The Builders of Happiness
Albanian Cinema

October 23 - November 14, 2020

In its new program, Pera Film offers an insight to the era explored in the exhibition Constructing A Dream on view at Pera Museum, inviting the audience to a journey through Albanian cinema. The program titled The Builders of Happiness features three films shot in Albania in recent years, with a special focus on Albanian social realism. The films tell the stories of characters who strive to build a new beginning, a happy and ideal world in their own lives.

Running from October 23rd to November 14th, the program includes Bota, which impeccably evokes the atmosphere of a place where the past encroaches upon individuals' life, with a period score and enthralling long shots; Babai, filmed entirely from the perspective of a child and critically acclaimed for its exploration of the migration theme and the complicated bond between a father and a son in a problematic situation; and Open Door, a road movie which forges an extraordinary narration around the themes of sisterhood and patriarchal family traditions, and had its world premiere in the competition program of last year's Sarajevo Film Festival.

Screening tickets are 10 TL (reduced museum admission). Tickets are available at Biletix. As per legal regulations, all our screenings are restricted to persons over 18 years of age, unless stated otherwise.

October 23

18:00 Open Door

October 24

15:00 Father

October 31

15:00 Bota

November 4

18:00 Father

November 7

15:00 Open Door

November 14

15:00 Bota

Bota

Bota

Father

Father

Open Door

Open Door

Program Trailer

The Builders of Happiness
Albanian Cinema

In its new program, Pera Film offers an insight to the era explored in the exhibition Constructing A Dream on view at Pera Museum, inviting the audience to a journey through Albanian cinema. 

Constructing a Dream

The exhibition focused on Albanian socialist realism through painting, poster and drawings, and it offered a selection of artworks produced under the dictatorship that aimed to spread socialism’s main principles among the proletarian.

Constructing a Dream

Chlebowski’s Sultan

Chlebowski’s Sultan

This is one of Stanisław Chlebowski’s larger canvasses dealing with themes other than battles; only Ottoman Life at the Sweet Waters now at the Istanbul Military Museum can compare with it in size.

Girl in a Blue Dress

Girl in a Blue Dress

This life-size portrait of a girl is a fine example of the British art of portrait painting in the early 18th century. The child is shown posing on a terrace, which is enclosed at the right foreground by the plinth of a pillar; the background is mainly filled with trees and shrubs. 

The Ottoman Way of Serving Coffee

The Ottoman Way of Serving Coffee

Coffee was served with much splendor at the harems of the Ottoman palace and mansions. First, sweets (usually jam) was served on silverware, followed by coffee serving. The coffee jug would be placed in a sitil (brazier), which had three chains on its sides for carrying, had cinders in the middle, and was made of tombac, silver or brass. The sitil had a satin or silk cover embroidered with silver thread, tinsel, sequin or even pearls and diamonds.