The Van

60th TIFF: Greek Premiere

A young boy, around his twenties, is determined to leave Albania and emigrate abroad along with his father. In order to earn money fast and achieve his goal, he accepts a brutal job offer: he will contend in boxing matches that will take place inside a van. The rules are painfully simple: The door closes, the van carries out its usual trajectory and, once it reaches square one, the door reopens and the winner steps out of the vehicle. A few more rounds and the nightmare is over.

Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Erenik Beqiri

Script: Erenik Beqiri

Cinematography: Guillaume Le Grontec

Editing: Pauline Pallier

Actors: Phénix Brossard, Arben Bajraktaraj, Afrim Muçaj, Lulzim Zeqja, Romir Zalla

Production: Origine Films, Anima Pictures

Costumes: Teuta Resuli

Make Up: Sarah Pariset, Wilfried Pirrin

Format: DCP

Color: Color

Production Country: France, Albania

Production Year: 2019

Duration: 15΄

Contact: Origine Films, chen@originefilms.fr

Erenik Beqiri

Erenik studied at the Tirana Academy of Arts where he earned a master's degree in film directing. His graduation film was Seed Money, a short film written by Jim Uhls (Fight Club). He participated in the Sarajevo Talent Campus as a screenwriter, where he developed the short film Reverse which was produced a year later by the Sarajevo Film City. Reverse received awards for Best Film at ISFF Drama and the Cinematic Achievement award at ISFF Thessaloniki. In 2013, he wrote and directed the short film Alphonso which was screened at festivals such as the Vancouver International Film Festival and ISFF Brussels, among others. His next short film Bon Appétit was nominated for the Méliès D'Argent at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, selected at aapsalu, Dokufest, Lund, and many others. His short film The Van was in official competition at the Cannes Film Festival and many other festivals such as the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Sarajevo Film Festival, and is currently screened at festivals around the world. His latest short film, A Short Trip, won the Best Short Film Award of the Orizzonti Competition in Venice (2023). His films portray the inner struggles of characters in the face of the socio-political space they inhabit, ultimately leading to disturbing decisions that define them as comic, tragic, or grotesque portraits of society.