In a post on social media on Monday, Rama called Anagnosti “the father of Albanian cinema,” and praised his legacy as a pioneering filmmaker whose work shaped the country’s cinematic identity during challenging times.

“The author of many scripts that defined the path of modern Albanian cinema at a time when creative dreams were difficult to realize, the director of numerous acclaimed films, including the cult classic ‘Red Poppies on the Wall’, which remains a landmark in Albanian film history,” Rama wrote.

He also remembered Anagnosti as a “deeply respected master” admired across generations, and fondly recalled his personal memories of him as “Barba Taqo”  – a nickname from the director’s hometown — during summers spent in the southern coastal regions of Vuno, Vlora and Jala.

“Farewell, Barba Taqo. Rest in peace, Grand Master,” Rama concluded.

Born on January 23, 1936, in the village of Vuno, Himara, southern Albania, Anagnosti graduated with distinction from the “Ali Demi” High School in Vlora before studying film at the leading Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography in Moscow (1954–1960), where he specialized in cinematography.

Over his decades-long career, Anagnosti directed and co-wrote numerous acclaimed films, including “Red Poppies on the Wall”, “In Our Home”, “A Tale from the Past”, and “Gjoleka, Son of Abaz”, several of which won awards at international film festivals in the 1980s and 2000s.

He received multiple national honors, including three Republic Awards (1969, 1979, 1983), three top prizes at the Albanian National Film Festival, and the Career Achievement Award in 1995. In 1987, he was named a “People’s Artist”, one of the highest artistic honors in communist Albania.

Anagnosti also had a brief political career. Following the fall of communism, he served as a member of parliament for the centre-right Democratic Party and was appointed Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports in 1992 under the first post-communist government.

In 2011, he was awarded the title “Honor of the Nation” by the President of Albania for his lifetime contribution to Albanian culture and the arts.

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