Two Lions to Venice

Original title: Dy Luanë drejt Venecias
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Road movie
Director: Jonid Jorgji
Country: Albania, Czechia, United Kingdom, Italy
Year of production: 2020
Czas: 90 min

Awards and nominations:
2022 Albanian submission for the Academy Award

“Two Lions to Venice” is both a title of the film and a concise outline of its plot. Screenwriter and director Jonid Jorgji tells a story of a trip to the awards ceremony at Venice Film Festival. The two men heading there are Albanian filmmakers who at the very beginning of their journey meet two attractive female stars of adult films. The gentlemen are oldish, and the girls are sexy. Although it implies the plot will follow the very well-known path, not everything will be obvious, predictable, and straightforward. The filmmakers Kaçi i Vani as well as the girls Lola and Irina know precisely where they are going since characters of a road movie should. But will they be able to reach their destination? Numerous obstacles, twists, and challenges call the happy ending into question.
 
“Two Lions to Venice” is the director’s feature debut. Before he chose to stand behind the camera, he had run a creative agency and made short films. Now the very title of his feature promises a metaphorical tale, because the two lions refer not only to the awards handed at the film festival, but also to the wild animals being synonymous with masculinity, power, and strength.
Although the film is primarily a satire on present-day Albania and its film industry, it also tells about individual ideas and desires. The director had portrayed them so precisely that his film was an official Albanian submission for the Academy Award in 2022.
Author: Agata Saraczyńska
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 Jonid Jorgji – a screenwriter, director, and film producer. He studied film and television directing in Tirana and at Harvard Kennedy School. He ran a creative agency Bashkia Tirane. He is an author of TV programmes and short films “Lost Days” (2010), “Wedding Day” (2016), “Girls” (2019), and “The Sweet Dealer” (2020). “Two Lions to Venice” is his feature debut.