In Mitrovica, Kosovo, Muharrem Qena was born, a director, actor, playwright, and songwriter. He completed his primary education in his hometown and his secondary education in Pristina. He studied film acting at the High Film School in Belgrade, and later studied theater directing at the Academy for Film, Radio, and Theater, also in Belgrade. In 1964, he took a multi-month specialization in theater in Poland. His artistic career began as an actor and assistant director in 1948 at the People’s Regional Theater of Pristina. He is also known for his professional work at the Mitrovica Theater and the Prizren Theater. Between 1954 and 1956, he staged plays such as “Besa”, “Burri i Mashtruem”, “Vocrraku im”, “Mërgimtarët”, “Nuk martohem më parë”, and “Fejesa” at the Mitrovica Theater. From 1977 onwards, he directed plays at the People’s Theater of Gjakova, including “Fisheku në Pajë”, “Pjata e Dunjtë”, and “Vocrraku im”. He is also known for his film acting (“Kur pranvera vonohet”, “Lepuri me pesë këmbë”), as a playwright (with the drama “Bashkëshortët”), as a director of television and documentary films (1975–1985) on Pristina Television, as an author of radio dramas, and as a songwriter for several entertaining songs. His greatest theater work is the play “Erveheja” (1966), which won awards for Best Performance at prestigious theater festivals in the former Yugoslavia. Throughout his career as an actor and director, he received many awards and recognitions from local institutions and various professional organizations. He passed away in Pristina in 2006.
Text: Encyclopedic Dictionary of Kosovo – Vol. II, Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo, Pristina, 2018, p. 1352.
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Graphic Processing: AHCF
