 years of experience, boundless curiosity, and a lifetime of learning. His example reminds us that age is not a limit but a reservoir of insight and leadership,” said Ms. Kokeri. She shared a personal story that is deeply meaningful that also resonates on this day: “For over 17 years, I have had the privilege of working with Helene Kosloski. Helene joined me in the journey when she was 72, and I learned so much from her wisdom in business, real estate, and life. I deeply miss her since she passed away at 90. Saying I graduated from the “Kosloski University” is a heartfelt tribute to the invaluable education she provided—practical, principled, and transformative. Her life experiences continue to inspire my work and commitment to our community.”

Already committed to the mission, Ms. Kokeri says that “she looks forward to supporting and to being present at the next AGO event. I’m excited not only to continue my involvement with the NGO Committee but to actively contribute and advocate for programs that celebrate and empower older adults.”

To learn more about the program and ways you can help, please go to Http://ngocoa-ny.org/

Finding Albania – The Dream and the Lie – Elena Dorfman’s Artistic Vision

by

Rafaela Prifti/

Her Albanian heritage may not be recognizable in the name Elena Dorfman, yet her camera unveils the artistic explorations of the maternal homeland at art exhibits in the West Coast and half way around the world. The photographer and filmmaker-based in Los Angeles since 1989 has gravitated towards the self-isolated land of her ancestors, first in her imagination as a child growing up in New England, and later on, as an artist that went further and deeper in decoding Albania’s past through the language, she is very well versed at, art and cinema.

Though the seventies Elena was raised outside of Boston, by an Albanian mother and a father of Austrian descent, who was fifth generation Bostonian. “My mother was Virginia Spiro, whose parents were born in Korce, and later immigrated from there to Taunton, Mass, around 1915. My siblings and I were raised in the Albanian diaspora of New England, with friends and relatives who lived throughout the region. Unfortunately, I never knew my grandparents who died relatively young. My mother, too, died young, at 52, in 1984. Her funeral was presided over by her dear friend, father Artur Liolin, remembering the passing of his death this month two years ago.”

Elena’s internal curiosity about Albania, which she first visited in 1993 and returned nearly every year since, was to take photographs. And she took thousands of them. In 2016, she found herself captivated by the Northern, mountainous region of Valbona. “From the images I made in the region, I created large-scale mixed media artworks that were included in a series called Transmutation. This series features photographs that were collaged and then gilded, using precious metals — 23 karat gold, palladium and silver — adhered to the surface of the picture, such as the Golden Dome, illustrated below. Also, based on my photographs a beautiful set of woven Jacquard tapestries were produced – these are decorative, heavy, woven textiles with intricate patterns that are woven directly into the fabric. These striking artworks were shown in galleries, such as Modernism, in San Francisco, CA, and Fredric Snitzer gallery, Miami, Florida; and reviewed in ArtForum,” says Elena. 

Inclined to exploring images in a broader cultural context, the artist launched a project with the Albanian National Film Archive, in 2018, after meeting then-Director of the Archive, Iris Elizi. What Elena discovered was that nearly none of the films had been digitized in the years since the fall of communism. “In October of 2021, I hired and brought in a professional digitizer from Israel, and we worked together in the theater of the archive scanning as many of the films as we could over the course of the month. In total, we scanned about 80 films, both features and documentaries produced between 1947 – 1991 by Albania’s Kinostudio, and were kept in poor storage conditions. By 2018, the films have been in a climate controlled environment, properly stored.”  

Elena did extensive research that involved “watching nearly all of the three hundred features and dozens of documentaries from the Era, but also traveling back to Tirana in 2022 to interview a 

number of the actors, directors, technicians and archivists. I read everything available about Albania’ film history in order to both pay homage to this cultural artifact, and also help shape my own film.” 

