The Second November

Synopsis

Produced for the 70th anniversary of Albanian independence in 1982, Nentori I Dyte (The Second November), is a sweeping historical drama centering on the country’s early 20th century fight for freedom from the Ottoman Turkish empire. Made during one of the darkest periods of Albania’s Marxist regime, director Viktor Gjika’s film features the revered actor Alexsander ‘Sander’ Prosi as the grey-bearded patriot Ismail Qemali. The story follows the quietly courageous Qemali as he criss-crosses his chaotic homeland, dodging the advancing Turks while racing to raise the flag of freedom in the port city of Vlora. Colorlab Film Corp’s restored and remastered version of Nentori i Dyte triumphantly screened in last year’s 13th Festival of Albanian Film, thirty years after the film’s initial premiere and on the 100th anniversary of Albania’s independence. Thomas Logoreci

Director Biography

A graduate of the famed Moscow film academy (VGIK), Viktor Gjika (1937-2009) was one of the most accomplished craftsmen of Albania’s communist-era cinema. After serving as cinematographer on Hysen Hakani’s socialist masterpiece Debatik (1961), Gjika turned to directing with the black and white Komisari i drites (Commissar of Light) (1966). His first colour feature Rruge te bardha (White Roads) (1974) and General Gramaphone (1978) cemented his reputation as his country’s leading dramatic directors. After the fall of communism, Viktor Gjika made several non-political documentaries and penned an autobiography Vit pas viti (Year After Year) released the year of his death.