“Home Sweet Home” was the film which represented Kosovo and Macedonia in the 38th Cairo International Film Festival.
A 90 minutes movie which narrates the story of Agron (Donat Qosja) who returns home, after it was believed that he died in Kosovo’s conflict.
Although his family warmly welcomes him, his existence seems to pressure the family, as they used to live with the benefits of his status as a “Martyr”.
These benefits included a financial allowance to the family, his daughter studding medicine, and his son going to an excursion to Vlora (Albania).
Not only his family enjoyed the benefits, but also his friend (Shkumbin Istrefi) recived funds to build a school after his name, and also a status was built for Argon to be put in the school.
Argon was locked at home, to hide the fact that he is alive, while the lives of others were going on.
At the end, Argon decides to go out and show up, a decision which was not welcomed by his family, except by his youngest daughter, with whom he maintained a very friendly relation.
One day, his family returns home to find the window open, and he is not in the house. The film ended by his youngest daughter contemplating his photos and crying for his absence.
Despite being shot in only one location, which was the home of Argon’s family, the film managed to capture the atmosphere of the postwar society in Kosovo.
Screening “Home Sweet Home” in Cairo was warmly welcomed by the Albanian and Kosovar communities in Egypt, where the Albanian Ambassador to Egypt: Eduard Sulo, and the Kosovar Ambassdor to Egypt: Beqir Ismaili, were among the audience.
Also among the audience was the movie’s director Faton Bajraktari, and the movie’s producer Trim Musliu. Both came from Kosovo for this prestigious event.
The language used in the film was Albanian, so for the Egyptian audience, and as the movie is part of an international film festival, it was subtitled in English.
By Maydaa abo El-Nadar
