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A Conversation with Piccola Patria's Vladimir Doda


Vladimir Doda was born in Albania but his dreams of being an actor brought him to the Eternal City. Vladimir Doda is a versatile actor that goes from screen to stage with remarkable ease. His breakout role came in Alessandro Rossetto’s Piccola Patria, a heavy film, which speaks to Italy’s problem with immigration, clandestine immigrants in particular- the prejudices they face and their complicated assimilation into society. Doda took on the role of Bilal, the Albanian boyfriend of one of the main characters. He gave a passionate, heartfelt performance, and in the midst of some very dark subject matter, he shined, and his performance stole the show.

When I initially saw the film in New York City last year during Lincoln Center’s annual Italian film series- Open Roads: New Italian Cinema, I had some pretty negative feelings about it and didn’t give it a great review. Through a mutual friend on social media, Doda saw my review and contacted me to help me better understand the story. I was so impressed by his effort, and his explanation did help me to better understand Rossetto’s vision. The film just became available through Italy’s new initiative to promote indie filmmaking. So, the timing is perfect for a conversation with this talented actor about his work. Although many films on the Italian site are indeed available worldwide, unfortunately, Piccola Patria is not yet available for purchase in the United States. However, it is available throughout Italy and Europe.
Our interview was originally done in Italian, so I am including both versions.
Let's start at the beginning. When did you realize that you wanted to pursue acting as a career?
I began taking acting classes about ten years ago and after a few years, I became more serious about it. I’ve always enjoyed film. Before I really started studying theater, I just considered myself a cinephile. I’ve watched and watched again all the movies of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton as well as the classics of Italian, French and American cinema. Once I decided that I would overcome the language barrier, I enrolled in film school and there was no turning back.
Diciamo che ho iniziato a seguire i primi corsi di recitazione circa dieci anni fa e dopo qualche anno ho preso la cosa più seriamente. Devo dire che il cinema mi è sempre piaciuto anzi, finché non ho cominciato a studiare e fare teatro mi ritenevo una specie di cinefile. Per un periodo guardavo e riguardavo tutti i film di Chaplin, Keaton oltre che i classici del cinema italiano, francese o americano. Se devo scegliere un momento preciso è stato quando ho capito che la lingua per me non poteva essere un ostacolo. Diciamo che quando ho deciso di fare un’accademia (acting school, come le chiamate voi) non si poteva più tornare indietro.


Tell me about that language barrier. What are your challenges in acting in another language?
The main challenge is always to be credible. Then there are also technical aspects in the way you respect and treat the language. In my first experiences up until now, there were times when it seemed that I wasn’t even speaking Italian given the fact that many people here don’t always speak the language properly. If we talk about acting on stage, there are some advantages but an actor also runs the risk of stressing certain words too much. The Italian language is risky on stage because it’s very musical. Italian itself is not very theatrical, because it has many vowels and is more suitable for singing. So, it’s not a coincidence that it’s the country of melodrama. The dialects, however, are very theatrical but they are something else entirely.
La sfida principale è sempre quella di essere credibile. Poi ci sono cose tecniche e poi ancora rispetto al modo come tratti la lingua. In quelle prime esperienze che ho dai film fino adesso, è come se parlassi in un'altra lingua che non è neanche italiano perché faccio persone che non parlano bene italiano. Se si parla della recitazione sul palco per certe cose uno può essere addirittura vantaggiato. Quando un attore dice delle cose che hanno a che fare con un proprio vissuto e legate alla propria cultura, in alcuni casi rischia anche di sottolineare troppo se non è attento. Meno rischioso sarebbe per un attore bilingue perché ha già almeno un altro punto di vista. La lingua italiana è rischiosa sul palco, perché è molto musicale. L’italiana in sé non è molto teatrale, perché ha molte vocali ed è più adatta per il canto (non a caso è il paese del melodramma), i dialetti ovviamente sono molto teatrali ma sono un'altra cosa ancora.

