The Surrender of Scutari
Director: Unknown / Release Date: 1913 / Length: 10’ / Presentation: Elif Rongen-Kaynakçı Musicians: Stephen Horne – piano, Frank Bockius – drum
This documentary short film made right after the surrender of Scutari that began in 1912 and lasted until April 23, 1913 was discovered last year by the Albanian Archive and restored in collaboration with the Montenegrin Archive.
The Oriental Language Teacher
Director: Olga Rautenkranzova / Release Date: 1918 / Czechoslovakia / Length: 43’
A diplomat appointed as ambassador to Istanbul starts to take private lessons to learn Turkish in 6 months. But he does not know that his daughter met the teacher as well and fell in love with him. His daughter secretly learns Turkish from her boyfriend while her father cannot learn this difficult language no matter how hard he tries.
Director Rautenkranzova, who is Czech’s first female director, also takes part in the film as the diplomat’s daughter. Breaking new grounds for women’s position in history of Czech cinema, this film was discovered and restored by the Czech Film Archive last year.