Dinner with Në Mes [In Between]
Interview with Samir Karahoda, director of Në Mes [In Between]
Where does the film take place and why have so many people left?
The film takes place mainly in rural areas throughout Kosovo. Actually, this represents today’s image of the Balkans in general, where the villages are turning into ghost places. And it is not only the people of our country that have left, the majority of the rural population of the Balkans are looking for a more prosperous future, resulting in millions of migrants who departed towards Europe within the last 10 years, simply in a search for a better life!
Why were you interested in focusing on these families? Did you get to know them for your project or did you already know them when you decided to shoot?
Initially my project was focused on this unique tradition, building similar houses for sons or brothers. While I was doing my research and after talking to family members, I became aware about the other important layer of the story, that of the “migration”. I knew none of the families, and I had to visit and discuss individually to each one of them, requesting permission for filming and interviews. And that reminded me of one exquisite tradition of my people, that of a heartfelt hospitality and treating you in the best possible way imaginable. For that I’m very grateful to each one of them, and I would like to thank them again for accepting to share their stories and supporting us beyond our expectations, just to make our work as best as possible.
How did you work on the voice over? Is it only recorded or are there additional voices? How long did it take to record and to edit?
No additional voice was used. The voice used in the film is from the interviews of the characters. Regarding the shooting time, the shooting days were approximately 10 days, however scouting, visits to numerous locations, and deciding about the adequate locations lasted more than a year, while sound design and editing took approximately 2 months.
How much are you interested in family bonds and cultural transmission and do you have further projects on these themes?
In our tradition, family is sacred and parents do everything to keep the harmony and happiness of their children’s lives. My work is kind of a reflection and shows how some families try to show their solidarity and respect between them through equal division of wealth. My next project will not have anything to do with this topic but with sports and somehow intertwined with migration, again.
Would you say that the short film format has given you any particular freedom?
Yes of course, this was my debut film and I’m very happy that the film went very well with many important festivals and got recognized through awards. This gave me confidence to start working immediately on my next project. Being a cinematographer of my own film gave me unlimited freedom to shoot the film as I had envisioned, which sometimes is not the case when I have to work with other directors.
What are your reference works?
There are so many filmmakers that have inspired me, but through my own style, I try to express my inner reflection in my works and am always looking for new ways of storytelling, depending on the topic.