Hundreds of editing hours later, focused on selecting the right shots and cuts in her studio, in 2023 and 2024, Elena created her unconventional film, generally known as video art or installation THE DREAM & THE LIE. A unique reinterpretation of Cold War Albanian cinema, the production is comprised of approximately seventy remixed and reedited films from the New Albania Kinostudio. Intended to disrupt the propagandistic narratives of Hoxha-era films, the style is non-linear and experimental. Just as importantly, it is also an homage to the incredible artistry, creativity and dedication of the actors, technicians, writers and directors of the time.” I very much wanted to give back to the country of my maternal heritage. I felt that this project served two purposes: giving back, and also expanding my own artistic endeavors.” 

“With little understanding of the Albanian language, I was drawn to films that were visually arresting, initially gravitating toward the directors who were formally trained in the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc countries. Films directed by great directors such as Dhimiter Anagnosti, Piro Milkani, Kristaq Dhamo and Viktor Gjika, among others, that were visually distinctive and identifiable by their signature styles.” With the recent passing of Anagnosti, her project feels like the highest form of tribute to these talented and pioneering artists. In THE DREAM & THE LIE, there are excerpts from popular films like Malet me blerim mbular, Furtuna, Në kufi të dy legjendave, Toka Jone, and many more. 

Elena Dorfman’s film premiered in early June followed by a Q&A with the artist in Shkodra’s Festival Ekrani i Artit at the invitation of its founder, Albanian artist, Adrian Paci https://www.instagram.com/adrian_paci/?hl=en. Shkodra Festival caters to experimental and modern works presenting the perfect venue for contemporary artwork such as Elena’s. 

“My film is comprised of both feature and documentary films produced by the New Albania Kinostudio, under Hoxha. It plays over three screens—a triptych—and although it loosely follows a narrative thread, it is primarily a non-linear format, offering viewers an impression of the types of films and storylines produced over nearly five decades, but with motifs that also refer to the brutality of life during communism, which I felt very compelled to include.”  Albanians who grew up watching these movies, the millennials who are not familiar with them as well as non-Albanian audiences have reacted positively to this artifact – appreciating the artistic breakdown of the government narrative designed to perpetuate the power of the regime. To that point, she deliberately picked the title that echoes Picasso’s first overtly political work “The Dream and the Lie of Franco” that prefigures his iconic painting “Guernica”.  

The film’s poster depicts a close shot of the renowned Albanian actor Tinka Kurti in her break out role in Tana (1958) the first full-length Albanian feature movie. Her portrait is overlaid with footage of 35mm film, that appear in the horizontal lines, indicating montages in THE DREAM & THE LIE. The triptych at the bottom of the poster represents the film layout. 

Albania’s art and cinema of the previous era, depicted in Dorfman’s lens, invites the viewer to “decode” the underlying meaning or the subtext versus the overt representation, what is hidden or implied versus what is explicit and on the surface – it is the artistic vision of the Albanian American artist, Elena Dorfman! 

https://www.instagram.com/dorfmanelena/?hl=en
https://www.modernisminc.com/artists/Elena_DORFMAN

Conversation with Ledia Xhoga, author of Misinterpretation, longlisted for the Booker Prize 2025

by

Interviewer Rafaela Prifti/

Congratulations on the nomination! You are the first Albanian-born female novelist longlisted for the Booker Prize. What jumps to mind instantly is Ismail Kadare’s winning the first Man Booker International Prize in 2005 (now International Booker Prize) – an award that honored his entire body of work. What is it like to be up there?

-Being longlisted certainly increases the book’s visibility and opens up opportunities. I feel beyond honored and hugely intimidated to see my name next to Kadare, whom I grew up reading. It’s also a bit strange, honestly, as it puts a strong spotlight on a person, and most writers are introverts who have a hard time with that kind of attention. As far as gender is concerned, six other wonderful writers who are women are on the list, so I’m in good company.

Living in-between is a central concept of the imigrant experience that you explore through the nameless protagonist, the Albanian American profesional interpreter, and a whole cast of imigrants from around the world in your debut novel.

