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Small actions archive
Small actions are coordinated by the Local Offices. To see the current small actions choose the corresponding office:

Small actions Prishtina

	The Visit - Der Besuch Theatre A theatrical production that will bring together international and local artists in a joint venture intended to foster cultural debate	Applicant(s) 1. Catastrophic Theatre (Artistic Partner), NGO, Houston, Texas, USA 2. Mitrovicë Culture Center (Facility Partner), Mitrovicë, Kosovo 3. Blackbird Books (Fiscal and Production Management Partner), Local NGO, Mitrovicë, Kosovo 4. Art and Media (Marketing and Documentation Partner), Local NGO, Mitrovicë, Kosovo 5. Teatri Oda (Prishtinë Presenting Partner)	Time and place Mitrovica and Prishtina from: 05.06.2009 till: 14.08.2009	Grant CHF 18,294.00
	It is difficult to imagine a play with more relevance to the life in modern-day Kosovo than Dürrenmatt’s “The Visit” (common English translation of “Der Besuch der alten Dame”.) This tale of community, trust, revenge and corruption remains a mainstay of Western theatre fifty-two years after its publication. In this play, Dürrenmatt constructed a fictional town whose inhabitants must decide whether to murder a prominent citizen in exchange for financial gain. The themes of guilt and greed are universal, but certain aspects of “The Visit“ have even more special resonance for Kosovo today: a decaying city, revenge, justice, rule of law, bankruptcy, familial and civil obligations, government corruption, the unintended social and economic side-effects of financial donations, and the role of women in society are all scrutinized. Productions will take place in the Mitrovicë Culture Centre. Performances will be followed by audience discussions, allowing community members and artists the opportunity to engage in a dialogue about the production and the societal issues it address. Technical rehearsals will be continued in “Teatri Oda” in Prishtinë, with performances tentatively scheduled for August 3 and 4. With the assistance of critically acclaimed proponents of adventurous and experimental theatre from the United States, Catastrophic Theatre, the project will develop a production of “Der Besuch der alten Dame” by Swiss playwright Friedrich Dürrenmatt that, in its development and performance, addresses key social issues that Kosovo faces today.

	4th edition of ”Flute Sounds” international music festival-2009 Music International Music Festival	Applicant(s) NGO "New Spirit"	Time and place Prishtina from: 15.06.2009 till: 20.06.2009	Grant CHF 2'284.00
	The 4th edition of "Flute Sounds" brings the attractive six days program that includes a series of workshops nine concert evenings, two documentary films, and multimedia performances. The well known artists of the world, will prepare several workshops and open lectures. This event would create an ideal opportunity for professional cooperation among young musicians flutists and artists from Europe and USA . It will offer a unique chance to attend workshops by Peter Lukas Graf ( Switzerland ) www.peterlukasgraf.ch Katie Down (USA), composer sound artist, and multi-instrumentalist www.katiedown.com,Greg Pattillo – Trio (USA) www.whatisproject.org, Vincent Lucas - flute, Alexandre Gattet - oboe, Daniel Brezynski - trombone, Marc Trenel - bassoon, Pascal Godart – piano, Ute Volker & Angelika Sheridan (Germany) www.utevolker.de, Jen – Kuang Chang (Taiwan) compositor, Hans Parment (Sweden) Japanese pianist Masa Tayama. The Swiss Cultural Programme in the Western Balkans Local Office Prishtina assisted by covering local costs of the Swiss artist, Peter Lukas Graf.

	Prague Biennale 4 Visual Arts Present Kosovo arts in the Biennale in Prague www.praguebiennale.org	Applicant(s) Driton Hajredini	Time and place Prague from: 14.05.2009 till: 26.07.2009	Grant CHF 1,100.00
	Presenting Kosovo Art (Painting) in the International Exhibition – Prague Biennale 4, with two paintings from a series of suitcase paintings titled: “ The guardians “. Paintings: “The Guardians”, 80 X 100 cm, 2006, Oil on canvas “The Guardians 2”, 80 X 100 cm , 2008, Oil on canvas

