13th Edition of the DEA OPEN AIR International Film Festival – Tirana 2026 –
From 1 to 5 June 2026, the DEA OPEN AIR International Film Festival will hold its thirteenth edition in the Albanian capital, once again transforming Tirana into an open space for artistic dialogue, where cinema meets audiences beneath the city’s open sky.
Following an established tradition within Albania’s cultural landscape and a steadily consolidated international presence, DEA OPEN AIR returns this year under the motto “Open Sky. Open Minds!”, placing at the heart of its program the power of cinema to build bridges of communication between cultures, generations, and diverse ways of perceiving the world.
Remaining faithful to its OPEN AIR concept, the festival once again offers the unique experience of collective film viewing in open-air venues, where art, the city, and the public engage in a direct and vibrant relationship. The Official Opening Ceremony and the main evenings of the Feature Film Competition will take place at DEA OPEN AIR Cinema 1 – the Amphitheatre of the University of Arts, or, in the event of adverse weather conditions, at the University of Arts Concert Hall.
The Short Film Competition, the Student Film Competition, and part of the Feature Film screenings will be hosted at DEA OPEN AIR Cinema 2 – the Experimental Theatre “Kujtim Spahivogli”, creating a dynamic map of screenings and artistic encounters throughout the festival’s five days.
For this year’s DEA Awards competition, the preliminary selection committees have chosen a total of 40 films from 25 countries worldwide, including 7 feature films in the main competition, 15 short films, and 18 student films.
The main competition presents seven feature films representing diverse cinematic traditions and countries, including Turkey, Poland, the Netherlands, Kyrgyzstan, Italy, Spain, Finland, China, Hong Kong, and the United States. These works explore social tensions, identity, technology, memory, and human relationships through a wide range of artistic and stylistic approaches.
The Short Film Section includes 15 films from Europe, Asia, and Latin America, reflecting the thematic and aesthetic diversity of contemporary short-form cinema—from intimate dramas and social reflections to narrative and visual experimentation.
The Student Film Program brings together 18 films by emerging filmmakers from Albania, Kosovo, Spain, Portugal, Lebanon, Iran, Brazil, Hong Kong, the United States, Germany, Egypt, and other countries, demonstrating the creative vitality of a new generation of filmmakers and highlighting the importance of film schools as laboratories of new ideas and artistic forms.
All participants submitted their works through the FilmFreeway and Festhome platforms or directly to the festival. As in previous editions, applications came not only from Europe but also from other continents, giving the festival a distinctly global reach. Films and filmmakers participating in the competition first underwent a preliminary selection process conducted by international committees, completed at the end of March.
The 13th edition of DEA OPEN AIR aims not only to present films in competition but also to create an international platform for communication among filmmakers, students, critics, scholars, and audiences. Throughout the festival, professional meetings, discussions, and activities will encourage cultural exchange and reflection on contemporary developments in cinema.
Within the framework of the DEA Academy, this year’s program will focus on collaboration with students from the Department of Film and Television Directing at the University of Prishtina, Faculty of Arts (Kosovo), as well as students from the Film Program of the Department of Applied Arts at the European University of Tirana. In the spirit of artistic exchange and creative dialogue among young people from the region, participating students will engage in an intensive audiovisual creation laboratory centered on the city of Tirana and the artist’s emotional relationship with urban space.
Working in teams, students will develop and produce a series of short films under the theme “Tirana – My Love”, exploring through the camera the atmosphere, rhythm, memory, architecture, everyday life, and human dimension of the Albanian capital. The project aims not only to provide practical experience in shooting, editing, and narrative construction under intensive production conditions but also to create a fresh artistic perspective on Tirana through the sensitivity and vision of young filmmakers.
Over several days, students will work on location, conducting interviews, observations, and filming scenes in different areas of the city, effectively turning Tirana itself into an active character in their stories. This initiative seeks to build a bridge between the city, cinema, and a new generation of authors, encouraging reflection on urban identity, collective memory, and contemporary forms of audiovisual storytelling.
The films produced within this project will be presented during the festival’s closing evening at the Awards Gala of the 13th DEA OPEN AIR Edition. In front of participating artists, international filmmakers, industry professionals, and audiences, these works will stand as evidence of the students’ creative energy and the potential of regional artistic collaboration, offering an intimate, poetic, and contemporary portrait of Tirana.
