A story about a mountain man and his struggle to save the forests of the Rugova Mountain from over-logging and environmental destruction. As we learn the stories of his youth, growing up in those mountains with his brother, we begin to understand the history behind Fatos’ frustration.
Mad dictators, trigger-happy mobs, archaic blood feuds - this pretty much sums up what Western Europeans know about Albania. But reality in this long forgotten Balkan country is much more complex and multilayered. SHQIPERIA - NOTES FROM ALBANIA offers a flow of stories from and about Albania, displaying the country in its true diversity, unspeculatively illuminating its conflicts and discovering this blank spot on the map of Europe in all its contradictions.
Shot in the Kosovar village of Nevokaze, it depicts the traditional lifestyle of an Albanian family numbering 117 members, all living under one roof and in great harmony. One of the finest examples of ethnographic film to come from this region, it has been called a ‘spiritual portrait of the nation’.
The sequel to The Love in the Damned Mountain (1997).
The documentary shows the tour of performances throughout Albania by the national folk song and dance ensemble.
During WW2 partisans try to hide from their enemies, while old villagers mourn the deceased of the war.
The end of the shift finds nurse Ajkuna conversing with a colleague. He's acquired the information she was looking for: a link to an organ trafficking circle. As she goes through various encounters with strangers and acquaintances, and wrestles with her daughter’s impending graduation, Ajkuna begins to see herself imploding.
House With a Voice tells the story of six Burrneshas who, for different reasons, have decided to take on the social role of men. They have done this to circumvent patriarchal structures, to avoid misogynistic attacks, to support the family economically, to avoid compelled marriage and to be free. Our characters communicate with us intimately as they talk about their lives and bring us closely into their personal journey. They speak about freedom and oppression, about the promise of sacrificing their lives for the sake of their families’ survival. But also about the breaking of gender barriers and the power of the human mind to decide who we want to be.
This newsreel presents the one and only visit to Albania by Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev. But behind the bear hugs and airport kisses, Enver Hoxha bristled at Khrushchev’s suggestion that the Albanian leader attempt reforms and back off from the demigod status accorded to the Russian dictator Joseph Stalin. Within a year, Albania would create shock waves in the communist universe after Hoxha denounced Khrushchev at a 1960 Moscow party congress.
A tragicomedy in which an old man has two sons but neither of them, influenced by their wives, want to keep him. In the end, they decide to marry him off to an old woman, to free their houses of him.
The documentary consist a series of 7 shorts, illustrating each day of the week and features personal stories of ordinary Kosovo citizens about the positive impact of European Union in their everyday life.
It documents a traditional event that took place on St. George’s Day in Dragash, Kosovo.
three sparks is an intimate picture of village life in Albania, crafted in gratitude by a guest. Mexican/American artist Naomi Uman lived and documented life in rural Ukraine. Inspired by having seen her experimental non-fiction films portraying village life, she was invited to create a portrait of life in rural Albania. This took her to Rabdisht, a village perched high in the mountains, where people farm the rocky, vertiginous land.
Three young people visit three cities over three months as part of an ambitious and transformative art project that creates musical and performance pieces.
While reading the diaries of his grandfather, imprisoned during the dictatorship of Hoxa in Albania, the director recognises the pigeon outside his window that kept him company during his incarceration. A short circuit that leads him to reflect on the open wounds of family history.
War film written and directed by Rikard Ljarja.
A small village during World War II. Due to deep poverty, some villagers engage in trade of goods, contraband, across the mountain border. A great gap opens between the villagers and those fighting the enemy.
In the 1960s after Albania's break with the Soviet Union, the country became an unlikely satellite of communist China (Newsweek referred to the alliance as ‘Mediterranean Maoists’). Enver Hoxha called the bond between the two countries the ‘coming together of the 702 million’, China being the 700 million, Albania representing the two. In exchange for its chrome exports and introducing the 1971 resolution that got China into the United Nations, Albania received sustaining economic and military support. This short documentary focuses on the Chinese table tennis team’s friendship visit, which soon began to sour after US president Richard Nixon visited Beijing.
In a nursing home the elderly deal with their past.
Dielli serves community service at a library while his father battles alcohol addiction. After a car accident, they make a promise to change. But when his father relapses, their relationship crumbles, testing Dielli's dreams and loyalty. This poignant drama explores addiction, forgiveness, and the power of love, revealing the strength and fragility of family bonds. Will they rebuild or drift apart? A heartfelt film of second chances, resilience, and hope in the face of adversity.
