“The Diary of a Filmmaker” is the new book prepared for publication by Ilir Keko, which encapsulates the memories of his father, filmmaker Endri Keko, National Honor, brought on the occasion of his 100th birthday.

Detailed notes and testimonials from Endri Keko’s life, illustrated with photographs, his studies in Moscow, and the filming of documentaries and cine-chronicles at Kinostudio, constitute a valuable and comprehensive study material on the beginnings of cinematography in Albania and its development until the 1980s, as well as on the Keko family, an artistic family that contributed significantly to Albanian cinema and art.

On the occasion of the filmmaker’s 100th birthday, the Permanent Commission for Arts and Heritage at the Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with the State Film Archive, organized the event “The Diary of a Filmmaker.”

The book promotion and speeches were 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 State Film Archive.

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

The State Film Archive preserves over 90 documentaries directed by Keko, filled with archival materials that document people and events of the time, landscapes of nature, or epics through cinematographic poems.

Winner of the Cup for the Best Documentary at the Second Albanian Film Festival (1977) and the Third Albanian Film Festival (1979), winner of the Honor Award at the Karlovy Vary Festival (Czechoslovakia – 1952), Diploma of Honor at the Moscow Festival (USSR – 1959), Bronze Medal at the Paris Festival (France – 1962), and Diploma of Honor at the Leipzig Festival (GDR – 1962), winner of the Republic’s Prize in 1959, 1970, and 1979, winner of many awards in literary competitions for film scripts, Endri Keko continues to be considered today the most prominent and esteemed figure of Albanian documentary filmmaking.

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