GJAKOVA 726
A life that begins with a marriage and tendencies for happiness, a deviation from happiness at the time when first children come to life and a tragic ending that interconnects with the beginning of war ‘98-99’ in Kosova, are the three pillars that the director and the scenarist of “Gjakova 726”, have leaned on to bring the sad story to life, a story that has happened during the last Kosova war of ’98-99’, specifically in the town of Gjakova.
It was the character Vigan Hoxha that brought to life the story of families of 726 disappeared persons that were stolen from this town of Kosova, (Gjakova) during the period of war. The film, in general, tells a story that ends in a multiple tragedy. Vigan Hoxha -who is the first child of the couple Hoxha - first, looses his father and this gives him the epithet of the head of household, whereas, later on when the war starts, he also looses the other family members. Although other Vigan’s family members where the ones who ended tragically, Vigan was the one who suffered everyone’s tragedy, being the only one left from this family with the only hope that his disappeared brother will come back one day.
The destiny of Vigan’s family has touched a lot of Kosovar families during the period of war ’98-’99, while ‘the victims’ like Vigan, as well as other survived families of 726 disappeared persons from Gjakova and a lot of such families from other towns of Kosova are those who continuously are waiting for a message or are still hoping that their ‘lost ones’ are alive.
Sunita Kurti
This film review is part of "Film Journalism Workshop" implemented by re:Public in partnership with DokuFest
