Erenik Beqiri, a young director, made us proud in early September with his victory at the Venice Festival. His film, “A Short Trip,” was awarded as the Best Short Film in Venice.

Beqiri, born in the city of Puka and a graduate in Film and Television Directing from the Academy of Arts in 2010, recalls the limited opportunities in the 1990s to access world cinema.

“I initially discovered cinema through Italian channels and later through VHS and DVD. I spent most of my time watching movies, perhaps even more than focusing on my studies,” confesses Erenik Beqiri.

For him, the connection with film came naturally, more than a dream, as dreams often remain at the bounds of the unreal.

When asked to whom he dedicates the victory in Venice, the young director emphasizes that it’s a victory for the entire production team. This victory belongs to the actors who poured their emotions into their characters, the creative staff, producers, the director of photography, and everyone involved.

Beqiri views the victory in Venice as an exceptional recognition, but he remains humble about fame. He takes pride in the film and the collective effort put into it, hoping that this award will expedite the process of creating more films. Behind each film lies years of dedicated work.

“Speaking from experience that in the film industry, nothing is guaranteed, as numerous artistic and economic factors must align for a film to come to fruition. I believe the key is not giving up during the process,” he added.

Recognizing that Hollywood often measures success by the income a film generates, we inquired about how Erenik Beqiri personally measures success, particularly with a 17-minute film that took three years to create. How does he envision the financial aspects of such a project?

Erenik explains that a short film, unlike a feature-length film, is not typically a direct source of profit. Instead, profits are often derived from awards at festivals and the sale of rights to various platforms and channels. Hollywood productions are structured to be profitable, given that their budgets constitute investments by studios. In contrast, the financing model in Europe differs significantly. European films are typically funded by national cinematographic funds, and each film often involves co-productions between multiple countries to achieve the necessary budget.

For the film ‘A Short Trip,’ Erenik Beqiri did not seek support from the National Center of Cinematography, as a portion of the budget had already been secured.

“For this project, we decided, together with the producers, not to apply to the KKK, as we plan to do for the feature-length film. Our main focus is on the feature-length film. I’ve been working on its development for several years, and it’s currently in the financing phase,” says Erenik Beqiri, hinting at his upcoming project.

“The more personal the narrative is, connected to the creator, the more opportunities there are for the film to carve its own path. Additionally, the key is to persist, as the entire process is time-consuming. If, after all these years, the desire to make the film still exists, it demonstrates that there is something worth capturing,” concluded Erenik Beqiri.

/m.ll/