	Participation in the project "Love in the age of postponed democracy, the critical crisis" Visual Arts Participation in the project "Love in the age of postponed democracy, the critical crisis", to be held at Kunsthalle Luzern, Switzerland www.kunsthalleluzern.ch	Applicant(s) Albert Heta	Time and place Luzern, Switzerland from: 24.05.2009 till: 29.05.2009	Grant CHF 690.00
	Curators from the Balkans, Eastern, Northern, and Western Europe will discuss – in public and closed sessions – the current ability to be critical, as well as the common goals of the "trans-national community", not at last by reporting about the social reality in their own local art scenes. Love in this context is not regarded as romantic, but a political ideal: as the only possible, radical expression of (self)-awareness. How does this ideal fit in with our world of production and distribution, migration and mobility, as well as the idea of the absence or the freedom from religion? What does the alleged (standardized) Western democracy want from us, and what are we ready to give? What can the goal of the critical be, after all?

	Lost Orientation Documentary Film Production of a short documentary film aiming at showing the difficulties in orientation one faces in the city of Prishtina	Applicant(s) Alban Muja Yll Çitaku	Time and place Prishtina from: 10.04.2009 till: 30.06.2009	Grant CHF 5,850.00
	This documentary aims to analyze the way of how people in this town (Prishtina) physically orient themselves, what is for them the main object or building for their orientation. Using the names of the street is definitely not the way they orient themselves. In the past decade names of streets were changed several times, therefore it seems that nobody uses names of streets for orientation. The short documentary film “Lost Orientation” will help the society and institutions working on this problem, present for a few years now. The issue problem of orientation can be avoided only if the Prishtina Municipality in joint work with the Ministry of Spatial Planning created a strategic project on naming and renaming of streets.

	Death and the Maiden Theatre play	Applicant(s) Theatrical Coproduction by Teatri Urban & National Theatre in Prishtina	Time and place Prishtina from: 02.04.2009 till: 03.05.2009	Grant CHF 10,000.00
	A workshop production of Death and the Maiden was staged in Santiago, Chile, opening in March, 1991, and in July of the same year the play had its world premiere at London's Royal Court Upstairs. The production, which received the London Time Out Best Play Award for 1991, moved to the Royal Court Main stage in November. The play was well received; critics found it both dramatically engaging and historically sensible (given the number of societies around the world facing painful legacies of repressive regimes). “Death and the Maiden” is valued as a dramatic work that examines psychological repercussions of human rights abuses. “Teatri Urban” is a newly established theatre company, with the objective to produce theatre performances in naturalistic, unconventional, urban style and like themes. Combining private initiative with public spaces and infrastructure, “Teatri Urban” aims to produce create contemporary theatre plays throughout Kosovo.

	Family Portray Documentary film A personal story carrying a deep feeling of personal access and privacy	Applicant(s) Kaltrina Krasniqi	Time and place Prishtina from: 13.04.2009 till: 20.06.2009	Grant CHF 9'832.00
	This is a 20 min. documentary carrying stories of the author's family and although intially meant to answer some questions on the position of the women it ended up being a story on the author's grandfatyer who was a communist women position, on his ideas of the new world and his escape from the past. The concept of this project is based on the risk of leaving each character within the shape of their believes and worlds. As a result of this artistic decision the final version of the film would be a collection of four stories:

	Retrospective of animated movies of Kino Studio in Tirana Cultural Exchange to visit the repositories of Albanian State Central Archive in Tirana and view animations produced by Kino Studio during the communist regime	Applicant(s) Dokufest	Time and place Tirana, Albania from: 01.03.2009 till: 09.03.2009	Grant CHF 345.71
	State Central Archive repositories in Tirana, Albania, have numerous animated movies produced by Albanian authors from Kino Studio in collaboration with foreign artists. Even though it is considered that the number of Albanian animation artists has decreased considerably through time, this was not the case in the period between 1975 and 1990 when creativity in this media was in its full swing. Given that animation is considered to have the biggest impact on education and identity development amongst children, we believe that it is important to present a retrospective of these creations to the contemporary audience of Kosovo. After viewing the entire collection, two selectors will chose several animations that would best represent a retrospective of animated movies produced at that time. Finally, the selection will be brought to Kosovo and screened at DOKUFEST as a special programme.

	Video "Tibet" Visual Arts Production of the video	Applicant(s) Alban Muja	Time and place Zurich and Prishtina from: 10.11.2008 till: 30.11.2008	Grant CHF 2,830.00
	The video deals with an Albanian man from Kosovo who lives in Switzerland and bears an unusual name - Tibet. Through this video, the author wants to present the importance of interpretation and influence of news upon global society. The news deal with tragic and horrifying events that spark extreme reactions, as even today it is not that easy to distinguish the boundary between heroism and madness. This video will be presented at several exhibitions and festivals, and also in “Able Gallery” in Berlin.

