The Delegation / Delegacioni
Albania, France, Greece, Kosovo 2018

With the collapse of the communist system, 1990 is a turning point for Albania as it opens up to the rest of the world. When Western European diplomats arrive in the country to check on the ruling party's implementation of democratic reforms, political prisoners who follow the news on television are convinced that their time in prison has finally come to an end. Leo, a detained professor and an old friend of Mr Loheren, head of the delegation, is secretly taken to the capital by party officials, to help convince the diplomats that the government is doing a good job. When their car suddenly breaks down in the middle of a bumpy road, things take an unexpected turn – nothing goes as planned, nothing seems to work.

Bujar Alimani's third feature is a powerful allegorical picture with a pinch of irony and black humour that offers an insight into the socio-political reality of a country on the brink of change, torn between the old regime that wants to uphold a disintegrating system and ineluctable changes towards democracy. The film sheds a light on the various ways in which oppression works and on a lesser known part of European history.

Awards:

Warsaw IFF 2018 (Grand Prix),
Tirana IFF 2018 (, Audience Award, Media Award, Best Screenplay)