Albania is beautiful, but for decades it was cut off from the rest of the world by a communist dictator. “There were no foreign clothes, which was a big thing for us,” Vilma Zenelaj says, drawing a deep laugh out of her older sister Greta, a dark-haired beauty often mistaken for Demi Moore.
Albania’s communist regime collapsed soon after the Berlin Wall fell. Vilma left first, arriving in Oregon as a high school exchange student in 1996. Greta stayed in Albania to finish her degree in journalism, even as civil war broke out. Luckily, Mom and Dad, both doctors, won the visa lottery and emigrated to Michigan. Best friends, the sisters in 2003 packed everything into a red Volkswagen Beetle and headed to L.A.
Three times award winner, thriller, ‘In the Woods’ has been accepted and nominated for two awards at the 2011 Big Bear Lake International Film Festival, which runs from September 15th to 18th, 2011 in Big Bear Lake, CA. ‘In the Woods’ will screen on Friday, September 16th @ 12 pm. www.bigbearlakefilmfestival.com.
Greta & Vilma Zenelaj were recently featured on the radio show Life Bites with Nina Boski, talking about film. Nina Boski is a radio DJ, talk show host, and TV correspondent who runs her own lifestyle company called Life Bites.
Click here to listen to the August 12th show with Greta & Vilma, whose interview begins at minute nine.
The much anticipated European Premiere of ‘In The Woods’ will take place at the fourth annual 2011 Durres International Film Summerfest. Greta and Vilma are very excited to premiere their film in Albania, their home country. Greta & Vilma are looking forward to sharing their work with their friends, family, and fans at the prestigious festival.
The International Film Festival in Durres was established in 2008 with the support of the National Centre of Cinematography and Municipality of Durres. Its fourth edition will take place on 27 August – 2 September 2011, in the city of Durres and in capital city Tirana, also in Saranda, Pogradec and Vlora with a special programmes.