-Yes, there are many immigrants in the story and they’re all experiencing the in-between. They all want something that’s beyond their reach, some are trying to become legal or heal themselves, some simply want a life where they’re not harassed. They all have their goals. The novel starts in January and I had the feeling, while writing it, that it would end in spring, which worked well metaphorically showing the possibilities of regeneration and renewal in that final scene.

“The Albanianess” is interwoven with the main theme of caring too much, a strong trait that leads the protagonist into dangerous situations. Since the book is released in Albanian by Botimet Dudaj, I will ask you to choose three words to describe it in Albanian.

Dinamik, mbërthyes, i paparashikueshëm.

The protagonist’s drive to help fellow immigrants, though admirable, becomes an unchecked compulsion. You had said that a brief personal experience as an interpreter for a New York organization, provided the premise of the story “that was ready to be told.” Was that unusual or is that an habitual workflow?

-It was actually a volunteer opportunity someone told me about. The man I was to interpret for had the same history as Alfred and he was a survivor of torture. But I’ve never worked professionally as an interpreter or translator. Yes, of course, it takes a while for some stories to get off the ground. A select few flow much easier it seems. Writers call them a gift. I wouldn’t say this story was a gift though. But although I struggled with the structure of the novel initially, there was something propulsive in the storyline, which allowed me to finish it.

In the story, silence is not just the absence of sound, it could indicate represion or rebellion, which is evident each time the narrator opts to say nothing to Billy, her husband, or Alfred, the Kosovar Albanian client that she is helping. What do the novel’s reflective spaces convey to the reader?

-It’s common for astute readers to notice things that writers don’t even intend, at least not consciously. I wasn’t aware of the role of silence, thank you for bringing it up. Billy’s attention to the unspoken is mentioned in regard to his interest in silent film and is consistent with the fact that he is also attuned to his wife’s moods, and he can read her reactions, even when she doesn’t tell him things. And then there’s the silence that happens after they fight, since they’re both upset. It offers a moment of introspection perhaps and it also reveals her feelings as she reflects upon their relationship. I like your interpretation that silence represents rebellion and repression, I’m sure that’s true, too.

The mother figure manifests itself in a fascinating ensemble of female characters such as the narrator’s mother, and Anna’s, Alma’s, Billy’s, Alfred’s. How does their presence – physical, emotional, psychological – enhance the larger narrative of the story?

-You are right, we get to know the mother of nearly every character! I think that the mothers in the novel embody the histories of the countries the characters come from as well as the ongoing emotional and psychological issues that affect generation after generation. Although they are trying to solve the issues that deal with their day to day life, these characters carry their pasts like shadows. This is something that the interpreter and Alfred sense about each other, by the way, and it connects them.

The interplays between dualities (the narrator’s father and uncle), contradictions in intents and motivations, echoes of the past in her family and the history of Albania build up the tension in several plot points with a thriller like quality.

-As people we are wired to notice similarities and differences, some of which are mundane and some are revealing from a character perspective. If you listen to any conversation in a coffee shop or bus, you’ll find statements like that, people trying to make sense of one another and pointing at differences. Of course, in fiction we have to think about how these characteristics fit in the bigger story. What did it mean for the interpreter to have a father who never sugarcoated things? So, the opposites serve to clarify characters, but they have to fit in the fabric of the story.

Would you please introduce yourself to the readers and your journey as a writer and a playwright? For anyone interested, there is a list of more than a dozen short and full length plays on your website lediaxhoga.com, a few of them are available for online watching.

-I’ve lived in New York City for a long time, for twenty years. I now am a parent and live in Brooklyn with my family. I worked in book publishing in Manhattan for many years, but then I wanted to write fiction, so I got an MFA in Fiction writing at Texas State. Yes, I’ve always been interested in Playwriting and had many short plays produced. I love writing dialogue. I also like screenwriting and would love to write a screenplay that turns into a movie someday.

What is the best way for the readers and fans to find out more about you and your work?

Thank you so much for reaching out to me about this. My website is lediaxhoga.com and I’m on

Instagram.

