In this context, the National Tourism Agency and Infinity Film Production signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to promote the feature film “Christmas Serenade” as part of the “BEYOND ALBANIA – Discover Albania Through Film” program.

The memorandum was signed by National Tourism Agency General Director Jola Hysaj and Infinity Film Production producer Gëzim Gjergji, with the aim of promoting Korça and Albania through the power of film.

Through “BEYOND ALBANIA,” the art of film becomes a new window into Albanian destinations and a cinematic promotional map of the country, where every story, city and landscape becomes part of the tourism experience.

The partnership between the National Tourism Agency and Infinity Film Production aims to strengthen the use of cinema as a new promotional channel for Albania, integrating art, culture and tourism into a unified approach. “BEYOND ALBANIA” aims to create a cinematic map of Albanian destinations, where every story, city, and landscape can become part of the tourism experience and the way Albania is presented through film. /p.s./

The festival runs from August 21 to 23, offering three days and two nights of activities, from sunset to sunrise, against the backdrop of Theth’s rugged mountain landscape.

Prime Minister Edi Rama on Friday described Theth as a place where “nature is the most beautiful spectacle” in a social media post inviting visitors to join the festival.

“Ah Theth” features DJ sets, live performances and artists from different musical genres, alongside sporting activities and outdoor adventures. The programme is designed to combine entertainment with the natural and cultural attractions of the area.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to experience local hospitality and traditional flavours while exploring the surrounding mountain landscape.

The festival is part of efforts to further promote Theth as an important tourism destination, showcasing its natural heritage while offering visitors a combination of music, outdoor activities and local culture.

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The project, launched by the One Health Foundation, brings preventive and healthcare services closer to passengers travelling across the Adriatic.

The Ministry of Health said the initiative focuses on prevention not as a one-off check, but as a broader approach combining screening, information, research, training and professional cooperation.

Health Minister Evis Sala visited the ship, where facilities have been adapted for medical examinations, and met Italian medical teams. She said the partnership adds value to public health and helps strengthen medical capacities, particularly ahead of the tourist season.

Sala, who previously worked in clinical medicine and research, including at Rome’s Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic, said prevention should become a cornerstone of Albania’s healthcare system.

Rossana Berardi, president of the foundation and president-elect of Italian Association of Medical Oncology, said the stop in Albania could pave the way for more structured cooperation, including in oncology, linking the two countries.

The third edition of the initiative brings 17 doctors and 10 ambulances on board, offering preventive check-ups over two days for passengers on the Ancona–Durres route.

A memorandum of understanding is expected to be signed between Marche Polytechnic University and the University of Medicine in Tirana to promote joint research, teaching and healthcare cooperation.

Further activities, including expert exchanges and training programmes for young doctors, are planned in the coming weeks.

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The novel “I am a Muslim”, published by the “Onufri”, is an ironic and philosophical account of the clash between religion and the secular state in modern Albania. The events take place in “Kavaja” St in Tirana, where a writer faces the slow Islamization of society and his private life, including his second wife, who becomes a believer. After a trip to Mecca, lonely and threatened by the Islamists, he becomes a Muslim, turning the novel into a metaphor for the man who seeks salvation in religion after losing faith in society.

The author Ben Blushi was present at the book promotion panel, along with publisher Bujar Hudhri, journalist Roland Qafoku and writer Rudolf Marku. Blushi said that he had the pleasure of sharing the emotions of the presentation of the novel “I am Muslim” with many friends and relatives.

“They came to support me and to convince me that literature has not been left orphaned but still has many lovers and fans,” said Blushi.

“I am a Muslim” is Ben Blushi’s twelfth publication, after the successes with his bestsellers “Living on the Island”, “Otello, the Arab of Vlora”, “The Candidate” and “The Conspiracy”. /r.e/a.f/p.s./

Speaking at the launch of the national OSHEE Charge project, a public EV charging network, Rama said the initiative aims to make charging more affordable and convenient, particularly for residents charging vehicles at home.

“OSHEE will allow all those charging their electric cars at apartment or home parking spaces to pay the same low price as domestic electricity,” Rama said. He added that slow overnight charging will make the system economically feasible for the public power distribution operator OSHEE.

Rama also said OSHEE’s entry as a major player in the EV charging market will immediately influence market regulation. Private providers entering the market would purchase electricity from OSHEE at a controlled price, preventing higher costs for consumers.

“By introducing this system, we aim to accelerate EV adoption, which is still modest compared to the total number of vehicles, despite noticeable growth in recent years,” he said.

Rama concluded that these initiatives form part of Albania’s broader goal of energy sovereignty by 2030, a step he said will underpin further developments in the country’s energy sector.

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D’Alema called the volume “a kind of testament” by Kissinger, saying it distilled lessons on leadership through the lives of six major figures of the 20th century.

Speaking on the crisis of leadership in the West today, D’Alema said Kissinger was guided by political realism and “an ability to engage in dialogue with all those who were different from him,” which he argued should serve as a lesson for current leaders.

D’Alema also noted that in the book, Kissinger warns of the risk that a policy of power, coupled with rapid technological change, could drive the world toward conflict “that no one actually wants.”

“This is a very powerful message,” D’Alema said, adding that the closing chapters of the book, along with Kissinger’s reflections on politics and technological innovation, carry particular relevance today.

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AIDA said in a press release that the discussion brought together public and private sector representatives to discuss tourism sector’s potential and challenges, focusing on importance of cooperation to promote tourism.

