Lumbardhi Foundation continues the 70th anniversary program with LXX, this time on the big screen!

Five films from different countries screened at Kino Bistrica during different decades of cinema life will be screened between 25-29 May.

The program opens with the epic partisan and anti-fascist film The Battle of the Neretva (1969) directed by Veljko Bulajić, based on events from World War II. This is the most expensive film produced in the former Yugoslavia, nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture in the Foreign Language Film category. Orson Welles, Sergei Bondarchuk, Curt Jürgens, Bata Živojinović, Ljubiša Samardžić and Faruk Begolli are among the international cast.

The following films are: Loves of a Blonde - Miloš Forman, (1965), Era and Lisi-

Besim Sahatçiu (1979), Dry Summer- Metin Erksan (1963), Once Upon a Time in the West- Sergio Leone (1968).

The opening will be addressed by the director of the Sarajevo Film Center, Ines Tanović, the curators of the film program as well as former employees of the Bistrica cinema.

The opening film will be screened on May 25 at Kino Bahçe, following the launching of the book "Lumbardhi: an episodic story", starting at 19:00.

The films of the LXX program have been carefully selected by the curatorial group consisting of the Deputy Director for Research and Programs at the Lumbardhi Foundation, Bengi Muzbeg, the director, curator and researcher Kumjana Novakova and the Artistic Director of DokuFest, Veton Nurkollari.

The LXX Film Program was made possible with the support of Raiffeisen Bank Kosova, the European Union, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, International Relief Fund of the German Federal Foreign Office, the Goethe-Institut, and other partners. 

The program was realized in partnership with Dokufest, Filmski Centar Sarajevo, Vardar Film and World Cinema Project of Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna.

Lumbardhi invites you to the launching of “Lumbardhi: an Episodic History” taking place on the 25th of May starting from 19:00 at Kino Bahçe.

The book speaks of the encounter and interaction between Lumbardhi Cinema and Prizren, from the circumstances that brought by the opening of the cinema in 1952 to the cessation of operations and the bankruptcy of the socially-owned enterprise “Kino Bistrica” in the beginning of the new century.

Based on the process of collecting and interpreting the materials found at the cinema, the archive of “Rilindja” newspaper and other sources, as well as the actors of some key episodes, the researchers Bengi Muzbeg and Tevfik Rada have put together a fragmented story that describes the clashes and contradictions between a building, a city and the art of cinema, within social, political and technological transformations

.“Lumbardhi: an Episodic History” is published by Lumbardhi Foundation with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, forumZFD Kosovo office, the Foundation for Arts Initiatives and the cooperation of the Kosovo Privatization Agency.

On Saturday, May 7th between 11:00-13:00, Lumbardhi hosted a coloring workshop with Rina Krasniqi, the author of “Coloring Lumbardhi”, where children aged between 6-10 were invited to apply for a coloring experience.

Together with the author, the children had the opportunity to color the scenes included in the book 'Coloring Lumbardhi' and heard interesting stories about the former Kino Bistrica, from its inception to today. In addition to coloring and learning about cinema, children were be given a copy of the book 'Color Lumbardhi'.

On 13.04.2022, the director of Vardar Film from Skopje, Mr. Sani Saidi was present in Prizren to sign the memorandum of cooperation between Vardar Film and Lumbardhi Foundation.

Vardar Film and Lumbardhi Foundation are dedicated to deepening a long-term cooperation towards developing film programs, education in film history, as well as exchange programs between the two institutions.

The first films presented in this collaboration, Thirst (1971) and The Macedonian Part of Hell (1971) will be screened as part of the "LXX" film program, following the events planned to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the opening of Lumbardhi Cinema.

The films will be screened at Kino Bahçe, between May 25 and September 30.

Vardar Film is a film production and distribution company based in Skopje, Northern Macedonia. It started operating in 1947 and today it functions as a modern film and educational center.

Cultural Spaces of Kosova project, part of which is Lumbardhi, brings the publication of the research "Cultural Spaces of Kosova" by Rudina Hasimja. The publication aims to summarize and link conversations on culture, art and public spaces by proposing a framework for a deeper analysis of the barriers faced by cultural spaces. The publication also emphasizes the need to raise awareness of the battles of independent cultural organizations in order to open up conversations on different models of governance that allow for greater public participation and accountability.

The research can be downloaded here: https://www.culturalspacekosova.org

This research was made possible with the financial support of the European Union, within the framework of the project "Civic Public Partnership for Innovative Governance of Public Infrastructure'' implemented by Anibar, Lumbardhi, 7 Arte, and Pogon.

