Xhanfise Keko. The World for Childhood (1973–1984)
Film Series
A number of pre-eminent film-makers like Jean Vigo, François Truffaut and Abbas Kiarostami have made films about childhood, but few have forged such a coherent body of work as Xhanfise Keko (Albania, 1929–2007). Keko, a peerless film-maker who made eleven fictional features between 1972 and 1984 in Albania, explored the challenges, frustrations and aspirations of children. This retrospective, the first in Spain and one of the few organised internationally, includes four of her — recently restored — films, screened in double sessions.
With an extraordinary sensibility, Keko depicted the world and point of view of children by giving their desires and psychology prominence. This means understanding childhood not as a transitional phase to another age but as a period in itself, respecting children’s independence exactly as René Schérer defined the philosophy of pedagogy. The film-maker worked with child non-actors, boys and girls selected expressly for her films who build relationships with professional actors. At the same time, her practice contributed to transforming the methodical work of the actor into a playful and spontaneous activity, in line with Lev Vygotsky’s theory of learning through play: scripts were always read by the child participants, without the supervision of adult tutors, and could later be re-written on the basis of their comments. Her film sets were an open space of play involving the whole crew; the filming, always swift, looked to adapt to children’s short attention spans; the camera, always placed at their height, respected the way they perceived the world. In short, a whole series of measures to ensure that childhood was not only a theme in the films, but also a creator.
Keko’s filmography, shaped by her status as a working woman in 1970s and 1980s communist Albania, had to navigate censorship and underwent strict regulations. Nevertheless, through the grammar of her film-making she was able to explore taboos and hugely controversial themes during those years, for example divorce in Kur po Xhirohej një film (While Shooting a Film, 1981); a society of only children in Taulanti kërkon një motër (Taulant Wants a Sister, 1984); or bad manners in the Albanian upper class in Mimoza llastica (Fanciful Mimoza, 1973) and Kryengritje në pallat (Revolt in the Palace, 1972). The fables and metaphors of a child’s world allowed her not only to overcome this censorship but also to represent, on-screen, the dreams of a different world for a new generation. Despite her achievements, Xhanfise Keko remains an obscure figure in the history of film — the reason behind this series taking place.
Programa
― With a presentation in the first session by Chema González, head of the Museo Reina Sofía’s Cultural and Audiovisual Activities, and Denise Keko Andoni, the granddaughter of Xhanfise Keko and an active promoter of the film-maker’s legacy
Tomka and his friends play on a football pitch until, one day, the Nazis invade their town and use the field to store ammunition. The spectacle of war erases childhood play, but Tomka and his cohorts are unwilling to accept the situation and plot to recover this Nazi-occupied playing field. Keko uses the adventure to speak of partisan resistance in the Second World War on a historical level, as well as resilience in contemporary Albania under the hard-line Stalinist regime of Enver Hoxha. On the surface, a film, shot in black and white, that appears simple and naturalistic but possesses great poetic power.
Sabatini Building, Auditorium
144 people
― With a presentation in both sessions by Ilir Keko, Xhanfise Keko’s son and a journalist on Albanian Radio and Television
Mimoza llastica (Fanciful Mimoza), part of a diptych with Kryengritje në pallat (Revolt in the Palace, 1972), is a surreal fable in which broken toys come to life and carry out a summary judgement on the two children who have destroyed them. Mimoza is a girl who doesn’t want to share her toys, ruins playground games and is known as the “spoiled brat”. However, she starts to feel lonely and notices that she misses the joy that comes with playing in a group. Regretful, Mimoza begins a transformation until she re-joins the group of friends and they all play together in the playground. This depiction of bad manners sits alongside desolate visions of the contemporary city and features powerful portraits through the masterly editing Keko learned in Moscow between 1950 and 1952.
Sabatini Building, Auditorium
144 people
— With a video presentation in both sessions by Thomas Logoreci, editor, producer and writer, and a co-founder of The Albanian Cinema Project, a platform for the conservation and dissemination of Albanian cinema
Beni’s overprotective parents don’t let him play in the street and he loses touch with daily life. His uncle comes from his village to rescue him and take him back there to spend the summer holidays. Beni subsequently connects with nature and gradually returns to real life in this tale of personal growth and transformation. Beni is played by Herion Spiro Mustafaraj, a boy selected out of more than 4,000 seven- to eight-year-olds from state schools, making him a mythical figure in Albanian cinema. The film is also one of the most sensitive explorations of the need to protect childhood from the obligations and dependencies of the adult world.
Sabatini Building, Auditorium
144 people
— With a video presentation in both sessions by Regina Longo, film historian, programmer and lecturer at Brown University, and a co-founder of The Albanian Cinema Project, a platform for the conservation and dissemination of Albanian cinema
Along with Kur po xhirohej një film (While Shooting a Film, 1981), which deals with divorce, Taulanti kërkon një motër (Taulant Wants a Sister) is another film in which Keko addresses controversial and taboo issues in Albanian society. In this instance, she shines a light on the large number of one-child families, particularly among the upper class. Taulant tries to convince his parents, two intellectuals, of his solitude. But with both unaware and unresponsive to his fixation, the boy decides to take charge of the situation, saving up and going to a maternity ward to buy a little sister. After producing this sensitive and satirical work, Keko was forced to stop making films due to health issues, leaving behind a film corpus aptly summed up in her own words: “The deeper you go into the world of children, the more you learn, regardless of previous experience. In their world, I always believe we are all apprentices”.
Sabatini Building, Auditorium
144 people