	Current Issue Visual Arts Portraits of Kosovo people in the enviroment they live in.	Applicant(s) Blerim Racaj	Time and place Prishtina and other places in Kosovo from: 25.11.2008 till: 25.12.2008	Grant CHF 3,994.00
	Kosovo is going through transition. Once a part of a country ruined under malicious regime, it is now free and democratic. The project is about capturing scenes of that process by portraying residents of the country and their immediate surrounding. It is a whole new experience for them, especially after the declared independence. Transformations are colossal in every aspect of life . The project is not intended to have a documentary purpose or visually enjoyable sights; it is more about the personal view. This is an ongoing project. In its first two parts the author focused on finding interesting people, portraits, asking questions about subjects’ individuality, cultural orientation, or their social state. As the background plays important part in making the image, it is carefully selected before putting the subject in front of it. With the landscapes or cityscape - abandoned spaces, land and store for hire, or car junk by the roadside - this series’ intention was to make a visual tension that gives us the sense of economic and social damage, which is a consequence of war and political turbulence. By combining those two categories (portrait, landscapes) even though they are different, the author is trying to get a balanced story. The project is meant to be seen as a whole, not as individual works. The third part of project will be a continuity of previous series. The exception this time is the additional focus on remains of old industrial buildings and buildings from the previous era which are still in use, and the mixture of new and old architecture inside the existing narratives.

	Healing Magic Documentary movie The proposed 30 minute documentary film explores the phenomenon of black magic belief and the "healing" methods used.	Applicant(s) Crossing Bridges Productions	Time and place Prishtina from: 01.11.2008 till: 01.07.2009	Grant CHF 12,209.00
	The proposed 30 minute documentary film will explore the phenomenon of the black magic belief and the healing methods used including chanting, amulets and melting of gunpowder. Combining the stories of these “healers” and the people who attend and believe in these methods of healing, this documentary will bring to the screen a unique and off-the-page phenomenon to the mainstream audience. Moreover, it will have an analytical approach to the phenomenon through in depth interviews with the healers trying to unravel the foundations of their belief system and their practices. The film will have an artistic and experimental look throughout, and will be character based. The stories of both the healers and patients will be the guiding ones throughout the film, which will end in a very surreal way.

	The Other Side of Oneself Visual Arts Exhibition consist of several separate art pieces	Applicant(s) Alketa Xhafa Mripa	Time and place Prishtina from: 25.10.2008 till: 30.09.2009	Grant CHF 7,041.30
	The project will have a several walk-through areas, making the audience participate as performers. The aim is to challenge the audience to reflect on their development and experiences gathered throughout their life by getting them to recognise the cognitive stages of their evolution which have transformed them into who they are now. The concept revolves around identification of our cultural markers that will be represented through every piece. Particular attention was given to representing females’ expressions and participation in society. Their fascinations with authority, as well as their naked ambition, were hopefully captured through these pieces. The objective is to instill confidence about who we are and to appreciate that the other side of us is different and acceptable. This project will be an attempt to get the Kosovo audience, in general, and Kosovo women, in particular, to reflect on themselves and their lives. This will be achieved by getting them to confront different stages of their developments visually, thus separating the exhibition into several separate pieces of art-work.

	Kapsamun Balkan October 2008 Tour Concert Support to organisation of two concerts in Kosovo www.kapsamun.com	Applicant(s) Kapsamun - Band	Time and place Prishtina and Prizren from: 07.09.2008 till: 12.09.2008	Grant CHF 2,482.00
	The repertoire of Kapsamun is based on traditional Albanian folk dances from Kosovo. The musical nostalgia of Arsim Leka, who lives in Switzerland, and the musical wanderlust of his Swiss co-musicians make the spirit of Kapsamun’s music. The Band is shifting in between tradition and innovation, and between exile and home. Not afraid of being influenced by current musical trends in jazz and electronics, Kapsamun’s original compositions have a broad range of inspirations. They revive the traditional music of Kosovo and spark the enthusiasm of a broad audience.

