Eleventh Edition of the DEA OPEN AIR International Film Festival
Tirana, Albania – 2024
The Eleventh Edition of the DEA OPEN AIR International Film Festival took place in Tirana from June 9 to June 13, 2024, continuing the festival’s established tradition of presenting an ambitious international film program while further consolidating its role as one of the most important cinematic and cultural events in Albania and the wider region. Over more than a decade of activity, DEA OPEN AIR has transformed itself from a regional initiative into a consolidated international platform for auteur cinema, intercultural dialogue, and the promotion of new cinematic voices.
The 2024 edition continued this mission by bringing together filmmakers, actors, producers, critics, journalists, students, and audiences through a program centered on artistic quality, contemporary cinematic language, and socially engaged themes. The festival offered its traditional structure of four main sections — Feature Film, Short Film, Student Film, and the special CineKO program dedicated to Kosovar cinema — while the films in competition were evaluated by three professional juries and the Media Jury.
A total of 39 films from 25 countries around the world were selected by the preliminary selection committees and included in the official program. The selected productions reflected a broad geographical and artistic diversity, ranging from established European cinematographies such as Italy, France, Germany, Spain, and Portugal to productions from Turkey, Moldova, Iran, Morocco, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, China, South Korea, Canada, and the United States. Thematically, the films addressed issues such as migration, war trauma, loneliness, social alienation, identity, generational conflict, human fragility, memory, marginalization, and the complex relationship between the individual and society.
The Feature Film Section remained the central competition of the festival and presented six feature-length productions from Italy, France, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Turkey, Moldova, Germany, Kosovo, and Albania. The selected films included “Disco Boy” by Giacomo Abbruzzese, “Dulcinea” by Artur Serra Araújo, “Mommy’s Lambie” by Umut Evirgen, “Kretsul” by Alexandra Likhacheva, “Ocarina” by Alban Zogjani, and “Influenza” by Felix Schaeffer. The section reflected the festival’s continuing orientation toward auteur filmmaking and artistically distinctive cinematic narratives.
The Feature Film Competition was evaluated by an international jury composed of Frank Döhmann as Head of the Jury, together with Chema González, Ylli Pepo, Marco Morini, and Naser Shatrolli. The jury followed the Feature Film Program throughout the festival and awarded the DEA prizes for Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Leading Actor/Actress.
In the category of DEA for Best Actor in a Feature Film, the jury nominated Jehon Gorani for “Ocarina”, internationally acclaimed German actor Franz Rogowski for “Disco Boy”, and Anatoliy Burlaku for “Kretsul”. The DEA Award for Best Actor was awarded to Jehon Gorani for his leading performance in “Ocarina”, recognized for its emotional depth and psychological intensity.
In the category of Best Cinematography, the jury nominated Helene Louvart for the visual work in “Disco Boy”, Marius Panduru for “Kretsul”, and Sebastian Weber for “Mommy’s Lambie”. The DEA Award for Best Cinematography ultimately went to Helene Louvart for “Disco Boy”, whose visual language and expressive use of image composition played a defining role in the artistic identity of the film.
For the DEA Award for Best Screenplay, the jury nominated Artur Serra Araújo for “Dulcinea”, Giacomo Abbruzzese for “Disco Boy”, and Albana Muja for “Ocarina”. The DEA Award for Best Screenplay was awarded to Artur Serra Araújo for “Dulcinea”, a film distinguished by its narrative structure, poetic atmosphere, and thematic sensitivity.
In the category of Best Director, the Feature Film Jury nominated Alexandra Likhacheva for “Kretsul”, Giacomo Abbruzzese for “Disco Boy”, and Umut Evirgen for “Mommy’s Lambie”. The DEA Award for Best Director was presented to Alexandra Likhacheva for “Kretsul”, with the jury recognizing the film’s cinematic vision, emotional precision, and directorial control.
For the festival’s principal award — DEA for Best Feature Film — the jury nominated “Disco Boy”, “Dulcinea”, and “Ocarina”. The DEA Award for Best Feature Film went to “Disco Boy” by Giacomo Abbruzzese, a co-production between Italy, France, Belgium, and Poland that stood out for its visual experimentation, narrative complexity, and contemporary cinematic language.
