Experiencing Interruptions?

DEPARTURE

A cheating husband suffers the loss of his wife and suddenly starts ignoring his spiteful son’s existence.

  • Julian Biba
    Director
    AKA: DR HOPE
  • Adriatik Berdaku
    Director
  • Julian Biba
    Writer
    Leap of Faith
  • Adriatik Berdaku
    Producer
  • Julian Biba
    Producer
    The Red Rose
  • GIORGIO KOLAJ
    Key Cast
    "George"
    The Red Rose
  • GJILBERTA LUCAJ - COHEN
    Key Cast
    "Darleen"
    The Kind Ones
  • JOHN ZAGREDA
    Key Cast
    "Jim"
    Growing Up Fat & Albanian
  • KAMILA BOLOTOKO
    Key Cast
    "Helen"
  • ISLI HOXHA
    Key Cast
    "Mike"
    American Detective
  • Adriatik Berdaku
    Editing
  • Adriatik Berdaku
    Cinematography
    Two-time Emmy Award winner in 2023
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    24 minutes 24 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 2, 2020
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16.9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • L' Age d'Or International Arthouse Film Festival
    Kolkata
    India
    August 25, 2020
    Outstanding Achievement Award
  • World Film Carnival
    Singapore
    Singapore
    July 31, 2020
    Best Film
  • New York International Film Awards™
    New York
    United States
    July 7, 2020
    Finalist
  • New York Movie Awards
    New York
    United States
    June 3, 2020
    Finalist
  • Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival
    Providence
    United States
    August 4, 2020
    Semi-Finalist
Director Biography - Julian Biba, Adriatik Berdaku

Julian Biba

Julian Biba is the director of the acclaimed documentary Aka Dr Hope, which has garnered multiple accolades, including Best Experimental Film, Best Documentary, and Best Director at the TINFF; Best Documentary at the MIWAFF; and Silver Winner at the Telly Awards.

As the screenwriter, director, and producer of The Red Rose, he received the Rising Filmmaker Award from the Montreal International Wreath Awards Film Festival, the Award of Recognition from the United International Film Festival, and Best NY Short at the International New York Film Festival.

Julian also co-wrote and co-produced the film Paftuar (Uninvited), which premiered at the Cannes Festival Short Corner in May 2016. The film won Best Cinematography and Best Production at the International Film Festival and Albanian Film Week in NYC.

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Adriatik Berdaku

Adriatik Berdaku is a two-time Emmy Award winner in 2023, boasting over 25 years of experience as a director and director of photography (DP). His extensive background has honed his skills in visual composition, perspective, and camera movement.

Adriatik is deeply passionate about his craft, consistently seeking innovation and embracing new ideas. He studied cinematography in Italy, specializing in Directing and Digital Imaging in 2005.

A highly motivated and ambitious collaborator, he is multilingual, fluent in Albanian, Italian, and English, and possesses extensive knowledge of a wide range of technical equipment.

Notable achievements include receiving the Special Jury Prize for directing the music video “With You” at the Albanian National Videoclip Festival in 2008, and securing third place in the European Photo Competition (Adriatic Photo Contest) in Ferrara, Italy, in 2014. His work has been featured in the Top Selection by Canon Club Italia.

Adriatik directed the music video “Amore Piccolina” for Gianmarco Fraska in Italy and served as the director and DP for Danish artists Blak & Jimilian on their music video "Slem Igen," which has amassed over 10 million views on YouTube and more than 25 million streams on Spotify. His work has earned numerous accolades, including the Danish Deejay Award, Danish Club Award, Zulu Award, Danish Musik Award, and Nickelodeon Award.

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Director Statement

The film DEPARTURE sparked my inspiration from the very start. After finishing a conference call with my script instructor, the concept for this screenplay lingered in my mind, keeping me awake until early morning. The following night brought the same restlessness, prompting me to finally sit down and write it—and once I did, I slept like a baby.

About a year later, co-director Adriatik Berdaku approached me and selected this script from the collection I shared with him.

During the COVID-19 “stay-at-home” order, we completed the film's editing, and it is now competing in several film festivals.