For the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the opening of the cinema, Lumbardhi Foundation presents the film program LXX in the format of the Film Club, Wednesdays and Saturdays, starting at 19:00 at Kino Holli.
The films have been carefully selected by the curatorial group comprised of the deputy director for research & programs at Lumbardhi Foundation, Bengi Muzbeg, filmmaker, curator and researcher Kumjana Novakova and the artistic director of DokuFest, Veton Nurkollari.
Curatorial Statement
“From the humble beginnings in the early 50s, through the eye-opening repertoire of the 60s, to the splendid offering in the 70s and 80s and all the way to its equally inglorious decline in the 90s, the full glory of world cinema was to be found in this small part of the world and in the iconic Lumbardhi cinema in Prizren, which this year celebrates its 70thbirthday.
To celebrate it a small curatorial team comprised of the deputy director for research & programs at Lumbardhi Foundation, Bengi Muzbeg, filmmaker, curator, and researcher Kumjana Novakova and the artistic director of DokuFest, Veton Nurkollari went through the archives of cinema in order to come up with a selection of 70 films, and with the aim of presenting to the audience a diverse and comprehensive list of, what Amos Vogel argues is, ‘the potentially most powerful art form of the century.’
Looking at the list, one will find an impressive selection of socially, culturally, and artistically worthwhile films, including early Soviet war movies, American melodramas, films by the Italian neorealism and French New Wave, American and Spaghetti westerns, Propaganda movies, as well as an impressive list of almost every Yugoslav film produced at that time, including the famous war epics. Along many other, often unexpected films, which include examples of early erotic and soft porn, horror and other cinema genres that have been screened in these past 70 years. Thus, we are delighted to present this collection, that we believe holds together in a narrative of some kind and is a snapshot of the bygone times, wit the hope that the audience will enjoy it as much as we did whilst preparing it.”