Logline

Love at first sight.
Can one night together with someone you seem to be fated with, turn into a lifetime?

Short Synopsis

Andi, a 35 year old videographer is having drinks at a bar with live music with his assistant, Tani. Someone calls him.  It is Irma, his colleague, who is also a producer for an ad company. She confirms the next project they will be working on. The next day, they leave to go to Shkoder where they will be filming the campaign. Andi meets one of the models, Dhurata and falls in love at first sight. Dhurata also falls in love with Andi. They find themselves at a crossroad. Dhurata is engaged and is expecting her first child. Andi is married and has a young daughter. Neither one of them could have ever imagined being in this situation that would forever change their lives.

Director’s Bio

Emiljo Leka is a filmmaker born in Tirana, Albania in 1985. After graduating with a degree in Political Science from the European University of Tirana, he went on to attend the Academy of Film and Multimedia Marubi (AFFM). He graduated from the academy in film directing. His professional work experience first started in television. Since then he has directed numerous documentaries, including ‘Spider’, ‘Ask the Dust’, ‘In the Street’. In 2016, Emiljo directed the short film ‘They’, which was screened in numerous international film festivals. From 2016-2018, he completed his Masters program in Cinematography and Multimedia Production at the University of Bologna – DAMS in Italy. He is currently working on the development and production of 2 short films. One of them is THE GIFT.

Director’s Statement

The film Dhurata is based on a true story. The story takes place before the pandemic, Covid-19. It revolves around the protagonist, Andi, a 35-year-old man who’s married to Ema. They have a daughter together. Andi is a director and videographer. He’s graduated from the film academy ten years ago. It has been a while since he’s worked on feature films. His focus is on commercials and ad campaigns. The next project sends Andi to Shkodër. He will be working on a marketing campaign for a company of watches and sunglasses. This is where it all starts. Andi falls in love with the face of the campaign, the main model, named Dhurata. We see an impossible love story between the two characters that will question and destroy their lives. This is the story.

The film will start with a filmmaking reference to “Hiroshima Mon Amour”. The opening shot of the film depicts sparks flying over the naked parts of a couple’s arms. Shortly, these sparks turn into ashes. The film, Dhurata, will begin with similar images as a reference. Andi and Dhurata are in a white bathtub, hugging each other. Instead of sparks, waterfalls over their head. But the water is red. This opening shot is to notify the audience that something dramatic will happen. The film’s shooting style is slow, calm. Long shots and moving shots. After the opening shot, the first scene is at a bar with live music. With this scene, I would like to convey a festive feeling as in the movie “La Dolce Vita”, where we see a world of gossip and festivities. The editing is fast in this scene as there is action throughout it. Andi is having drinks and chatting with his friend and assistant, Tani. Then he receives a phone call from a colleague of his, two girls come by to say hello to him and lastly, his wife calls him. The rhythm of the scene will be mirrored in the editing process.

After this scene, the camera work is slow and quiet because the camera will be observing the feelings and emotions of the characters. The film is slow and delicate. When Andi and Dhurata fall in love on the production set, everything becomes even more slow motion. The universe has stopped and all that exists is the two of them.

We will return to a faster editing and more rhythmic shooting when Andi is taking photos and shooting the commercial. After several, successive shots on the production set, the camera stops and becomes calm and slow again. This is near the end of the scene where Andi and Dhurata are by the lake. Andi taking photos of Dhurata alone. The scene by the lake where the team is interpreting the famous painting “The Birth is Venus” by Botticelli will create an idyllic atmosphere. Just like in the film by Pier Paolo Pasolini “La ricotta”, where the director, Orson Wells bring to life an Italian Renaissance painting. “The Birth of Venus” painting is to emphasize the love between Dhurata and Andi.

Once Andi asks Dhurata out to dinner, they cannot take their eyes off of each other. Nothing else exists. A group of musicians approaches their table and sing to them. This romantic atmosphere is to enforce and empathize the love between the two of them.

The room they spend the night is the same room where the rest of the shooting of the commercial will be taking place. Irma has given him the key (knowing fully well what she was doing) to add intrigue and to mess up Andi’s plans.

The room and the bathroom is where the story develops and then ends. The room will be decorated in rose petals and candles in each corner. Spotlights. Spotlight on the characters when they tell their life story. They fade to black when they sin. This scene has a lot of blood as well. The majority of the scene will be in the bathroom. Precisely why I have chosen to shoot it in an all-white bathroom with a transparent bathtub. There will be lighting everywhere at the beginning of the scene. As Andi and Dhurata enter the bathtub, the lighting is dimmed. This will focus the audience and draw attention to what is about to happen. The room and bathroom become Andi and Dhurata’s sin and cleanliness. The bathroom, as a location, takes on a sinful meaning as that is where their bodies touch and make love. The bathroom is similarly important because that is also where their bodies separate. It is here where Dhurata tells Andi that there is nothing more for them after this night. They cannot see each other again. After this night, they both have to return back to their lives.