By: Jesus Cortez
Anisa Selenica, a College of DuPage alumna and adjunct professor in the Motion Picture/Television (MPTV) program, is creating a documentary to share the stories of her grandfather, Tomor Selenica, and great-grandfather, Alush Lleshanaku, who both suffered under Albania’s communist regime led by Enver Hoxha, dictator from 1944 to 1985.
In “A Journey to Freedom,” Selenica examines the life of Lleshanaku, who fought alongside an anti-communist resistance group but was executed in 1950. His children— Selenica’s grandmother, Amazona, and her brothers—were then punished and placed in an internment camp. The film also follows Selenica’s grandfather, Tomor, who was imprisoned for nearly 10 years before eventually escaping to France in the late 1950s.
“As a first-generation Albanian American, I grew up hearing fragments of their stories, but they were often whispered and incomplete,” said Selenica. “Through this project, I am piecing together those fragmented stories to reclaim both my family’s truth and a buried part of Albania’s history.”
Selenica first began making videos after her parents bought her a Canon camcorder for her eighth birthday. She attended COD and then transferred to Columbia College through an agreement with the MPTV program and earned a bachelor’s degree in television writing and producing.
It was her time at COD that provided opportunities to explore her options and forge friendships.
“COD has helped my filmmaking journey because the professors in the MPTV program always looked out for me, even after I graduated,” she said. “Everyone in the MPTV program is always there for you, and the best part is the friends you make.”
By revisiting the past through archives, testimonies and personal narrative, 'A Journey to Freedom’ seeks to give voice to those who were silenced and to understand how the struggle for freedom continues through remembrance.
Anisa Selenica
In directing the film, Selenica is working with a team of six, four of whom are also COD alumni.
“Our crew met in 2017 on the news team here at COD. We got an abundance of experience writing, directing and producing while airing a weekly newscast for nearly two years,” she said. “In the years since graduating, we have made our way across various media outlets and have gained hands-on experience working in professional newsrooms and on various commercial, film and television sets. We have all come together once again to bring my vision to life and shine a light on the admirable spirit of my ancestors forced to face unimaginable cruelty.”
The crew is currently in the middle of production, wrapping up interviews in the Chicago area. They are finalizing the schedule for footage in Albania and would like to conduct at least 10 additional interviews, including one with Albania’s Prime Minister, Edi Rama.
Once the film is completed, the team plans to submit "A Journey to Freedom” to various documentary festivals in the United States and Albania. They hope to release it on streaming platforms in April 2026.
Selenica, who has worked as a production assistant on the TV series “The Morning Show,” a producer at Swagger Marketing and currently as a studio technician for ABC7 Chicago, is proud of her work on the documentary and the story it will tell.
“By revisiting the past through archives, testimonies and personal narrative, 'A Journey to Freedom’ seeks to give voice to those who were silenced and to understand how the struggle for freedom continues through remembrance,” she said.