Your nomination is a remarkable achievement! The debut novel is a testament of your outstanding talent. Best of luck, Ledia!

The interview was conducted via email and edited for length and clarity Booker Prize is a prestigous literary award conferred annually for a single work of fiction written in English published in the UK. It was founded in 1969. Ledia Xhoga’s debut novel is among 13 works longlisted out of over 150 titles for 2025. The Booker Prize will announce its six-book shortlist tomorrow at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

Delegacioni i Qeverisë së Kosovës – Bashkëbisedim për Artin në Konsullatë

by

Rafaela Prifti/

Në Konsullatën e Përgjithshme të Kosovës në Nju Jork bashkëbisedimi midis anëtarëve të komunitetit dhe dy anëtarëve të qeverisë së Kosovës ishte pjesë e vizitës së Ministrit të Rinisë, Kulturës dhe Sportit z. Hajrullah Çeku dhe zv. Ministres së Punëve të Jashtme dhe Diasporës, zonja Liza Gashi. Delegacionin qeveritar e prezantoi Konsulli i Përgjithshëm i Republikës së Kosovës, Ambasadori Blerim Reka, duke thënë se qëllimi i vizitës së tyre ishte një ngjarje në sferën e artit, pikërisht hapja mbrëmë në tarracën jashtë Metropolitan Museum të instalimeve nga artisti kosovar, 39 vjeçari me famë botërore, Petrit Halilaj, i cili shprehu falënderime të veçanta për mbështetjen që i është dhënë. “Mbrëmë ka qenë një nga ditët më të lumtura të jetës sime, “ tha ai me nënën pranë.

“Me anë të artit të tij, ai tregon historinë e Kosovës,” tha z. Çeku për të pranishmit. “Të tjerë shembuj të mirë në art dhe kulturë”, siç i quajti ai, “janë nderimi me mirënjohje të veçantë i instalacionit skulpturor nga Hana Halilaj dhe Doruntina Kastrati, përzgjedhja e filmit të shkurtër nga regjisori kosovar Saimir Karahoda në Festivalin e Filmit në Kanë, etj.”

Ministri Çeku foli për momentet kritike në kontekstin e anëtarësimit të Kosovës në Këshillin e Evropës dhe hapjes së rrugës drejt organizmave ndërkombëtare. Zgjedhjet në Parlamentin Evropian në qershor dhe ato presidenciale në nëntor në Amerikë do të kenë rëndësi të veçantë për komunitetin shqiptar dhe gjithë shqiptarët. Zëvendës Ministrja e Punëve të Jashtme dhe Diasporës, zonja Liza Gashi vuri në dukje se krahas komunikimit të institucioneve të Republikës së Kosovës me diasporën duhet të ketë “edhe njohje horizontale brenda bashkësisë për të mbërritur më shumë, sepse duke qenë bashkë, jemi më të fuqishëm.”

Për procesin e regjistrimit, znj. Gashi tha se “mund të kryhet për 5 minuta në pajisjet elektronike që keni.” Ajo shpjegoi se “numërimi është i lidhur jo vetëm me përcaktimin e buxhetit të Kosovës në 10 vitet e ardhshme por edhe me infrastrukturën në rrethin a qytetin ku banoni, pra lidhet drejtpërdrejt me adresimin më të efektshëm të kërkesave dhe planifikimit më të mirë të investimeve.”

Midis të pranishme ishin figura të artit dhe kulturës si fotografi Fadil Berisha, veprimtarë të komunitetit si botuesi i gazetës Illyria Vehbi Bajrami, Dr. Shpresa Xhakli, Drejtoreshë ekzekutive e Fondit Shqiptar për Fëmijë, çifti i mirënjohur i muzikës popullore Merita Halili dhe Raif Hyseni, Djellza Pulatani, Kryetare e shoqatës F’Oda, të cilët u përshëndetën me vizitorët dhe uruan artistin Petrit Halilaj për instalacionin skulpturor Abetare, ekspozita e parë e tij në Amerikë.