Docs, Disruption, and the Decades of Veton Nurkollari
From raves to resistance, to decades of cultural disruption, Veton helped shape Kosovo’s film scene, not with noise but with presence. As Dokufest opens for 24th time, here's a TenTen with Xhaxhi.
First time I remember hanging out with Veton Nurkollari, I believe was during a performance of Underworld at the Exit festival, few decades ago. He was Xhaxhi (The Uncle), treading lightly, oozing wisdom about music and film, leading what was then a fledgling documentary film festival in Prizren.
Since then, Veton has remained Xhaxhi of Kosovo film scene, but Dokufest has grown into an alternative conglomerate of creative industry and social activism, with documentary film festival remaining as anchoring event, but now with derivative events covering music, technology, etc.
Veton still walks lightly but he now carries decades of disruption on his back. He’s not anymore an artistic director but rather a cultural agitator, remaining the quiet force behind Dokufest, which never wanted to just screen films.
From the ruins of war-torn Prizren, Veton is used to invite stories from Patagonia to Palestine, until a whole world gathers annually by the river and the castle. Maybe not for red carpet spectacle, but definitely for attention. Attention to truth, beauty, resistance.
When he speaks, Xhaxhi never raises his voice, but somehow, he’s the reason a generation thinks with images, and listens with intent.
What’s your earliest childhood experience of a film that you still remember?
A bit foggy but it has to be the screening of The Battle of Neretva, I remember how they took us from the school to cinema to see this epic World War 2 film. And I think Špela Rozin in the film was my first on-screen crush!
If you would do a film on Prizren, would it be a documentary or a feature film? Who would be a director? What would be a theme? Soundtrack?
A documentary definitely! I would direct it and it would be an all-archival film about the city’s identity and its past. Soundtrack in a form of a minimalist ambiental music, I guess!
Who’s your favorite guest at DokuFest?
Too many favorites and too difficult to pick one, so I’ll name few instead. For the easiness of having and dealing with famous guests, I’d say PJ Harvey, Mohsen Makhmalbaf and the late, great Michael Glawogger. Plus, many, many other guests!
What irritates you nowadays? What brings you joy?
Ignorance irritates me most. Spending quality time with my family brings me utmost joy.
Which song are you now liking a lot and what’s the last book you read?
I Love You by Fontaines D.C. Just saw them again in Istanbul and the rendition of this particular song was incredible! The last book I read is Notes of a Crocodile by the late Taiwanese novelist Qiu Miaojin. Am also re-reading Ways of Seeing and About Looking by John Berger.
If you’re a betting man, who would you bet is the first Kosovar director that will win an Oscar?
I am not a betting man really, but if I were, I’d bet on my pal Samir Karahoda. He’s working on his first feature and it looks so promising.
You travel around the world for festivals. Which one is your favorite, besides DokuFest?
A smaller one called Play Doc in Spain run by two of the coolest people in the festival circuit is one of my all-time favorites. Also, a festival of mostly restored filmscalled Il Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna is so special that I would go there every year, if I could!
In this day and age of everyone documenting everything, all at once through phones and social media, what’s the role of documentary film?
Its role remains to document and bring back real stories of the people, places, events etc. despite the over saturation from phones and social media content. Efforts documentary filmmakers put into the making of the film is often overlooked and can hardly compare to the instant of the stories flooded via social medias.
Will AI kill the truth?
It won’t! It may distort it but it will be up to all of us to be more attentive to what is being served as truth.
Where are you at this exact moment and what will your day look like?
In the office of DokuFest, along with a wonderful group of people, putting final touches to the schedule, programme and many other things related to the festival. A proof reading of the catalogue, TV interview, staff meeting coupled with a lunch with the whole team is what today look like. A glorious feeling of being able to see the fruits of the year-long work coming to fruition.