	Balkan Documentary Campus Photo Exhibition Dokufest is documentary and short film festival organised every year in Prizren.	Applicant(s) DOKUFEST – International Documentary and Short Film Festival	Time and place Prizren and Prishtina from: 01.08.2008 till: 31.08.2008	Grant CHF 16'740.00
	A traditional documentary photo exhibition, known as DOKUPHOTO, besides exhibitions and a master class in Prizren, will travel to Prishtina with the same exhibition and a customized slide show. Several world known photographers will exhibit their work (Teru Kuwujama, creator of Lightstalkers), Balazs Gardi, recent double winner of World Press Photo contest, Azad from Iran with a selection of mobile phone pictures of Tehran, Bevis Fusha from Albania, and Andrej Ban from Slovakia, with a large collection of works on Kosovo. A number of young photographers from Kosovo and the region will be invited for a master class with a prominent documentary photographer. The educational aspect of the project (workshops, master classes, children programme) will bring a new dimension to the festival and will enrich otherwise poor cultural life of Kosovo.

	Three minutes of solitude Short film	Applicant(s) Visar Krusha	Time and place Prishtina from: 15.06.2008 till: 15.07.2008	Grant CHF 7,295.00
	“Three minutes of solitude” is a short feature film (around 10 minutes) on the challenges of a gay person living in Kosovo. The film aims at showing the inside world of a gay and the conservative attitude of Kosovo society towards gay population.

	Pischmen - Circle the Square Music album Recording a music album of contemporary music makers from Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia	Applicant(s) Pischmen	Time and place Prishtina from: 05.04.2008 till: 30.06.2008	Grant CHF 9,198.00
	The project idea is to connect contemporary music makers from the region, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia, thus initiating a regional network of music artists. Influenced by different music styles, the aim of the band is to break musical boundaries thus contravening any musical taboos, bringing together an audience of diverse tastes and ages, creating a new communicating platform of the subculture.

	Lulet Recording music album To record an album of band	Applicant(s) Bashkim Salihu	Time and place Prishtina from: 01.03.2008 till: 01.04.2008	Grant CHF 7,680.00
	The Band “Lulet” was established by Bashkim Salihu and Enes Bajramliqi in the summer of 2007. It started with an idea of creating a music project also called “Lulet”, which would have more specific content other than actual music projects in Kosovo. The whole idea was to deliver four natural and smooth female vocals to the public, which took a long and hard work to identify. After many interviews and evaluations of the young and talented female singers, four young female singers with astonishing vocals were identified.

	3rd International Festival of Young Musicians DAM 2008 Music Organization of series of concerts and workshops of students from Kosovo, region and Europe www.prishtinadamfest.com	Applicant(s) Music Art Centre Association DAM-MACADAM	Time and place Prishtina from: 24.03.2008 till: 30.03.2008	Grant CHF 10,528.00
	International Festival of Young Musicians- DAM is the only one of this kind in Kosovo. It brings many famous individuals and ensembles of classic music that, apart from performing, run workshops. Organisation of this festival involves and engages students of Faculty of Music in Prishtina, and students from the academies in the region and Europe.

	Tout un hiver sans feu - Days of Francophonie in Tirana Participation and screening of “Tout un hiver sans feu” during the Days of the Francophonie in Tirana, organised by the Swiss Embassy in Albani	Applicant(s) Blerim Gjoci	Time and place Tirana, Albania from: 17.03.2008 till: 19.03.2008	Grant CHF 600.00
	IIn the framework of the Francophonie, the Swiss Embassy in Tirana is presenting the Swiss film “Tout un hiver sans feu” of Greg Zlinski in which Blerim Gjoci has a role. He will present the film before the screening and talk to the public afterwards. In addition, the applicant will have a presentation at the Marubi Film School in Tirana.

	Tallava Superstar Documentary movie A documentary that tackles characteristics of "Tallava" music	Applicant(s) Tripika	Time and place Prishtina from: January 2008 till: March 2008	Grant CHF 4,437.23
	AA documentary film that will tackle the characteristics of "Tallava" music, where it came from, why is it widely spread in the Kosovo society, and why has it been easily accepted by a considerable mass of people. The contributors for this discussion will be different people from different backgrounds, from musicians, singers, producers and composers to sociologists and philosophers. The interaction of their opinions, their viewpoint of the subject and their knowledge of this subject will provide for an invaluable topic analysis.