Competing Films

Director: Blerta Basholli 

Feature Film 

Producers: Yll Uka, Valon Bajgora, Agon Uka 

Duration: 90 minutes

Identifying the missing during the Kosovo War challenges a woman who, will have to rebuild her life in a society that is not generous with acceptance.

Blerta Basholli (born in 1983) is a Kosovar Albanian writer, director and producer. Basholli has previously lived in New York City for a time span of four years, allowing her to work on a number of projects as a student, among those being her short film “Lena and Me” which won awards in a number of international and Kosovo-based festivals. In 2008 she was awarded with the Deans Fellowship at the Film Graduate Program at Tisch School of the Artists, NYU.   Most recently, her debut feature film Hive (2021) has achieved great success, breaking Sundance Records, and becoming the first Kosovo film to enter the Oscars shortlist nomination.

Director: Eduart Grishaj

Producer: Tan Kazazi

Duration: 1hr33 min

A Serbian young girl visits Albania in search of the roots of an old story about her grandpa during the War of 1941. She falls in love with an Albanian guy, starting an “impossible” relationship between two nations divided by war. 

Eduart Grishaj (Born in 1989) is a highly motivated narrative filmmaker with a degree in Filmmaking and Television, and with more than 12 years of visual storytelling experience in filming, directing, editing and producing video content. With the camera being his greatest passion since childhood, he has deepened his knowledge of all stages of the filmmaking process. He first entered the international film competitions with the short film "The Grandmother", and went on to write and direct his first feature film "Sophia". Eduart is also a confident communicator and collaborator with the ability to maintain strong and effective work relationships, and the drive to achieve key individual and team goals.

Director: Besnik Bisha 

Producer: Anila Bisha

Feature Film 

Duration: 90 minutes 

The shadows of the past haunt Sara, a windowed wife, who is visited by her long lost love.

Besnik Bisha (born 1958) is an Albanian film director and actor. He has directed five films since 1988. His 2007 film Mao Tse Tung was entered into the 30th Moscow International Film Festival.

Director: Bujar Alimani 

Feature Film 

Producer: Anita Elsani Elsani Film and Elsani & Neary Media GmbH 

Co-produced by

90 Production Company, Circle Production, and ZDF/ARTE 

Duration: 120 minutes 

Luana, a young girl in the mountains of Albania, contends with the traditional social role and her inner inclination to challenge and rise above it.

Bujar Alimani was born on January 27, 1969 in Patos, Albania. He studied painting and stage directing at the Academy of Fine Arts in Tirana. In 1992 he immigrated to Greece, where he worked as an assistant director on several Greek films. 

In 2002, he directed his first short film. AMNESTY (2011) is his debut feature film and won the C.I.C.A.E. Award in the Forum section of the 2011 Berlinale. His second film, CHROMIUM (2015), a co-production between Albanian, Kosovo, Germany and Greece, was screened in many festivals around the world. 

His film THE DELEGATION (2018) won Grand Prix at Warsaw IFF. He lives and works in New York, USA.

Director: Florenc Papas 

Feature film 

Producer: Eno Milkani 

Duration: 78 minutes 

Two sisters embark on a husband-finding search in Albania where they must clarify the pregnancy of the younger sister before going back home to their father, a man beholden to tradition.

Albanian born filmmaker Florenc Papas studied film directing in the capital, Tirana, at the prestigious Marubi Film Academy. After graduation, he developed his craft working in numerous short films, promotional videos, television series and broadcast documentaries. In 2013, he served on the crew of the feature film Bota with directors Iris Elezi and Thomas Logoreci. Also, in 2016 Florenc Papas was the assistant director on Sundance award-winning Kosovo director Blerta Zeqiri’s upcoming debut feature Martesa. Papas is a recent alumni of the Talents Sarajevo 2015 and Berlinale Talents 2016.

Director: Ermal Mamaqi 

Producer: Ermal Mamaqi (Mamaqi Production) 

Duration: 90 minutes 

A bank agent gets a promotion except that means he has to relocate to Tropoja, believed to be one of the most dangerous towns of Northern Albania.

Ermal Mamaqi (born 21 March 1982) is an Albanian actor, stand-up comedian, film director, screenwriter, producer, singer-songwriter, DJ and TV host.

Mamaqi is mostly known for his appearances in Portokalli (2004-2007) and Apartment 2XL (2008-2013). He is also known for hit songs that he created and performed, such as "Dita e Veres" (Summer Day), "Vetem Beso" (Just Believe), and "Ditet e Mia" (My Days).

Director: Edmond Topi 

Producer: Multi Media Studio Nositi 

Duration: 90 minutes 

In a nursing home, the daily routine is disrupted by a newcomer who is placed there on a re-education charge by the authorities.

Edmond Topi was born on July 1, 1960 in Tirana, Albania. He is an assistant director and actor, known for Balada e Kurbinit (1990), Të mos heshtësh (1985) and Si gjithë të tjerët (1981).