The Short Film Section once again represented one of the festival’s most dynamic and internationally diverse programs. It brought together productions from Albania, Kosovo, China, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Italy, Georgia, Serbia, Morocco, France, Canada, and the United States. The short films explored subjects such as childhood, emotional isolation, war memory, women’s experiences, social alienation, and interpersonal relationships, while also experimenting with different cinematic forms and visual styles.
Among the competing short films were “4 Seasons” by Bujar Alimani and Jonida Koçi, “A Child” by Bekim Guri, “A Summer’s End Poem” by Lam Can-zhao, “Bolour” by Helia Behrooz, “Eggs” by Shinyoo Kang, “Kids Game” by Bernabé Rico, “Good Manners” by Camillo Esposito, “Little” by Meka Ribera and Álvaro G. Company, “Marta” by Aleksandra Zhukova, “Masterpiece” by Valentin Dielli, “On the Mountain” by Anya Raza, “Pura” by Carmen Méndez, “Silent Sighs” by Meryem Jabbour, “Sisters” by Jordi Sanz Angrill, “Still Here” by John Graham, “The Aquarium” by Gianluca Zonta, “The Heart of the Pelican” by Elise Mc Leod, “Vastago” by David Luque, and “The Violinist” by Saimir Bajo.
The Short and Student Film Competition was evaluated by a jury composed of Ismail Kasumi as Head of the Jury, together with Branka Bešević Gajić, Andia Xhunga, and Blerdi Malushi.
For the DEA Award for Best Short Film, the jury nominated “Little”, “Sisters”, and “The Aquarium”. The DEA Award for Best Short Film was awarded to “Sisters” by Jordi Sanz Angrill – Spain 2023.
The Student Film Section offered productions from Greece, the Netherlands, the Russian Federation, Bulgaria, Armenia, Latvia, Iran, Spain, and Turkey, continuing the festival’s commitment to supporting young filmmakers and emerging cinematic voices. The section included “Greenhouse” by George Georgakopoulos, “About Me” by Maryam Tarami, “Chip Off the Old Block” by Alina Serebryakova, “Germ” by Lilyana Alexandrova, “Shame” by Sona Sahakyan, “Closer” by Santiago Rivero, “Katya Writes” by Olga Gagarina, “The Steak” by Kiarash Dadgar, “Melody’s Murmur” by Fabio Barber, “Dirty” by Iván Sitz, and “Zoom” by Emir Akarsllan.
For the DEA Award for Best Student Film, the jury nominated “Greenhouse”, “Closer”, and “About Me”. The DEA Award for Best Student Film went to “Greenhouse” by George Georgakopoulos – Greece 2023.
In accordance with DEA OPEN AIR tradition, the films were also evaluated from the perspective of their civic and social contribution by the Media Jury, composed of Alida Cenaj, Anila Basha, and Edi Oga.
For the Special Media Award in the Short Film category, the Media Jury nominated “Kids Game” by Bernabé Rico, “Bolour” by Helia Behrooz, and “The Aquarium” by Gianluca Zonta. The Special Media Award was awarded to “The Aquarium” by Gianluca Zonta – Italy 2024.
In the Feature Film category, the Media Jury nominated “Disco Boy”, “Mommy’s Lambie”, and “Ocarina”. The Special Media Award for Feature Film went to “Ocarina” by Alban Zogjani – Albania/Kosovo 2023, recognizing the film’s strong social dimension and human sensitivity.
Parallel to the competitive program, DEA OPEN AIR also continued its CineKO section dedicated to Kosovar cinema. Through this special focus, the festival presented “Aga’s House” by Lendita Zeqiraj, “An Unforgettable Spring in a Forgotten Village” by Kushtrim Bekteshi, and “Hero” by Luan Kryeziu, strengthening the festival’s long-standing cultural collaboration with Kosovar cinematography.
The festival also awarded a Special Festival Prize to the independent production “Influenza” by Felix Schaeffer, which celebrated its world premiere during the Eleventh Edition of DEA OPEN AIR, confirming the festival’s role as a platform for premieres and independent productions.
Continuing its tradition of honoring major personalities of Albanian cinema and culture, DEA OPEN AIR awarded the DEA Gratitude Award posthumously to renowned Albanian director Kristaq Dhamo in recognition of his exceptional contribution to Albanian cinematography and national culture. DEA HOMAGE was dedicated posthumously to celebrated Albanian actor Mirush Kabashi, honoring his extraordinary artistic legacy and his contribution to theatre and cinema.
DEA OPEN AIR
Press Office