“AIDA and tourism stockholders, public and private sector representatives  attended the roundtable discussion on tourism, with talks focusing on the last tourism season in Albania,” the Agency said.

“Participants also discussed sector’s potential and challenges, placing importance to close cooperation between state institutions and business to promote tourism in Albania,” AIDA added.

Data from the National Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) show that a total of 9 680 030 tourists have visited Albania since January 2024, recording an increase of 16.7% compared with the same period of the previous year, when the number of arrivals in the country totalled 8 294 600.

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The French edition of the book ‘Eugène and Hélène Pittard’s last trip to Albania’ opens the campaign of getting acquainted with the Swiss academic’s contribution to Albania.

“When Eugène Pittard and his wife Hélène set foot in Albania, they did not know that they would fall in love with this country and its people. Since that year, 1910, it seems that their lives were marked by the common passion for this small Balkan country”, said the Swiss Ambassador.

“Today, we celebrate the life and work of an outstanding Swiss intellectual, whose contributions to Albania have left an indelible trace on the shared history of our two countries. He is certainly a true Swiss-Albanian heritage”, Ambassador Huber also said.

“In fact, this is a cornerstone in Swiss-Albanian relations”, said publisher of the book Luan Rama. He mentioned the scientific, anthropological, humanitarian, educational and diplomatic mission of Pittard in the service of Albania.

During the activity, actresses Yllka Mujo and Elia Zaharia read pieces written by Eugène Pittard and Hélène Pittard, who was a well-known writer in Switzerland.

Eugène Pittard became Albania’s international spokesperson at a delicate time. He lobbied strongly for the country’s rights and sovereignty and played a vital role in Albania’s admission to the League of Nations in 1920. His most famous pamphlet ‘Pour L’Albanie’ published in the Geneva daily ‘La Suisse’ presents the real state of the country in that period, gives arguments and appeals for the acceptance of Albania’s sovereignty.

The Albanian state at that time appointed Prof. Eugène Pittard Honorary Consul General in Geneva.

The publication of the book in Albanian and French will enable wider recognition of the forgotten history of the Swiss couple who did so much for Albania. The book is the fruit of many years of work by the author Kudret Isaj, with valuable contributions from the descendants of the Pittard family in Geneva.

The campaign to recognize the figure and contribution of Eugène Pittard for Albania continues with a series of other activities throughout 2024-2025. /p.s./

Notes and evidence from Endri Keko’s life, illustrated with photos, his studies in Moscow and the shooting of documentaries and newsreels at the Film Studios, constitute a wide and valuable study material on the beginnings of cinematography in Albania and its development, until in the 1980s, but also on the Keko family, a family of artists who gave a lot to Albanian film and art.

On occasion of the 100th birth anniversary of the filmmaker, the Permanent Commission for Art and Heritage at the Academy of Sciences, in cooperation with the Central State Film Archive, organized the event on promotion of “The Diary of a Film maker” book.

There were speeches delivered by: Piro Milkani, Ylli Pepo, Genc Përmeti, Paskal Milo, Ben Andoni, Aleksandër Çipa, Mevlan Shanaj and Shaban Sinani, while the event was moderated by Marinela Ndria, director of the Central State Film Archive.

Endri Keko was born in the state of Maine (USA) in a Korça origin family, on May 31, 1924. He returned to Albania during the Second World War and in 1950, he was sent to Moscow to train as a documentary film director. Upon returning to his homeland in 1952, he began working at the “New Albania Film Studios”, entering history as one of the founders of the Albanian cinematography.

The Central State Film Archive preserves over 90 documentaries made by Keko, filled with archival materials that testify people and events of the time, natural landscapes or epics through cinematic poems.

Endri Keko is the winner of the Cup for the best documentary film at the second Albanian Film Festival (1977) and the third Albanian Film Festival (1979), winner of the Honorary Award at the Karlovy Vary Festival (Czechoslovakia – 1952), Honorary Diploma in Moscow Festival (USSR – 1959), Bronze Medal at the Paris Festival (France – 1962) and Honorary Diploma at the Leipzig Festival (GDR – 1962), winner of the Republic Prize in 1959, 1970 and 1979, winner of many prizes in literary contests for film scripts. Endri Keko continues to be considered even today the most prominent and most appreciated personality of the Albanian documentary film genre. /r.e/p.s./

The book promotion event takes place as part of the activities marking the nation-wide year on the 80^th anniversary of Albania’s liberation.

The book is an anthropogeography monograph about Albanian politics, history, geography and traditions. The book has been translated from Italian by Meri Gjoleka.

The book was initially published in Rome in 1905 and provides a description of the then Albanian lands comprising four vilayets: namely the vilayet of Kosovo, Shkodra, Manastir and Ioannina.  The work is divided into three parts, with the first section describing Albania’s geography.

The second part of the book deals with the anthropogeography elements and the third part provides a glimpse of the road traffic of that time. The first part of the book begins with the Albanian lands, borders, geographical position and layout configuration. In the second chapter of the book, the author analyzes the Albanian coast, whereas the third chapter focuses describes rivers and lakes.

The book’s appendix is also quite interesting as it focuses on the genealogies of the Albanian princes, the statistics of the Italian-Albanian colonies, the statistics of the sanjaks of Shkodra and Durres, the list of Ottoman coins and the main foreign coins that circulated in Durres, etc.

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