On March 9th, 2022, Sezin Romi, the Senior Librarian and Archivist at SALT (Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey) will give an online talk in the context of Lumbardhi’s Public Archive project which aims to build an archive collection focusing on Prizren’s modern history. In her presentation, Romi will focus on the required infrastructure for the constitution of archives in the institutional contexts. Discussing the notion of the archive, she will explain the reasons behind archiving and its public use. She will elaborate on processes such as collecting, classification and description, digitization and access policies at SALT Research. Through SALT’s selected research projects, she will examin various methods and the critical importance of archives in the interpretation of art history.

The realization of the talk was made possible with the support of the Goethe-Institut and other partners.

In addition to managing the library Sezin Romi carries out the necessary processes for the research and access of art archives at SALT Research. She was also involved in the research and visualization of SALT’s projects It was a time of conversation (2012-2013), From England with Love, İsmail Saray(2014-2015), Idealist School, Productive Studio (2018), and History of the Painting and Sculpture Museums Association (2022). Having collaborated in the research processes of SALT’s various e-publications, Romi is the co-editor of İsmail Saray (2018) publication.

About SALT and SALT Research

SALT is a not-for-profit cultural institution in public service, engaging in research, exhibitions, publications, web projects, conferences, and other public programs in Turkey. SALT’s programs are distributed at SALT Galata and SALT Beyoğlu buildings in Istanbul. The institution works in the intersections of different disciplines such as visual practices, the built environment, social life, and economic history.SALT Research comprises a specialized library and an archive of physical and digital sources and documents on visual practices, the built environment, social life and economic history. As part of a long-term commitment to digitizing resources at SALT Research, the institution makes documents and sources universally available via saltresearch.org together with the catalog of local access publications.

Lumbardhi is pleased to present “Coloring Lumbardhi”, a coloring book conceptualized and realized by Rina Krasniqi as part of its program “QARK”.

Partially based on the texts and materials gathered on the history of Lumbardhi Cinema by researchers Tevfik Rada and Bengi Muzbeg, Rina has imagined and re-interpreted pieces from the past and present of the cinema in the form of drawings and accompanying ‘mini-stories’.

The book invites both adults and children to color the drawings, continue drawing them, take notes, and glue memories, such as a movie ticket or a petal of a flower, reflecting not only on the journey of the cinema to date, but also on the cultural heritage of Prizren.

“Coloring Lumbardhi” can be found for purchase at “Lumbardhi Cinema” in Prizren and “Dukagjini Bookstore” in Prishtina.

The realization of the book was made possible by the Raiffeisen Bank in Kosovo, the International Relief Fund of the German Federal Foreign Office, German Embassy Pristina, the Goethe-Institut, and other partners.

German Ambassador Mr. Jörn Rohde visited Kino Lumbardhi where he was received by the director of the Foundation, Mr. Ares Shporta. At the meeting he was introduced to the history of the cinema, the collaborations thus far in institutional construction, the development of the research and archiving departments and the plans for Phase II. They also discussed cultural policies in Prizren and Kosovo, collaborations with the independent scene as well as opportunities for collaborations within Innovation and Training Park.

Lumbardhi Foundation is grateful for the support of the German Embassy Pristina as well as partners such as the Goethe-Institut , the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Foundation and the forumZFD - Kosovo Program.

Lumbardhi Foundation has the pleasure to confirm the continuation of the partnership with the Kosovo Privatisation Agency for the use of Lumbardhi Cinema during 2022.

Established after the civic Initiative for the Protection of Lumbardhi Cinema and the registering of the cinema as a heritage site under temporary protection, this partnership has paved the way for the improvement of the cinema's infrastructure and the preservation of its heritage values. Its usage by over 160 institutions and informal groups which hosted over 100,000 visitors and users, proved the need for its public ownership and its complete revitalisation, to offer a sustainable and long-term future for this institution that was one of the main centers of the social life of Prizren for 70 years.

Lumbardhi Foundation expresses its gratitude to the management of KPA and its responsible officials in Prizren for their understanding and cooperation through these eight years of commitment to fully revive the cinema. In this occasion, we would like to call upon the Municipality of Prizren, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Ministry of Administration of Local Government, as well as the Office of the Prime Minister to conclude the property transfer and cooperate with stakeholders from the civil society to bring a celebratory ending to this long overdue process.

Lumbardhi Cinema is amongst 54 cultural heritage sites proposed by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports for inclusion in the list of sites under permanent protection.

Following the evaluation by the Kosovo Council for Cultural Heritage, the formal approval of this list is expected in early 2022, when we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Lumbardhi Cinema.

Following a seven-year process of cooperation between local cultural organisations and communities, and the relevant public institutions from the central and local levels, it is expected that next year will be decisive in defining the long-term institutional model for the sustainable management and development of the cinema and beginning the restoration of the building with the support of the European Union.

Lumbardhi Foundation extends its gratitude to the institutions and all partners, supporters and many individuals involved in all the phases of the process.