What are the similarities and differences between the Italian culture and the Albanian culture?
Well it’s a very broad topic. The Two countries are so close and yet so far. While the sea divides them, they both have the same climate. They are two countries with a history dating back to antiquity. In Italy, the presence of Albanians goes back to the Roman Empire with some popes and several emperors of Illyrian origin. Albanian communities came after the Turkish invasions in southern Italy, and some of those communities still retain the traditions and ancient Albanian language. In the last twenty years, many Albanians have arrived in Italy. Italy has had a political presence in Albania since Roman times that lasted until the end of World War II. But since Albanians had major problems with the other Balkan neighbors, they never saw Italy as a real invader, even during the fascist invasion, but rather as a friendly country. Between the two peoples, it has always been an atmosphere of friendship. There have been a few differences, religion in particular. Religion and the Church have always had a huge weight in Italy. While in Albania, different religions live together in peace. But the truth is that there's not a strong attachment to religion. Albania had a time of isolation from Italy and from Europe as a whole. During that time, the arts, which also include theater, cinema and dance, experienced a Russian influence.
Come argomento è molto ampio. Sono due paesi così vicini e allo stesso tempo così lontani. Provo a sintetizzare. Intanto li divide il mare e entrambi hanno lo stesso clima. Sono due paesi con una storia che risale all’antichità. In Italia la presenza degli albanesi risale all’Impero romano con addirittura alcuni papi e diversi imperatori di origine illirica. Le comunità albanesi, arrivate dopo le invasioni turche nel Sud Italia , conservano ancora oggi alcune tradizioni e la lingua antica albanese. E poi negli ultimi vent’anni sono arrivati in Italia molti albanesi. Allo stesso tempo l’Italia ha sempre avuto una presenza politica e clericale (che era anche politica) in Albania dall’epoca romana fino alla fine della II guerra mondiale. Avendo però avuto gli albanesi sempre problemi maggiori con gli altri vicini balcanici, non hanno mai visto l’Italia come un vero e proprio invasore, persino nel periodo dell’invasione fascista, ma anzi come un paese amico. Tra i due popoli c’è sempre stato un clima di amicizia. Alcune differenze. La religione e la Chiesa ha sempre avuto un peso enorme in Italia. Mentre in Albania convivono in pace diverse religioni, anche se in verità non c’è un grande attaccamento alla religione. L’Albania ha avuto un periodo di isolamento rispetto all’Italia e l’Europa e, in quel periodo, nel campo delle arti c’era un’influenza della scuola russa, sia per il teatro che per il cinema o la danza.
Is your culture reflected in your work? For example, do you feel your culture in the soul of the characters you portray?
Yes, a lot… in everything I do, not only in acting. In every character I play, there is something of my childhood, of my country- the tastes, the smells, the moods and sounds of the neighborhood. There is something of my neighbors or my friends during the time when I lived in Albania. For example, there was this “crazy” character that I did for a show, and I took 60-70% from a guy I had known when I was about 9-years-old. Sometimes it happens that I get what I want very quickly, but other times it comes slower and I have to work on it. As an actor, memories are key. Bilal, my character in Piccola Patria, has a kind of melancholy that is also part of me but he was also inspired by a person dear to me, that I spent time with during a period of depression. That state of depression really helped me in developing the character because I was able to visualize and portray the depth of sadness that I saw in his eyes.
Si, molto. In tutto quello che faccio e non solo nella recitazione. In ogni personaggio che ho impersonato fino adesso c’è qualcosa della mia infanzia, della mia terra, i sapori, gli odori, gli umori e i rumori del quartiere. C’è qualcosa di un mio vicino di casa o di un mio amico del periodo vissuto in Albania. Per esempio per un personaggio di un “matto” che mi è capitato di fare per uno spettacolo, ho preso 60-70 % da un tizio che avevo visto quando avevo circa 9 anni. A volte mi succede che raggiungo molto velocemente quello che voglio, altre volte sono più lento e devo lavorarci su. In questo lavoro i ricordi sono una cosa fondamentale. Bilal stesso, il personaggio che ho fatto in Piccola Patria, ha una sorta di malinconia che fa parte anche di me (o degli albanesi se vogliamo dire) ma soprattutto di una persona a me cara e che io ho assistito durante un suo periodo di depressione. A me aiutava tantissimo per quel tratto che vedevo nei suoi occhi, perché riuscivo a visualizzarlo bene e usarlo nel mio lavoro.


