Very Bad Blagues

A documentary about the life and work of architect and urban planner Rexhep Luci and about Prishtina, the city he loved and the city where he was murdered in September 2000. The documentary tells his personal and professional relationship with the city, from his commitment to urban growth during the Yugoslav era to his determination to prevent unauthorized construction in the post-war period. His niece, Besa, through intimate conversations with Rexhep’s family and colleagues, as well as by following an architectural intervention on the street that bears his name, takes us on a journey through his life and the urban development of Prishtina. The documentary explores what stops an architect.

When ex-Yugoslavia began to fall apart, the Serbian regime banned Kosovar Albanians from participating in public life. Albanian employees across public institutions were fired. Albanian media outlets were closed down. Many elementary and high schools were closed to Albanian students and the entire university system was shut down. During the 1990's in Kosovo, teaching resumed in private apartments, houses and basements stores. This documentary shows how a parallel society and reality was organized. It shows how segregation and apartheid became the norm. Besa Luci and Mathieu Jouffre wrote the script for this challenging film together. In it people are in a relaxed atmosphere: eating, drinking, chatting and revisiting vividly one of the most exciting as well as tragic periods in the history of Kosovo.