To better understand the future, sometimes we need to return to the past, to the roots, to the beginning. Where did everything start? How did we get here? And how will we carry it forward?

These questions apply to every area of life, but I chose to place them in service of my own field: cinema. Often, without realizing it, the greatest weight of a film is attributed to the director or the actors, simply because the public engages with them the most. But as a director myself, I know well that a film is never a one-man effort. Without the support of other arts, the director is left empty.

That’s why, in this documentary, I shifted the focus of a cinematic work toward the film’s painter, known today as a production designer or art director. And in this field, one of the most important names in Albanian cinema is undoubtedly Arben Basha.

Ben carries on his shoulders a significant legacy of films that have helped shape Albania’s visual identity, such as Freedom and Death (1979), A Tale from the Past (1987), The Second November (1982), Sako’s Wedding (1988), and many others.

During this period, I spent valuable time with Ben and came to understand that the word “artist” doesn’t gain its value solely from creative skill, but from the depth of the inner soul. And this soul, he has poured fully into his paintings, works I was fortunate enough to witness up close every day throughout the shoot, and to feel their quiet magic.

Modestly, I believe this documentary carries values that can help us become better “artists” ourselves, and perhaps add a little more “white paint” to the soul.

Enriko Hamzaj.