Baltic Event Co-Production Market
COLD SUN
As he attempts to start over in his hometown after serving a 20-year sentence for the murder of his wife, a man in his fifties quietly develops strong feelings for a solitary woman, only to slowly realise that this love is becoming his real prison.
A man in his fifties has just been released from prison following a 20-year sentence for the murder of his wife. Returning to his small hometown, he finds himself erased from the social fabric. Assigned to work as a night guard in a remote lagoon nature reserve, he lives in isolation surrounded by vast flocks of flamingos. His body often betrays him, as though memory and violence are erupting through his skin. The memory of the woman he killed persists like an open wound on his body. When Ana, a solitary researcher studying flamingos, enters his orbit, a strange intimacy forms between them, rooted in unspoken wounds. Feelings for her start growing, and his emotional paralysis cracks. But as social pressure escalates and violence resurfaces, the man’s emotional threshold is tested. During a violent sandstorm, Ana confronts him and demands an unbearable truth. What unfolds is not a confession but a silent scream from a soul beyond repair.
Director's note
“Cold Sun” is a meditative, psychological drama about a man who, after 20 years in prison for the murder of his wife, begins to re-enter life, silently drawn to a solitary woman who senses his inner storms. Her presence destabilises and unsettles him. Together, they slowly start inhabiting a shared space that becomes a kind of purgatory: a silent witness and a man burdened by the consequences of his own will. This is not a story of redemption but of confrontation with guilt, silence, and the irreparable. As director, I am drawn to moral ambiguity and inner landscapes. The protagonist remains nameless until the very end, suspended between light and shadow. Through minimal dialogue, poetic realism, and a subdued visual language, cold tones, natural light, and precise sound design, the film invites the viewer into a reflective cinematic experience. The man carries under his skin the memory of the violence he committed. Nature is not symbolic but a real presence, refracting the man’s inner storms. “Cold Sun” offers no absolution, only the quiet gaze of a man forever altered, whose final look glows not with warmth but with the distant clarity of something cold, unyielding, and human.
Screenwiter's note
Subjects:
tragedy, mental health, isolation, prison, nature
Gentian Koçi is a director, screenwriter and film producer from Tirana, Albania. His short films and documentaries have been selected and awarded in many festivals. He was internationally recognized for his documentary "Not a Carwash", which world-premiered in official selection at Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival, and was nominated for the Special Jury Award at Sheffield Doc/Fest, in 2012. In 2017, Gentian Koçi presented his first feature film "Daybreak", which has been selected in more than 50 important film festivals all over the world, gathering many awards and receiving very positive reviews from the most important specialized film magazines. DAYBREAK was the official Albanian submission for the Academy Awards - Oscars 2018. His second feature "A Cup of Cofee and New Shoes On" was the official Albanian submission for the Academy Awards, Oscars 2023.
Filmography Àjáso, une philoperformance (2014, doc), Daybreak (2017), A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On (2022)
Gentian Koçi is a director, screenwriter and film producer from Tirana, Albania. His short films and documentaries have been selected and awarded in many festivals. He was internationally recognized for his documentary "Not a Carwash", which world-premiered in official selection at Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival, and was nominated for the Special Jury Award at Sheffield Doc/Fest, in 2012. In 2017, Gentian Koçi presented his first feature film "Daybreak", which has been selected in more than 50 important film festivals all over the world, gathering many awards and receiving very positive reviews from the most important specialized film magazines. DAYBREAK was the official Albanian submission for the Academy Awards - Oscars 2018. His second feature "A Cup of Cofee and New Shoes On" was the official Albanian submission for the Academy Awards, Oscars 2023.
Filmography Àjáso, une philoperformance (2014, doc), Daybreak (2017), A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On (2022)
Gentian Koçi is a director, screenwriter and film producer from Tirana, Albania. His short films and documentaries have been selected and awarded in many festivals. He was internationally recognized for his documentary "Not a Carwash", which world-premiered in official selection at Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival, and was nominated for the Special Jury Award at Sheffield Doc/Fest, in 2012. In 2017, Gentian Koçi presented his first feature film "Daybreak", which has been selected in more than 50 important film festivals all over the world, gathering many awards and receiving very positive reviews from the most important specialized film magazines. DAYBREAK was the official Albanian submission for the Academy Awards - Oscars 2018. His second feature "A Cup of Cofee and New Shoes On" was the official Albanian submission for the Academy Awards, Oscars 2023.
Filmography Àjáso, une philoperformance (2014, doc), Daybreak (2017), A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On (2022)