Erblin Nushi unearths ‘Bini’ & how it makes us relive the Kosovar War

indieactivity: Give a background of your personal experience with the story, writing, production and marketing
Erblin Nushi: I was six-years-old when I went through this horrible experience. I grew up having flashbacks from the event and the day that my family and I were expelled from our country. After moving to America in 2010, I realized how unaware people were about what Kosovars went through. It’s sad because there are people in countries around the world going through war today.

Children being separated from their families and left alone losing all hope of a better future. A combination of all these feelings is why I wanted to share my story now. Writing the script was a moment of me seeking for answers because I was so young to comprehend everything that was happening back then. Making the film and being on set was a healing process as well because those flashbacks haunted me for so long and I realized how lucky I was to come out of it alive and still have my family.

indieactivity: Did you start writing with a cast (You or any) in mind?
Erblin Nushi: When I was writing the script, the only character I had in mind for an actress was the role of my mother. My sister, Fjolla Nushi, is a professional actress and one of the reasons why I started acting and doing film in the first place. I knew she would be the only person who is closest to the story and authentically portray our mother.

She was also there with us and experienced the same awful thing I did. It’s not an easy role to portray when you have to see your children in danger and the best thing you can do for them is nothing or else the consequences of your actions would have a terrible outcome. Whether is was the connection to our mom or recounting the moments as they were, It was all internal and she delivered it.

indieactivity: How long did you take to complete the script? (Do you have a writing process?)
Erblin Nushi: The script process took six months all together with revisions until the day we filmed it. If I have an idea, I usually type it or record myself speaking it to my phone and transcribe it later. We forget, so it’s important to write things down. Part of the urgency for me to tell this story now is because the details of my memories from the war were slowly fading away. This was also my thesis project for my bachelor’s degree in film. The senior year at the Film and Video Studies program at GMU is split into a semester of writing and developing the story and then a semester of production.

My professor and producer Lisa Thrasher was with me during the whole process of the script. I got notes from her and my thesis class and then I would rewrite the whole thing. I had so much I wanted to tell, but having that feedback really helped me narrow down to the core of the film and simplify the storyline. I did keep all those extra storylines that didn’t make it into the short and I’m working them into the feature that I’m currently writing.

indieactivity: When did you form your production company – and what was the motivation?
Erblin Nushi: It actually started in 2007 when Youtube started becoming big and it was just a channel for parody videos. I had a huge focus on acting then which is my passion, but after I moved to the U.S. and wrote my first script, I decided to turn it into a film production company. I changed its name to Tilia Entertainment after my first film traveled to a few film festivals and I started getting noticed.

After I made a few short films, which the core of all of them is to send a message and call for change through art, I wanted them all to be under the same Tilia “tree” and be recognized for that. My most humbling experience yet was when my peers said that every time they go to see a film by me and Tilia Entertainment, they know what they are going to get.

Lurni Krasniqi and Artiola Hamdija in Bini (2018)

indieactivity: What was the first project out of the gate?
Erblin Nushi: “Black.” It was the first script I ever wrote and it was full of action and very little dialog. I had no previous film training and I think having all that creative freedom with no limitations is what makes that film special. Despite its technical flaws, it’s honest and you can see my voice as an artist forming. It’s a film about a boy who loses his mother to cancer. His fascination with her and not being able to move on, drives him to dress up like her and eventually become her.

indieactivity: During production, what scene (that made the cut) was the hardest to shoot?
Erblin Nushi: The biggest scene in my film is when the neighbors are rounded up and thrown inside the truck to be displaced from Kosovo. There were over 50 extras that were easily wrangled by my skillful 1st assistant director, Rita Krasniqi. In the midst of all that I had to direct and choreograph a scene where a six-year-old is separated from his family. It was emotional, loud, and scary. It was a hundred degrees outside and we were running on a really tight schedule. There were actual people that came out of their houses in worry to see what was happening. One of them said that the last time they saw those trucks and uniforms it wasn’t a very good day for them. That was a hard thing to hear because it touched me and I wondered if doing this was triggering any PTSD from the war.

indieactivity: What works better in this production that mightn’t have worked well in the last one?
Erblin Nushi: The heart and message of this particular story. This is very tied with having a wonderful crew. It’s all thanks to my wonderful director of photography, Isak Duraku, who recruited most of my crew from his experience working in the film industry in Kosovo. I was very lucky that I was coming from America, a place that Kosovars worship because the U.S. helped end the war and save us. Everyone wanted to be part of the project and not just work on it. It was a collective and collaborative process which is why the film turned out to be the way it is. These people needed their voices to be heard and I’m happy that I got to be part of that.

