"The Albanian Renaissance" - Film screening at the European Commission Liaison Office in Pristina

"The Albanian Renaissance"
(52 minutes, in English)

"a compelling documentary series about the Balkans and Turkey”
Olli Rehn, European Commissioner for Enlargement

"These are documentaries all of us citizens of the European Union should have the opportunity to see"
Giuliano Amato, former Italian Prime Minister

Return to Europe Series
Winner of the 2008 Erasmus EuroMedia Award

on Wednesday, 25 February 2009, at 17.30 

further films from the series will be screened weekly – on Wednesdays at 17:30
4 March: "Greece – Alexander's shadow"
11 March: "Macedonian Wedding"

Communist Albania of Hoxha was a fortress state, seeing enemies everywhere. Two decades later Albania has undergone a dramatic transformation. And yet, few countries in Europe are less understood than this Adriatic republic. Gratuitous violence, organised crime, human trafficking, blood feuds and grinding poverty are the images that first come to mind when the country is mentioned. At the centre of this film are ordinary people who have found their own solutions. The film also tells the story of MJAFT ("Enough"), a youth movement set up in 2002 that quickly became one of the country's most trusted institutions.

"The Albanian Renaissance" is a film of the TV project "Return to Europe", a series of 10 one-hour TV documentaries featuring countries and cities in the Balkans. The aim of the series is to acquaint viewers across Europe with the latest developments in South East Europe and the struggle of the people of the region for a better future in a united Europe.

The series is supported by ERSTE Stiftung and has been jointly produced by the German-language satellite channel 3sat, Austria's public broadcaster ORF and the TV production company pre-TV, in cooperation with the European Stability Initinative (ESI), upon whose research and analysis these films are based. Films from the series have recently been shown at international events in Brussels, Istanbul, Skopje, Berlin, and other cities across Europe and have received very positive feedback. It will be broadcast by a number of TV stations throughout the Balkans in coming months.

Please confirm your participation by e-mail to Fjolla Ceku.