MCYS handed out awards on Cinematography: Sahatçiu honored for life’s work, Zeqiri receives the annual prize

27.08.2018

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Kujtim Gashi, today in a solemn ceremony has handed out the Annual Award for Cinematography and National Prize for Life’s Work "Bekim Fehmiu".

The 2017 Annual Cinematography Award was awarded to director Blerta Zeqiri, while the National Prize for Life’s Work "Bekim Fehmiu" in Cinematography was awarded to director Besim Sahatqiu-post mortum.

Minister Gashi after congratulating them on the awards, said that "the support of the Ministry for Artists will continue. I believe we had a professional jury to hand out the awards and we came to this moment in this ceremony to give these two awards".

He also said: "On behalf of the Ministry and and me as Minister, I would like to thank you for the work and contribution of the late director Sahatqiu and director Blerta Zeqiri. We are committed to motivating the work of artists and in this context we will continue to award prizes and awards. I am very happy that the jury's decision was appropriate and professional ".

Minister Gashi also emphasized: "we have increased the budget by 100% and the budget in other years will increase by more than 100%".

According to the decision to allocate the Annual Award for Cinematography, director Blerta Zeqiri is awarded a prize in the amount of 2500 Euros. Whereas, according to the decision to allocate the National Prize for Life’s Work for "Bekim Fehmiu", director Besim Sahatçiu-post mortum is awarded a monetary reward of 5 thousand Euros. The prices were accompanied by a plaque and a certificate signed by the minister.

The professional jury composed of Ardiana Pajaziti, Isa Qosja, Fadil Hysaj, Fatos Berisha and Kimete Berisha gave their justification regarding the allocation of these prices.

According to the jury, director Blerta Zeqiri, with the film "Marriage" has shown success with participation in over twenty international festivals, where she was awarded with numerous awards and acknowledgments, among which the Special Jury Prize "FIPRESCI" (Jury of the International Federation Criticism), at the Black Nights Film Festival, Tallinn/Estonia.

After receiving the prize, director Blerta Zeiqiri said "this award is an appreciation of work. MCYS and CCK is a great job in relation to the movie".

Also, according to the jury, the director’s life creativity, Besim Sahatqiu is considered as the foundation of the cinematographic directorship in Kosovo, which promoted it to competitive cinematography at the regional level. Of its activities worth mentioning is the film "117" and the television film series and the film "Era and Lisi", which marked the beginning and consolidation of cinematography of Kosovo in the 1970s. The seventies and early 80s in the art of cinema in Kosovo can be considered the period of director Besim Sahatqiu, who became an inspiration for the new generations of Kosovo filmmakers.

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