«Her Children» returns to the screen restored, 69 years after its making

69 years after its making, the first fully Albanian feature film, «Fëmijët e saj», has returned to the big screen of the cinema restored.

The film’s premiere was held at Kinema Drita, on the premises of the Central State Film Archive. The film, directed by Hysen Hakani, is a short, made in 1957 as a diploma work. It lasts only 14 minutes, but holds an important place in the beginnings of Albanian cinematography. Its restoration comes in the wake of several other important restorations, within the initiative of the AQSHF, «Adopto një film» («Adopt a film»), through which old Albanian films are brought back to life by being restored.

«It is a great pleasure to start the restoration season with the first Albanian film, but also with a film that not everyone knows as such. ‘Fëmijët e saj’ has another peculiarity, for the temporal, historical and social conditions in which it was created», said the director of the AQSHF, Eljan Tanini.

This restoration also marks an important moment for the Central State Film Archive, as it is the first one carried out entirely by the institution’s specialists, inside the archive.

The process, which lasted about a year, was carried out by Erand Meça and Hajrije Dedej. The original material, significantly damaged by time, underwent digital scanning, image stabilization, damage cleaning and correction of visual parameters, with the aim of returning as much of its former quality to the film as possible.

The film tells the story of a mother who, after her son is bitten by a rabid dog, chooses to trust a fortune-teller instead of medical help. The film testifies to the social reality of the time it was created, aiming to raise awareness mainly of the population in rural areas.

It stars well-known names of the Albanian stage and cinematography, among them Marie Logoreci, Marika Kallamata, Naim Frashëri, Xhemal Berisha, Loro Kovaçi, Vangjeli Pikuli, Esma Agolli, Pjetër Gjoka and Bejtulla Kurtheshi. The music was composed by Tish Daija.

After «Fëmijët e saj», the specialists of the Central State Film Archive are continuing work on the restoration of two other important titles of Albanian cinematography, «Dimri i fundit» and «Një gjeneral kapet rob».