WAR OF FILMS INTERVIEW with David Kodheli

 

 

First of all we would like to know a little more about you. So that the audience has as much information as possible. Who is David Kodheli?

I’m Just a 32 year old from Albania in love with cinema . I have a Masters in Architecture and Urban Design . I was patiently waiting for years for the opportunity to create my own film and today here we are . 

 

How many years have you been making movies and how did you end up making movies?

This is my first attempt in filmmaking .  I've always been obsessed with films.

I have been writing scripts since I was a little kid , or at least tried to .  After this wonderful experience of producing and directing one of my visions , I decided to continue on this path full time .

 

Let's talk about your project. How long did it take from the initial idea to have it ready to be released?

I wrote the first draft of the script for “Erik” in just 1 day after inspiration hit me . It was the 15th of February after a beautiful Valentine’s  Day with my wife . The project finished production on the 12th of December. All in all close to 10 months of hard work in pre and post production .

 

Can you tell us a bit about the process you've had with Erik? Is it self-financed or were you able to get financing?

“Erik” is completely self financed by me. Most of my adult’s life savings went into this project . It was a long-time promise I had made to myself and it was time to come through.

 

No spoilers, but what will the public find in Erik?

I hope they find a mind-bending original story that keeps them hooked until the last frame . 

 

Have you been inspired by any other film of the same genre?

As one of my professors used to say : “ There are no inventions, just discoveries “. 

My script is no different . As much as I get inspired by cinema  , I  try very hard to find my own voice in my work. 

 

There are many creators who seek inspiration from other artists, literature, music, painting, etc. To create this work have you used references from other arts? If so, what are they?

As an architect I always get inspired by a location . Inspiration for the production-design for this project came of course from Mies van der Rohe . He said the very memorable quote : “Less is more” .

 

We would also like to know more about your film preferences. We would love to know which directors you like and which are your favorite movies.

Francis Ford Coppola , Akira Kurosawa , Sergio Leone , Stanley Kubrick , Alfred Hitchcock , Steven Spielberg , Martin Scorsese , David Lynch , Quentin Tarantino , David Fincher , Alejandro Gonzales Inarratu , Christopher Nolan , Denis Villneuve , just on the top of my head , as I admire hundreds maybe thousands of directors who pledged their life to this wonderful profession . 

As for movies it's difficult but I can try to name a few I have watched countless times . The Godfather , Fight Club , Mulholland Drive , Bladerunner , The Shawshank Redemption , 21 grams , Pulp Fiction ,Schindler’s list , Boyhood , Incendies , Parasite 

 

There are great classics of cinema considered masterpieces, but for us cinema is subjective and we also love films that critics may consider bad. Do you have movies that are not considered masterpieces but that you could watch over and over again without stopping? Which are?

I call these movies my guilty pleasures : Vampire’s Kiss (1988) , every Bud Spencer / Terrence Hill movie , Vacation ( 2015) , Lost Highway (1994) to name a few. 

 

Your favorite black and white movie?

I have to say “12 angry men” It also has , in my opinion , one of the best screenplays of all time .  

 

Have you seen anything by Stanley Kubrick? How would you define it in one word?

I have seen everything by Kubrick . My word for him would be” Grandmaster ” , as he loved chess like  I do . 

 

 

Your favorite 2010-2020 movie or series?

I would have to say “ Parasite” since it shook me to my core . 

As for a series, I would say  it’s between “Breaking Bad” and “Mad Men”.

 

A very personal question, but… What are your strong points and weak points?

This is my first attempt at filmmaking . I can’t really be the judge of myself . Maybe after some critical reviews from festivals, I will have a better understanding of myself as a director/writer. 

 

Do you have any other project in mind? Can you advance us something?

I’m currently producing / directing a mini series written by me . It’s totally different from my project “ Erik “ . It’s an ensemble comedy about coming of age in Albania .