indieactivity: You produced and directed the film, what measure of input did it take to don these hats?
Erblin Nushi: I honestly never really thought of it that way. I had a producer and co-producer. They were my legal and creative team behind it all, and I was happy to do a lot more than a director usually does. This was shot in Kosovo, and even though most people speak English, it made sense for me to do some of the negotiating with filming locations and sponsorships that we had. It was the town I grew up in and everyone knows each other and when the requests came from me who also lived through the war, it was easier to get more approvals and people to support the project. During actual set, I was only directing because I had my producers taking care of everything else and I just focused on the story and the actors. I was lucky to have the experience of Lisa Thrasher, a professional producer on set. It also helped that she was part of it since the beginning of the project.

indieactivity: Is there anything about the independent filmmaking business you still struggle with?
Erblin Nushi: Financing! It takes a lot of asking and begging to get our projects funded. Especially for me as a director at this young age. It’s hard for investors to trust you with their money. I hope that the success of this film will make that easier and prove that I can do this. Everyone starts from somewhere and slowly builds themselves. I made ten short films and BINI is now a finalist in the running for the Student Academy, so I think i’m ready for someone to take a chance with me and help me direct my first feature.

indieactivity: Where do you think your strengths line as a filmmaker?
Erblin Nushi: I write from a place of experience and learned mistakes because translating them into my films is important as I want to make films that educate, inspire, and empower people to not hurt themselves and others. I was trained in theater and from a very young age I loved art and its power to transport people into an imaginative world. I think having that background has really helped me as a director because I now help actors convey similar feelings I experienced when I was on stage.

indieactivity: Let’s talk finance, How did you finance the film?
Erblin Nushi: My first grant on the film was a pitch competition that my film program has for the seniors, and I won for best digital pitch. From there I started a crowdfunding campaign. That was mostly me and my co-producer Chris Rothgeb begging our family members for money. It was humbling to get a lot of support from my friends and their families as well. I also had private donors who were again family friends. I received monetary and other support from a lot of business in Kosovo. Liri, City of Peja, Radio Cafe, Uji i Pejës, Domino’s, Lala, Bibita, just to name a few were all from us walking into their offices asking for help to tell this important story.

indieactivity: How much did you go over budget? How did you manage it?
Erblin Nushi: We actually managed to stay in budget for the entire production. Again, we received a lot of support in Kosovo and had a great number of volunteers on set. The part that got expensive and had to raise more money was after during post production. There are just a lot of different factors to complete a film and I was very lucky to receive great help from DC Color and Ott House Audio for my post work. Those guys are amazing. Last but not least, festivals cost a lot of money! Submission fees add up and then if you want to attend the festival once the film is in, but that is a completely different budget that again we are still raising funds for.

indieactivity: How important is marketing? Do you think a project can make any dent without it these days?
Erblin Nushi: It depends how well your film does first. I learned that no matter what you do, if the right person doesn’t see your film it doesn’t get anywhere. Getting it to that right person can be tricky. Marketing helps because it creates attention for your film to possibly reaching those right people. I didn’t anything marketing related because of budget. Once my first big film festival happened and the Student Academy Awards followed, attention started building up itself, but with the right push it will get everyone interested in your film. Marketing is a completely different ballgame that I’m still learning myself, but it does make a difference in the success of your film.

Lurni Krasniqi and Artiola Hamdija in Bini (2018)

indieactivity: Can you tell us about your marketing activities on the project – and how it’s gone for you?
Erblin Nushi: I didn’t have any marketing for the film besides what I did on my own. I still create all my marketing materials myself. I have a background in design and photography. I did my posters, trailers, website, postcards, etc. I enjoy making them and branding my film as difficult as it is because it’s very time consuming. Posting promos, inviting people to see your work, it’s all a hustle. When I got into HollyShorts Film Festival, I was now being seen and talked about and that lead to me partnering up with London Flair PR. It’s different from marketing but now my film at least receives a level of attention. I was honored to work with London Flair PR as they have represented Oscar winning films before. It gives your film that extra level of professionalism to say that it has a publicist.

indieactivity: What do you hope audiences get from your film?
Erblin Nushi: Just like when I started writing the script, I had a lot I wanted to say. I was only six years old when I was a victim of war and my life was never the same after that. It’s sad to see that it’s still happening to many other children today. For many years the identity of Kosovars was erased and with this film I want to give a voice to all those lives lost and those affected by war and tell the world that we exist. I do hope that by seeing BINI it will help change the minds of people out there that can make a difference and end the refugee crisis once and for all.

indieactivity: What else have you got in the works?
Erblin Nushi: I’m writing BINI into a feature because there is so much more to the story that needs to be told. My end goal for this project is to also make it into a series because once I interviewed my family and friends about their experiences, which are all so unique, I realized that a series is the best platform for it. I want to reach as many people and keep the conversation going.

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