From Childhood to Sainthood “Gonxhe - Mother Teresa Project”: A new film at her upbringing produced by Colored Films

Vilma and Greta Zenelaj 

Founders of Colored Films, Vilma and Greta Zenelaj talk about their upcoming project Gonxhe - Mother Teresa Project.

What’s going to surprise people about the “Gonxhe” film?

 

Vilma and Greta Zenelaj: No spoiler alert here but she went through a lot as a child and she used that experience for later on because she had already been through loss and hardships. Struggles were nothing new to Mother Teresa, just part of life and she saw them not as permanent situations but as something that we all must experience. However, what is most important to these struggling situations is how we respond to them and not complain about why they are happening to us. We love her quotes and one of our favorite quotes of Mother Teresa is ‘Do it Anyway’. We encourage everyone to read it. It’s divine. 

Greta Zenelaj

Where is the film going to be shot?

 

Vilma and Greta Zenelaj: At the moment is uncertain, but our plans for filming are Skopje and Shkoder Albania. We’ve filmed Eagle in Albania and we really enjoyed that challenging experience so we are familiar with the process there, but we also want to explore what Skopje has to offer after all that’s where Mother Teresa was born and raised. 

 

Do you have a production team ready for the Gonxhe film?

Vilma and Greta Zenelaj: We’ve shared the script with others that we want to work with and they’ve expressed a desire to partner with us. At the moment it’s still too early to hire a crew since the decision on shooting location will sort of determining the production team as well. We prefer to work with local talent because there’s just a freshness about them. They’re always so grateful for the experience and enjoyable to be around. But we know that production teams tend to become a family during the shoot so we are looking forward to creating this new film family. It’s going to be a very exciting new experience. 

Vilma Zenelaj

Who must come to see this film?

 

Vilma and Greta Zenelaj: Again, Everyone SHOULD come and watch this film. We mean Everyone.

 

Were there any setbacks in developing the story and how did you deal with it?

Vilma and Greta Zenelaj: It was mostly deciding on what part of her life we wanted to focus on and how much. Keeping it consistent and proportional, we didn’t want the scenes and dialogue to be too redundant or too long. So we made sure that each word, sentence, and scene moves the story forward with ease. Knowing when to move the story forward a few years ahead was a little bit of a challenge so we narrowed on the most important life and historical events that were significant to Gonxhe. Her father was heavily involved in Albanian politics which was a big part of their family so we didn’t exactly want to emphasize too much of that because Mother Teresa was the opposite of politics. Those were the most challenging setbacks, but we love the script and we know is going to be a great film.

What films have been the most inspiring or influential to you and why?

 

Vilma and Greta Zenelaj: One of the recent inspiring films that we watched was ‘A beautiful day in the neighborhood’ the Fred Roger’s story. It shows how important is to forgive in order to restore broken relationships. We enjoyed seeing the tremendous effect Mr. Roger’s had on the lives of so many children. It was truly inspirational and a blessing.

Are there common qualities in cinema today that you dislike? Is there something you try to subvert or avoid or rebel against in your work?

 

Vilma and Greta Zenelaj: Yes, and where do we start? Because of the accessibility of cameras and equipment, there is this illusion that anyone and everyone can make a quality film. There are many unwatchable films out there, more than we can count. Yes, anyone can make a film but can you tell/show a powerful story through that lens that can turn into a classic and touch generations to come? Honestly by watching so many films, nowadays they feel like cookie cutters films. Same stories told over and over again with the same unrelatable characters and emotional rollercoaster, same shots that make one nauseous, butchered cuts that do nothing to the cinematography nor the story. Has everyone been going to the same film school? What’s most disturbing is that the stories are so depressive and instead of lifting people up it just brings them down. In a way, it defeats the purpose of entertainment. We’re supposed to entertain the audience, not make them suicidal.

More:

https://coloredfilms.net/

https://facebook.com/GonxheFilm.