Notes and evidence from Endri Keko’s life, illustrated with photos, his studies in Moscow and the shooting of documentaries and newsreels at the Film Studios, constitute a wide and valuable study material on the beginnings of cinematography in Albania and its development, until in the 1980s, but also on the Keko family, a family of artists who gave a lot to Albanian film and art.

On occasion of the 100th birth anniversary of the filmmaker, the Permanent Commission for Art and Heritage at the Academy of Sciences, in cooperation with the Central State Film Archive, organized the event on promotion of “The Diary of a Film maker” book.

There were speeches delivered by: Piro Milkani, Ylli Pepo, Genc Përmeti, Paskal Milo, Ben Andoni, Aleksandër Çipa, Mevlan Shanaj and Shaban Sinani, while the event was moderated by Marinela Ndria, director of the Central State Film Archive.

Endri Keko was born in the state of Maine (USA) in a Korça origin family, on May 31, 1924. He returned to Albania during the Second World War and in 1950, he was sent to Moscow to train as a documentary film director. Upon returning to his homeland in 1952, he began working at the “New Albania Film Studios”, entering history as one of the founders of the Albanian cinematography.

The Central State Film Archive preserves over 90 documentaries made by Keko, filled with archival materials that testify people and events of the time, natural landscapes or epics through cinematic poems.

Endri Keko is the winner of the Cup for the best documentary film at the second Albanian Film Festival (1977) and the third Albanian Film Festival (1979), winner of the Honorary Award at the Karlovy Vary Festival (Czechoslovakia – 1952), Honorary Diploma in Moscow Festival (USSR – 1959), Bronze Medal at the Paris Festival (France – 1962) and Honorary Diploma at the Leipzig Festival (GDR – 1962), winner of the Republic Prize in 1959, 1970 and 1979, winner of many prizes in literary contests for film scripts. Endri Keko continues to be considered even today the most prominent and most appreciated personality of the Albanian documentary film genre. /r.e/p.s./

After “Danish Film Institute” and “Wiena Film Museum”, which in 2018 and 2019 screened some of its most famous and appreciated films, in 2021, it is Rome that honours the Albanian director.

“Cinema Festival in Rome”, the roof of two already well-known festivals not only in Italy “Rome Festival” and “Alice nella citta” took place from 14 to 24 October 2021.

During the press conference of the organizers, the artistic director of the Festival Gianluca Giannelli said that, “We will pay tribute to the Albanian director Xhanfise Keko. She was the only director in communist Albania, a woman director little known to the general public, but who has created an important set of films for the children. She transformed them into instruments to reveal the society where she lived at that time, giving them a political role through which she conveyed the message that she did not want to be locked in a cage. For us, this was another of those messages that we wanted to convey through our selection.”

During the days of the festival, in honor of the contribution to cinematography and the artistic personality of the Albanian director Xhanfise Keko, on October 20, two films were screened, “Beni walks on his own” and “Mimoza, the spoilt child” in remastered versions, which were welcomed by the audience./j.p/r.e/p.s./