FLASH
Shkruar nga Ermira Isufaj
It was by chance that she would touch the cinema and the world of spectacle, but she would remain there for a long time…! Interpreting several prominent roles and representing a daring artistic subject for the time, made Rezana Çeliku immediately imprint herself in the minds of viewers. Fired from RTSH for “sabotage”, who at the time of this interview was 50 years old, unmarried and with the eternal burden of not having a child. She also shared interesting details from her artistic experience and current professional career.
Her acting in feature films would have been entirely amateurish. She had not set foot in the auditoriums of the Academy of Arts and had no artistic talent. It seems that her ability to quickly absorb things, her charming face and, above all, her naturalness in challenging situations, were immediately "absorbed" by Albanian film directors, certainly after her prominence as a presenter of several national song festivals on RTSH.
For Rezana Çeliku, her entire artistic past is fixed as if on a celluloid. The successive interpretations, the involvement in the world of spectacle and presentation and the departure only due to a "carelessness", which would later be billed as an attempted sabotage by the leaders of Albanian Television, would serve as a "lesson" for the life of the charming girl. The professional attention for Rezana was more far-sighted than that. With a long career in the Municipality of Tirana and the burden of a truncated family life, the actress spoke some time ago in this interview that we are publishing in this article.
Ms. Rezana, you are remembered as that not very "moral" girl in "A Boy and a Girl", or the teacher the coach falls in love with in the movie "Teammates"...! What is your life like today...?
It's been many years since I've been away from the world of art and cinema. After my last performance in 1989 in the film "A Boy and a Girl", I left acting. Because I didn't see it as my choice for my professional future. At the same time, I also gave up on television presentations. I graduated in Economics and Law and for several years I have been working at the Municipality of Tirana, in the Public Relations Directorate. The profession I practice fulfills me, beyond my passion for cinema.
So, how did you end up in the world of film?
Before the directors arrived at my selection, they had evaluated my presentations at several youth festivals held at RTSH. I had not completed my studies at the Academy of Arts. So, apart from being an amateur, I could not appear otherwise. Surely my appearance, silhouette, eloquence of speech and the naturalness with which I undertook every acting challenge convinced the directors to reach out to me.
Initially, it was director Pirro Milkani who selected me for the role of 'Meli' in "Lady from the City", a role that was later entrusted to Rajmonda Bulku. Of course, Rajmonda was a professional actress, born for that job, and this fact did not come as a "surprise" to me, because acting was not my goal in itself.
So the director entrusted me with another role, that of Vali, the girl who is elected as the youth secretary. Then it was Kujtim Çashku who chose me in “They Were Four”, the partisan among hundreds of men fighting in the mountains. And other interpretations followed one after another.
In the movie "A Boy and a Girl", you are the switchboard operator who has a romantic relationship with a younger man...! Wasn't it a brave role for the time?
To be honest, this role was somewhat unwanted on my part. At the time, I was working as a math teacher in a village in Tirana. I rode my bike to work every day and it had come to me. I immediately accepted the proposal for this interpretation, because I wanted to take a break from teaching for a while.
Dubbing after dubbing, I realized that it was not a very common role, for the period around the '80s (1989 to be exact), when it was performed and for the mentality of the time. After that role, I felt the weight of prejudiced opinion a lot, so much so that one day a person close to the family told me that, since I had not chosen acting as my life's profession, why should I dare with such an excessive role?! Even the moment of getting into bed with my partner was another awkward moment for me. I had a few moments of hesitation, but I managed.
Just to escape your job as a teacher, taking a risk with this role even though it could hurt you?
This was not the only reason. Acting was a matter of passion for me, because after the previous performances I had, it was like "sugar in my blood". Thank God, I had never had any obstacles from my family. I even had strong support and encouragement from my father on the path to art. This role was truly courageous, but not impossible. I tried and succeeded in being part of a wonderful cast of actors and a successful film.
After a short period as a programming presenter at RTSH, you left television, what was the reason?
I left television because of an incident. I went to work every afternoon and, before going on screen, I had to do my own makeup. It was a plug-in device, where the curlers I wore in my hair were heated in water. One night I had forgotten to unplug them…! The next day the director of Television called me to the office and told me that I had caused a serious incident. The curling iron had burned because I had forgotten to unplug it. But, the reason for the suspension was elsewhere.
According to them, the makeup studio was next to the news studio and that year the elections for the People's Assembly would be held and, if the news studio had caught fire, all the archives and necessary materials would have disappeared. They tried to characterize this act as sabotage, which would have serious consequences for me. That was the reason why they removed me from the screen, and then I never tried to return there.
Rezana, beyond film and television, beyond your professional engagement in the Municipality of Tirana, what is your family life like, your civil status?
I don't consider it a misfortune that I am unmarried. I believe that a couple of lovers who are not complete with a child cannot be considered a real family. Things happened like this and I prefer not to give more details...!
Do you have any obstacles in life?
The biggest obstacle in my life is the lack of a child. Today, after reaching 50, it is too late to undo the past. Unfortunately, I don't have time anymore./ Memorie.al
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