SMILEY – short

Cast and Crew

një film nga / a film by

Gentian GJIKOPULLI

Producent / Producer

Gentian GJIKOPULLI

Asistent i Regjisë / Assistant Director

Kiara TASE

Drejtor Prodhimi / Line Producer

Emona NDOKAJ

për herë të parë në ekran / introducing

Viviana TABAKU

me / with

Suela BAKO

Drejtor i Fotografisë / Director of Photography

Kejt VOJKA

Inxhinier Zëri / Sound Designer

Alper ZILGIR

Montazhi / Editor

Gentian GJIKOPULLI

Skenografia dhe Kostumet / Set and Costume Designer

Kiara TASE

Grimi / Make-up Artist

Gentiana META

Asistente e Grimit / Make-up Assistant

Eda LOCAJ

Eva LOCAJ

Asistente e Produksionit / Production Assistant

Mishel VEIS

Ndihmës i Produksionit / Production Team

Jogela JOGA

Asistent i Kamerës / Camera Assistant

Sejdi ALIKAJ

Zëri / Sound

Kliton Nuzi

Gentian GJIKOPULLI

Regjistrimi i Zërit / Sound Record

Alper ZILGIR

Foto Posteri dhe Prapaskenat / Poster and Backstage Photos

Sejdi ALIKAJ

Supervizor i Animacionit / Animation Supervisor

Klea KALEMASI

Supervizor i Skriptit / Script Supervisor

Kliton NUZI

Menaxher i Produksionit / Location Manager

Gentiana META

Skenari dhe Regjia / Written and Directed by

Gentian GJIKOPULLI

Xhiruar në / Filmed at

Genta & Monah Studios

Prodhuar nga / Produced by

24 lies / second

A camera rolls. A smile is forced. And across the set, two souls carry the weight of a love that bloomed — only to be buried. Smiley is a gentle lament for timing, propriety, and all the things that cannot be said.

On the surface, it’s just another commercial shoot. Bright lights, bubbly branding, and a crew chasing the perfect take. But for Era, a 23-year-old actress, this set is anything but ordinary. Across the room stands the director — a man twice her age, married, and quietly entangled in a history they’ve both chosen not to act upon.

What follows is not a scandal, but a meditation on restraint. Through small gestures, near-glances, and a powerful emotional confession shared with the makeup artist, Smiley reveals a mutual love story that never asked to be lived out — only recognized. The tension isn’t in what happened, but in what could have. And in the end, under the spotlight, a performance becomes an act of inner resolve.

Director’s Statement