Albanian cinema truly represents a terra incognita for most of the world. Decidedly Europe’s most isolated country during the Cold War era, communist Albania had already been cut off from the West for centuries as a one of the western-most outposts of the Ottoman empire. Nonetheless, and unknown to most of the world, communist Albania had a vibrant cinema tradition. Although bound by official orthodoxy, the films of the state-run Kinostudio enterprise were surprisingly innovative and, at times, daringly subversive. This book opens with examinations of moving images in Albania from the Ottoman period, through those captured under independence and the Fascist occupation. It subsequently foregrounds transformations in Kinostudio, from the early optimism of socialist realism through the brooding social angst of the 1980s, which constitute a bridge to the socioeconomic concerns of Albanian films of the postcommunist period.
- Cover
- Table of Contents
- Preface
- A Personal Journey towards and through Albania and Its Cinema
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Albania—The Context for a Little-Known Cinema
- Some words on the Balkans at large and at small
- Albania in a postcolonial context
- Additional words on the complete isolation of Albania
- The arts in Albania
- Albanian cinema and the project of this book
- Films chosen for discussion and analysis
- Structure of the book
- I. The Roots of Cinema in Albania
- The Ottoman Period, Independence, and the Fascist Occupation
- A sequel as a prequel
- Pictures—still and moving
- The Manaki brothers
- Early filming in Albania
- Mihallaq Mone
- II. The Birth and Development of a Socialist Cinema
- Albania and the Soviet Union
- Soviet films as entertainment
- Early Albanian newsreels and documentaries
- The training of young film professionals in Moscow and linguistic and continued cultural ties between Albania and the Soviet Union
- Sergei Yutkevich’s Luftëtari i madh i Shqipërisë Skënderbeu/Великий воин Албании Скандербег/The Great Warrior Skanderbeg: A Soviet-Albanian coproduction
- Another level of documentary: Endri Keko
- Innovation silenced: Viktor Stratobërdha
- From documentary to storytelling: Hysen Hykani’s Her Children
- Kinostudio’s first feature film: Kristaq Dhamo’s Tana
- Kristaq Dhamo: A coproduction with the Soviet Union
- III. The Flourishing of Kinostudio
- Albania’s Rapprochement with China and Albanian films during the Cultural Revolution
- Enver Hoxha on the arts in a socialist society
- Continued work in documentary
- Hysen Hasani’s DEBATIK: Children and vigilance
- Feature films of the early to 1960s through 1976
- Ngadhnjim mbi vdekjen/Victory over Death (1967): Heroines of the partisan movement
- Dhimitër Anagnosti’s Duel i heshtur/Silent Duel (1967): A Cold War thriller
- Viktor Gjika’s Clear Horizons/Horizonte të hapura: A hero of the working class
- Viktor Gjika’s Rrugë të bardha/White Roads: The New Man re-explored
- Fehmi Hoshafi and Muhharem Fejzo’s Kapedani/The Captain (1972): In communist Albania, women had the last laugh
- Imagining Albania’s landscape, both bucolic and harsh
- Dhimiter Anagnosti’s Lulëkuqet mbi mure/Red Poppies on the Wall: Totalitarianism defied
- IV. A Cinema in Isolation
- Historical context of the years of isolation
- Thematic diversity of Albanian cinema in the period of isolation
- Xhanfise Keko’s children’s films
- Music and national identity
- Piro Milkani and Kujtim Çashku’s Ballë për ballë/Face to Face: Nostalgia for Soviet friendship
- Kujtim Çashku’s Dora e ngrohtë/The Warm Hand: A wayward youth redeemed
- V. Kinostudio in the Post-Hoxha Era
- Ramiz Alia’s Albania
- Late Kinostudio productions
- Adaptations of Kadare
- A stance against corruption
- Esat Musliu’s Rrethi i kujtesës/The Circle of Memory (1987): Post-traumatic stress and memory loss
- Eduard Makri’s Shpella e piratëve/The Pirate Cave (1990): Childhood and adventure
- Some Words in Conclusion
- Towards an Albanian Cinema of Postcommunism
- Esat Musliu’s Vitet e pritjes/Years of Waiting (1990): Emigration and women
- Towards the future
- Bibliography
- Filmography
- Index
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