By Leonard Bombay

HISTORY WITH MOVIES
Open letter

Mr. Prime Minister!
Mr. Minister!

I am writing to you publicly because you are also part of this journey.
Lord Rama!

On February 14, 2024, at 8:45 am, I entered your office with an American producer. He told you that he would finance an Albanian film, requesting the participation of the Albanian state. It was at a time when the National Center of Cinematography was suspended and under restructuring.

You said: "Get the papers ready, and come back again! History and the Albanian author deserve it."

It took us six months to secure that meeting. The producer signed, stamped, and brought the papers, but we never met you again.

After two months I received a call from Mr. B. Gonxha: “Your file has been forwarded to us. But it is up to the CM to approve the budget. I will remind him.”

I was happy. I had been able to bring a signed and stamped budget from abroad for Albania, and I thought that our country was taking it seriously too.

It didn't happen. Months followed...

"Storks Don't Come Anymore," a nationwide film project with the potential for global curiosity, took an unusual form.
American producer S. Fishler came to Albania twice.
He connected us with script experts in Hollywood, including R. Naturman.
The script has many manuscripts:
1. True stories, 24 carats, from the author-folk.
2. Literary “fishing” and the rare talent of Pëllumb Kulla.
3. Four drafts from Bombay, based on world manuals.
4. Eight personalities, including the former President of the Republic, became "Ambassadors" of the film with advice.
5. A Script Doctor from Hollywood with a rewrite of the film.
6. And 79 Albanians from every corner of the globe, who financially supported the development of the project.
So, a script cooked by many hands, a feast of characters for 50 Albanian actors and 400 extras, with 80 years of history.
What happened from February 2024 to August 10, 2026?
We applied to the CCK call and the project was rejected.
Well-known filmmakers also lost.
I want to share two moments with you, because they lead us to: THE SYSTEM.
In the hallway, someone said: "The last applicant is a strong player. For five years, every time he applies, he wins."
That's what happened. He won again.
We are talking about about a quarter of a million euros from our taxpayers.
Wow! — I said. How did they find it?

I am asking some questions to understand the system and public transparency:
1. Who evaluated and with what criteria?
2. Are individual scores and professional justification for each project published?
3. How many times has the same applicant won?
4. What audience/box office have the funded projects had?
5. How many first-time applicants win?
6. Do board members change from year to year to avoid a vicious circle?
7. Is the System producing a new film industry, or is it recycling the same group of authors?
My mind goes to our project, which was not done overnight nor was it sealed in an envelope to try its luck.
It took 20 years of accumulation, 2 years of development, the work of 99 people, and in the end it was challenged by a single screenwriter who won again.
It might have been good.
I have a suspicion that can only be dispelled with transparency.
Audit! Verify the projects! Ours too. If I'm wrong, I'll apologize publicly.
Because the problem is not that one of us is rejected.
The problem begins when no one can understand why they are being rejected anymore.
I have a strong feeling that our work is sinking into the darkness of drawers-catacombs. I dare to believe that this small Albania with such great artistic potential, in terms of population, must have the largest "graveyard" in the world with rejected works, executed by the same weapon of crime - IRRESPONSIBILITY.

SECOND MOMENT
One of the board members said: “Your script is 4 movies in one.”
At first glance it may seem like just an opinion, but this sentence raises a much more serious question: By what criteria is a film script being read?
My mind told me: "No, friend! The script is 40 films together, where the hero, like a Cervantes, walks among real Albanian stories."
The script is not literary, but technically detailed. World manuals suggested to us on every page WHEN WHAT should happen, and the care of a Hollywood expert (among the Top 5).
I was reminded of the movie Amadeus. The Emperor, in order to make a criticism, says to Mozart: “Your opera has too many… too many… notes.”
Mozart, open-mouthed, defends himself: "The opera has just enough notes."
I doubt that scripts can be read hastily, superficially, with some notes for the sake of argument.

Lord Rama!
Mr. Gonxha!
My 30-year experience, where everyone enjoys the successes of their colleagues, has also given me the chance to enter the "Valley of Rejection", surrounded by hills and piles of rejected works.
In Hollywood, they say: "You can't imagine how many great films have been buried alive, and how many others have survived thanks to lobbying and stunts."
Well, you can't imagine how many Albanian masterpieces have sunk into oblivion over the years due to rejection. We need a "Minister of Empathy" to apologize and revive them.

And I'm reminding you of the SYSTEM.
Public money is not the property of a board.
Talent is not the property of a clan either.
I am speaking when protests and public debates are current in Albania.
I'm talking about when WE all, little by little, silently blow up the administration like a Cyclops.
We have created a "Swamp of Interests".
I'm not talking about a board. I'm talking about a system that fuels small personal victories and stifles the future of tomorrow's generations.
Among artists who struggle in creativity with the grace of their souls, there are also MARIFETÇINJ who play the "Lick Waltz", the "Servile Rhapsody", or manage votes with a wink.
Therefore: TAKE IT TO THE EXPERTS!

Lord Rama!
Mr. Gonxha!
Bring in independent experts and see for yourself.
Look at the last few years of CCK funding.
See the names. See the applications. See the winners. See the funding roundup.
And above all, we ask that our projects be able to fail fairly.

FINALLY, A KIND WORD
I'm ending this story with those who are the most beautiful part of it.
There are 79 Albanians from different countries around the world who contributed financially to the development of this film.
They chose to believe in an Albanian work before it was realized.
Therefore, I am saying to you publicly: THANK YOU!
You represent the thirst that exists for dignified Albanian works.
This is evidence that I cannot ignore. Nor should the state ignore it.
There is a public that still expects something more from the culture of the homeland: HISTORY-IDENTITY-DIGNITY.
Do you know?
A titled personality from the White House in the US, fortunately an Albanian-American philanthropist, suggested to me: "Bombay! There are hundreds - thousands of Albanians who are ready to invest in Albanian culture. Let's establish a Diaspora-Albania Board for mega-projects but... we need Trust-Transparency."
I brought this idea to MTKS in the spring of this year.
We are waiting.
Therefore, today I do not intend to remain silent.
Not out of boredom,
From responsibility.

Leonard Bombay

Director / Screenwriter

Tirana, August 15, 2026