  

What do you think about Laura Bispuri's film, Vergine Giurata and all the international success it has had?
The story itself is very strong. I have not read the book yet by Elvira Dones, from which the film is based but I have seen her documentary on the sworn virgin (in Albanian- Burrneshat). I was born and raised in these parts and I know the phenomenon, so I am not watching the film with the exotic curiosity of a tourist. I happened to know and see firsthand several small burrnesha (sworn virgins). They are like a force of nature, full of energy- almost a masculine energy (Burrnesh Burr has its basis, which means man). They do not see themselves as victims, so much so that we use to refer to the Burrnesh also as a mature or elderly married woman of strong character. Bispuri makes almost a feminist statement. The phenomenon is complex and, in my opinion, even has a hint of revolt, especially if you consider that such a practice went against the morals of the Catholic Church (women who dressed and behaved like men, in Northern Europe were accused and burned as witches) and the community accepted them anyway. I would have to see the film again to really give you my opinion because I was distracted by the fact that some of the Albanian actors were speaking Italian while the lead Italian actress was speaking Albanian. I would have preferred to see them dubbed, even though I hate dubbing. However, I really loved the character played by (Albanian actress) Flonja Kodheli. She’s really a great actress.

La storia in sé è molto forte. Non ho letto ancora il libro di Elvira Dones, dal quale è tratto il film ma ho visto il suo documentario sulle vergine giurate (per gli albanesi “Burrneshat”).  Sono nato e cresciuto da quelle parti e conosco bene il fenomeno, quindi non lo guardo con la curiosità esotica di un turista. Mi è capitato di conoscere e di vedere già da piccolo diverse “burrnesha” e sono come una forza della natura, pieno di energia quasi un energia maschile (Burrnesh ha come radice Burr, che vuol dire uomo). Voglio dire che loro non si vedono come vittime, tanto è vero che si usa chiamare Burrnesh anche una donna sposata matura o anziana di carattere forte. Bispuri ne fa quasi una lettura femminista che ci sta, ma chi vede il film non deve scambiarlo per antropologia visuale. Il fenomeno è complesso e, secondo me, addirittura ha un germe di rivolta femminile e assieme una rivincita per l’epoca (ovviamente non si parla solo dei nostri giorni). Se si pensa che una simile consuetudine andava contro la morale della Chiesa cattolica (una donna che si veste e si comporta da uomo, nel Nord Europa venivano accusate e bruciate come streghe) e la comunità lo accettava comunque. Del film mi ricordo alcune immagini suggestive dei corpi ma devo essere sincero non saprei dirti molto perché dovrei rivederlo. Non sono riuscito a goderlo in quanto ero infastidito molto dal fatto che i personaggi impersonati dagli attori albanesi parlassero in italiano anche tra di loro, mentre l’attrice italiana si esprimeva in albanese, avrei preferito vederlo doppiato (anche se odio il doppiaggio). Ho amato molto il personaggio impersonato da Flonja Kodheli e quest’utlima è una grande attrice.
What are your career plans for the future? Have you thought about working behind the camera as a director? 
I just want to continue to do as much as possible to grow as an actor. In May, I did a show at a theater here in Rome and I hope to score more roles on stage. I'm preparing my monologue by writing snippets of things that maybe I could use one day. But in life, you never know, I could decide to do anything, even if acting is the thing to which I have devoted the most time and energy in my life. Have I ever thought of being a director? Of course I’ve thought about it. But I think that every actor has thought about it at least once. I have respect for those who do it and I think I will need a good apprenticeship. Directing is different. There are very long periods between projects and for the moment I'm not ready to invest that time.
Voglio solo poter continuare a fare il più possibile per crescere come attore. Per il momento faccio poco del mio lavoro. A maggio ho fatto uno spettacolo a teatro qui a Roma e spero di farne altri. Sto preparando un mio monologo. Scrivo stralci di cose che magari potrò usare un giorno. Ma nella vita non si sa mai potrei anche decidermi di fare tutt’altro, anche se in verità recitare e la cosa a cui ho dedicato più tempo e più energia nella mia vita. Lei mi chiede se ho mai pensato di fare il regista. Certo che ci ho pensato. Ma credo che ogni attore ci ha pensato almeno una volta. Ho rispetto per chi lo fa e credo che mi servirà un buon periodo di apprendistato (cosa che comincerò a farlo). La regia cinematografica è una cosa diversa, i tempi di gestazione sono lunghissimi e io per il momento non sono pronto a reggere quei tempi lì.

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