DEA OPEN AIR 2025

The Twelfth Edition of the International Film Festival

Tirana, June 9–13, 2025

From June 9 to 13, 2025, Tirana once again became a vibrant space for cultural dialogue and artistic reflection through cinema, hosting the Twelfth Edition of the DEA OPEN AIR International Film Festival.

Following a well-established journey over the years and five successful editions in Saranda, DEA OPEN AIR continued its tradition in the Albanian capital, transforming Tirana into an important international meeting point for filmmakers, directors, producers, scholars, students, critics, researchers, and film industry professionals from across Europe and beyond.

This year again, the festival preserved its distinctive OPEN AIR identity, presenting the Main Feature Film Competition at the Amphitheatre of the University of Arts – DEA OPEN AIR Cinema 1 – while the Short Film and Student Film programs, together with afternoon screenings, were hosted at AGIMI Cinema Hall – DEA OPEN AIR Cinema 2.

The Opening Ceremony and the Awards Gala Night took place at the University of Arts Amphitheatre, creating a unique artistic atmosphere where cinema was experienced both as a collective celebration and as a space for civic and emotional reflection.

DEA OPEN AIR 2025 once again confirmed its profile as a festival dedicated to auteur cinema, meaningful storytelling, and films that establish profound relationships with contemporary human experience.

This year’s official competition featured 34 films from 20 countries around the world, selected through a preliminary evaluation process conducted by international professional selection committees. The program was organized into three competitive sections: Feature Film, Short Film, and Student Film.

The Feature Film Competition brought together productions from Albania, Brazil, Italy, Poland, Turkey, and North Macedonia, presenting a rich variety of aesthetic and thematic approaches — ranging from intimate drama and psychological reflection to social, existential, and spiritual narratives.

The section opened with the screening of Death Can Wait, directed by Edmond Topi, presented out of competition as the festival’s welcoming film. The screening was warmly received by audiences and experienced as a heartfelt tribute to the great generation of Albanian actors and to cinema itself as a form of collective memory.

An important part of the festival program was also dedicated to short films and student films, introducing emerging cinematic voices and young authors from Kosovo, France, Italy, Iran, Canada, Spain, Turkey, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Chile, Russia, and many other countries.

DEA OPEN AIR 2025 was distinguished by the strong international presence of filmmakers and directors whose works participated in the official competition. Directors such as Semih Kaplanoglu, Pluton Vasi, Massimo Nardari, and Adam Novak attended the festival in person, transforming each screening into a vivid and meaningful dialogue with the audience.

The films presented this year explored themes related to memory, identity, loneliness, faith, trauma, the relationship between the individual and society, and the challenges of contemporary human existence. At the center of the program stood the human being — with all his fragility, conflicts, responsibilities, and search for meaning.

In this spirit, the motto of this edition — “Cinema as Integrity” — became the philosophical core of the entire artistic program.

An important component of the festival was DEA Academy 2025 and the Regional Meeting of Film Schools, organized from June 10 to 12. This platform brought together major academic film institutions from the region, including the Department of Film and Television of the University of Arts in Tirana, the Department of Film and Television Directing of the University of Prishtina, the Film Department of Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, and the Film and Video Department of the Arts Academy at the University of Split.

Through student film screenings, roundtable discussions, academic presentations, and a masterclass by acclaimed Turkish director Semih Kaplanoglu, DEA Academy created an important space for reflection on the development of regional cinema, the challenges of film education, and the necessity of sustainable inter-institutional cooperation.

The Twelfth Edition of DEA OPEN AIR was supported by the Municipality of Tirana, the Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation, the National Center of Cinematography, and the University of Arts.

Throughout its five festival days, DEA OPEN AIR once again affirmed its identity as a festival that does not pursue spectacle for its own sake, but rather cinema that thinks, feels, and communicates with honesty.

DEA OPEN AIR 2025 demonstrated that film remains one of the most powerful forms of human reflection and that a film festival can still serve as a meaningful space where art, civic consciousness, and cultural dialogue naturally meet.

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Participating Directors and Author Profiles

One of the defining features of DEA OPEN AIR 2025 was the strong presence of filmmakers whose works represented diverse cinematic languages, cultural realities, and artistic visions, yet remained united by a shared commitment to sincere and meaningful storytelling.

Pluton Vasi – Albania

Director of Here the Shadows Dance (Këtu vallëzohet me hijet), Pluton Vasi presented one of the most emotionally intense and socially reflective films of this year’s edition. His work explores memory, trauma, and identity through the story of an Albanian journalist confronting hidden truths connected to the country’s dictatorial past. Vasi’s cinema is marked by psychological depth, visual honesty, and a strong engagement with collective memory and social conscience.

Massimo Nardari – Italy

Italian director Massimo Nardari participated in DEA OPEN AIR with Amico per Caso (Accidental Friends), a human-centered social comedy that addresses prejudice, coexistence, and empathy through humor and emotional subtlety. Nardari’s filmmaking approach combines accessibility with social awareness, creating narratives that challenge stereotypes while remaining warm and deeply humane.

Adam Novak – Poland

Director of Intersection (Udhëkryq), Adam Novak brought to the festival a psychological and existential thriller shaped by dystopian undertones and philosophical reflection. His film investigates guilt, loss, and the human search for redemption in an increasingly technological and spiritually fragmented world. Novak’s cinematic language is characterized by restrained pacing, atmospheric tension, and introspective storytelling.

Semih Kaplanoglu – Turkey

One of the most internationally acclaimed contemporary Turkish auteurs, Semih Kaplanoglu participated in DEA OPEN AIR with Commitment Hasan (Përkushtimi i Hasanit). Widely recognized for his contemplative cinematic style and spiritual narratives, Kaplanoglu explores themes of morality, faith, conscience, and human responsibility. His presence at the festival represented one of the major artistic highlights of this edition, further enriched by the masterclass he delivered within DEA Academy 2025.

Mykaela Plotkin – Brazil

Brazilian filmmaker Mykaela Plotkin was represented with Senhoritas (Misses / Zonjushat), a delicate and emotionally nuanced film focused on emotional awakening and the inner lives of elderly women. Her work stood out for its subtle visual language, restrained emotional tone, and profound sensitivity toward themes often marginalized in contemporary cinema.

Peter Pavlac – Czech Republic

With Lena and Vladimir (Lena dhe Vladimiri), Peter Pavlac offered an intimate and emotionally layered narrative centered on trauma, vulnerability, and silent human connection. The film was distinguished by its atmospheric cinematography and understated performances, reflecting Pavlac’s interest in psychological realism and human fragility.

Through the participation of these filmmakers and many other emerging authors from Europe and beyond, DEA OPEN AIR 2025 reaffirmed its role as a meeting point for contemporary auteur cinema and as a platform dedicated to films that seek not spectacle, but truth, reflection, and artistic integrity.

Edmond Topi – Albania

Founder and Director of DEA OPEN AIR International Film Festival, Edmond Topi remains one of the central figures behind the artistic identity and international profile of the festival. In addition to his curatorial and organizational role, he participated in this year’s edition with the feature film Death Can Wait (Vdekja le të presë), presented as the festival’s opening and welcoming film outside the official competition.

As a filmmaker, Topi is known for his commitment to socially engaged storytelling and for his efforts to strengthen independent cinema and international cultural exchange in Albania. His work often combines human sensitivity with civic reflection, while his long-term contribution through DEA OPEN AIR has helped create an important regional platform for auteur cinema, artistic dialogue, and emerging filmmakers.

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DEA OPEN AIR International Film Festival