British Ambassador to Albania Nicholas Abbott said expanding the traditional British Week into a joint event with Ukraine offered an opportunity to bring cultures and people closer together.

“This year, I wanted us to do something different. What has traditionally been British Week has become something bigger, a week dedicated to showing how close cultures can become, even when the countries themselves are so far apart on the map,” Abbott said.

He praised the preparations made in recent months, highlighting the initiative’s potential to create new opportunities for cultural cooperation.

Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Albania, Yulia Gorokhovska, thanked Albania and Britain for their support for Ukraine and its people since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

She stressed that culture was essential to preserving national identity and sharing Ukraine’s history with the world, particularly during wartime.

“For Ukrainians, culture is much more than art. It is a way to preserve our identity, share our history and build bridges with friends around the world,” Gorokhovska said.

She described the week as an important opportunity to promote Ukrainian culture and bring Ukrainian artists together for creative collaboration and cultural exchange.

The programme, running from October 5 to 10, features events spanning animation, photography, cinema, music, digital performance and poetry.

On October 7, Tirana’s Millennium cinema hosted a masterclass, “Bringing Characters to Life”, exploring stop-motion animation with artist Tim Allen, who worked on Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning film Pinocchio.

Organised in cooperation with Albanian and British partners, the initiative aims to encourage artistic exchange, cultural dialogue and friendship among peoples.

/e.xh/a.f/u.sh/