Balkan “Mish Mash” Film Production The Balkan Mish Film Production Mash was born with idea to bring together young people from the Balkans during the Balkan Film Food Festival in Pogradec, Albania in order to give the chance to these people to create and produce films together during the festival. At the beginning we wanted to call a film cabaret but being in the Balkans with our common and different ways of thinking and inspired by the Mish Mash Balkan expression we decided to call it like this. The basics are simple, in a era of democratization of the media where apart the social media today everyone can record edit and upload on youtube a film why not bring people together, focus on a Balkan theme and share experiences and professionalism together. By doing so, we try breaking barriers for real, barriers of nationalisms prejudices and borders. And to the call many young people answer positively and they came and sit together and we produce the films. Not to show that by a low budget you can make a short film, but to share unforgettable memories of friendship and happy moments. The films produced will be there, stay there in eternity as a testimony that yes we can stay together, work together, enjoy together and live together like never before. First edition was very impressive. Like the first year we were very disturbed about the production. We didn’t know if this is going to work. We were waiting for people to respond to our call. And this has happened. There
were a lot of young filmmaker that wanted to come to Pogradec, not only to shoot their short movies, but also to know the place and the Albanians. Mehmet Selcuk Bilge was a Turkish. He had a big pleasure to come in Pogradec. He was very friendly and we became good friends after we finished the MishMash Production. He returned back in Albania again. We shared our possibilities about the coproduction between our countries. We have understood that we are not so much different from each –other. We have a lot in common, in the way of thinking the way of living and also in political views. Maria Marinopoulou came from Greece. We didn’t hate each-other, like politics do; we help each-other to give the