The FOCUS CineKO programme opens on Friday and will feature three films representing Albanian-language cinema produced outside Albania, particularly in the wider region.

The programme highlights films, directors and artistic experiences created in different countries but sharing a common linguistic and cultural space.

“DEA OPEN AIR” said Albanian cinema in Kosovo, North Macedonia and elsewhere in the region has gained greater international visibility in recent years, with films appearing at international festivals and attracting critical attention.

FOCUS CineKO also aims to encourage the circulation of Albanian films across the region and support a more open cultural and film market.

Screenings will take place over three evenings on Saranda’s waterfront and will be free to the public.

The festival said the programme offers audiences in Saranda and visitors to the city an opportunity to discover contemporary Albanian cinema from beyond Albania’s borders.

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Held this year under the slogan “Open skies. Open minds!,” the festival will focus on cinema’s ability to build bridges between cultures, generations and different perspectives.

The event will once again preserve its signature open-air format, offering collective screenings in outdoor venues. The festival’s main events will take place at the amphitheatre of the University of Arts in Tirana.

Competitive programmes for short films and student films, along with part of the feature film screenings, will be hosted at the “Kujtim Spahivogli” Experimental Theatre.

A total of 40 films from 25 countries will compete for DEA awards, including seven feature films, 15 short films and 18 student productions.

The feature film selection includes entries from Türkiye, Poland, the Netherlands, Kyrgyzstan, Italy, Spain, Finland, China, Hong Kong and the United States.

According to organisers, the feature programme explores themes such as social tensions, identity, technology, memory and human relationships through a variety of cinematic and artistic styles.

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After five successful editions in the southern coastal town of Saranda, the Albanian Riviera, the five-day event celebrating independent cinema will move for seventh time to Tirana to share to share the European film offer and professional expertise with the public, students, and filmmakers in the Albanian capital.

The evening program of the festival’s main competition, Feature Film category, will be screened at the DEA OPEN AIR Cinema 1 – Amphitheatre of the University of Arts or the Concert Hall of the University of Arts, where the official opening ceremony will be organized as well as the Gala Awards Evening of the XII Edition of DEA OPEN AIR International Filmfestival Tirana – 2025.

The feature film, short and documentary films sections will be screened DEA OPEN AIR Cinema 2 – AGIMI Cinema Hall.

The Festival organizers said that participants in this international event have applied via the Film Freeway and Festhome platforms or by accessing the festival’s address.

A selective commission made of cinema professionals have decided for the festival’s programme to feature 34 movies from 20 countries across the world, seven of them from the feature film section, 14 from short film section and 13 in the student films section.

The competing feature films come from Albania, North Macedonia, Türkiye, Italy, Poland and Brazil, while short films come mainly from Kosovo, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Iran, Canada, Türkiye, Russia, Uzbekistan, Spain, Peru and Great Britain. The selected student movies are produced in Albania, Iran, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Italy, Chile and Russia. Albania is represented by four student movies, whereas Spain and Iran by two productions respectively and other countries by one movie.

Twelfth edition of DEA OPEN AIR International Film Festival is supported by Tirana Municipality, the Albanian National Center of Cinematography, the Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation, and the University of Arts.

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