Childhood hardships made ‘Gonxhe’ into Mother Teresa – A new film being produced by Colored Films
Exclusive Interview with award-winning producers of Colored Films, Vilma and Greta Zenelaj
What was the inspiration behind the Mother Teresa Film? Were you influenced by something in your past?
Vilma and Greta Zenelaj: We read many biographies, interviewed some authors and they were all fascinated by Mother Teresa and all agreed that her family and upbringing were what made her into Mother Teresa. A person doesn’t just get up one day and says ‘Oh, I think I’m going to help the sick and the poor that are dying on the streets of Calcutta’ and succeed at it. There were many nuns where she was stationed at the Loretto school for Girls. Why was she the only one to leave the school and help the needy? Taking into consideration that this was 1948. You don’t just leave the Loretto order. She single-handedly started the Missionaries of Charity. She was truly made into who she later became by her childhood years and her loving family. What also influenced us was that we left Albania for America almost the same age as her, very young. And at that time it was uncertain if we’d be able to see our parents again or relatives, just like Mother Teresa. It was a life-changing decision.
Are you satisfied with how the script turned out? What has been the reaction to it?
Vilma and Greta Zenelaj: We are very happy with the script. It actually didn’t take long for us to write it once we had the story written down. One week of intense writing then we did a couple of edits over time. Everyone that has read it described the script as amazing and a page-turner even though it’s 117 pages long. It is a very emotional film depicting the tragic hardships that Gonxhe (Mother Teresa) went through with her family.
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.
What will the audience be thinking about when they drive home after watching Gonxhe?
Vilma and Greta Zenelaj: It will probably be the last scene. We don’t want to spoil the end but aside from what happened Mother Teresa had the courage to move forward and focus on her God-given mission to serve. And that is a very powerful message.
Why should people see this film?
Vilma and Greta Zenelaj: Everyone should come and see this film. It will inspire people to give it another go at life.
What makes a fruitful collaboration? What do you do to enhance the collaborative process?
Vilma and Greta Zenelaj: The keyword there is collaboration, which means a creative partnership and participation. We enjoy meeting with the department heads after they’ve read the script and make notes to discuss their vision for the film. At times, it’s hard for them to express their creative ideas because they’re so used to the demands of producers or directors that don’t want their visions but just do what they’re told. So we start with questions to sort of warm them up and discuss. Once they feel they can trust us, because it is about trust, many open up and share their creative vision, which is very important and helpful. That’s the reason why we hired them to enhance our film with their creative vision. Our goal is for everyone to always communicate how they see this film, we might not always agree but it’s good to talk things out. It’s been our experience that communication is key to any collaborative process.
We all love cinema. How did your love for movies get sparked?
Vilma and Greta Zenelaj: We grew up in communist Albania and we were only allowed by the government to watch Albanian films, which were pretty good actually despite the communist propaganda. But at the time, Albania did not produce many films so the scarcity made it more desirable. We loved watching films and would wait for months for their release. Also, our mother loves literature and she would always recite famous poems and stories to us. By hearing her telling stories we developed an ear for good stories. We both used to write poems since we’re little and later short stories. But films were always the most entertaining to us. We simply LOVE a good film.
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