The 13th DEA OPEN AIR International Film Festival is organized with the support of the Municipality of Tirana, the National Center of Cinematography, the Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation of the Republic of Albania, and the University of Arts, institutions that help create a welcoming environment for artistic contributions and civic engagement from around the world.
Film professionals, directors of several European film festivals, actors, directors, producers, industry representatives, critics, scholars, and invited journalists will contribute to the vitality and multidimensional exchange that cinema continually promises and delivers.
Press Office
DEA OPEN AIR
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13th Edition of the DEA OPEN AIR International Film Festival
– Competition Programme and Juries –
The 13th Edition of the DEA OPEN AIR International Film Festival, which will take place in Tirana from 1 to 5 June 2026, continues its tradition as an international platform dedicated to auteur cinema, cultural dialogue, and the promotion of emerging filmmakers in Europe and beyond.
Competing for the DEA Awards, the preliminary selection committees have included 40 films from 25 countries worldwide, divided into three competitive sections: Feature Film, Short Film, and Student Film. This year’s programme offers a broad panorama of contemporary international cinema, where social dramas, questions of identity, the relationship between individuals and memory, transformations of modern societies, migration, urban loneliness, and the search for personal freedom across diverse cultural realities intersect.
The Feature Film Competition includes the following titles:
- Debate, directed by Nikolai Geffele (Netherlands, 2025)
- Gülizar, directed by Belkıs Bayrak (Turkey, 2025)
- House of Chosen, directed by Wojciech Nowak (Poland, 2024)
- Jet Lag in Summer, directed by Yan Kunao (China/Hong Kong/USA, 2025)
- Kurak, directed by Erke Dzhumakmatova and Emil Atageldiev (Kyrgyzstan, 2025)
- La Terza Volta (The Third Time), directed by Gianni Aureli (Italy, 2025)
- Singular, directed by Alberto Gastesi (Spain/Finland, 2025)
The Feature Film programme presents filmmakers and cinematic traditions from diverse cultural backgrounds, exploring through distinct artistic languages the tensions of the contemporary world, the crisis of human communication, the impact of social systems on individuals, the relationship with memory, and the cultural transformations of modern societies. The selected works are distinguished by strong auteur approaches, aesthetic exploration, and profound human sensitivity, ranging from intimate drama to social and philosophical reflection.
The Feature Film Competition will be evaluated by the Feature Film Jury, composed of prominent figures from the European film industry, festival programming, production, and film studies. The jury is chaired by Bernd Buder (Germany), Programme Director of FilmFestival Cottbus and Co-Programme Director of the Jewish Film Festival Berlin Brandenburg. Other jury members include Austrian producer Elly Senger-Weiss, Bulgarian cultural policy expert and producer Bilyana Raeva, Albanian actress and director Rovena Lule, and Kosovar playwright, screenwriter, and scholar Arian Krasniqi. The jury will award DEA prizes for Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Actor/Actress in a Leading Role.
The Short Film Competition includes:
- A Good Man – Juli Suárez (Spain, 2025)
- Arenillas – Marta Martín Bueno (Spain, 2024)
- After Every Fire – Tomás Faranna (Argentina, 2026)
- Broken Shoes – Nuria Cánovas Navedo (Spain, 2025)
- Despite the Ruins – Raquel Quintana Martín (Spain, 2025)
- Felix & Fernand – Oscar Buenafuente and Thierry Buenafuente (France, 2025)
- For Educational Purposes – Hassan Benali and Charlotte Cayeux (France, 2025)
- A Moment of Relief – Reuven Yamrom (Israel, 2025)
- The Melody of My Childhood – Brancu Alin (Romania, 2025)
- Something Is Wrong – Paola Termine (France, 2025)
- The Black House – Dumitru Grosei (Romania, 2025)
- When the Tiger Roars – LAM Can-zhao (China, 2025)
- Zuta Deva – Alma Qoqaj (Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2022)
- Black Mountain – Nikos Kakonas (Greece, 2025)
- The Drone – Dogu Turan (Turkey, 2025)
The Short Film programme focuses on new storytelling forms and the condensed expressive power of short cinema in addressing issues of identity, isolation, social trauma, memory, and human relationships. The selected films come from Europe, Asia, and Latin America, reflecting a diversity of stylistic approaches, from intimate realism and social drama to visual and narrative experimentation.
The Student Film Competition includes:
- Al-Adham – Eman Hatem Ebeid (Egypt, 2024)
- Because I Am a Girl – S. Ispolganova, A. Tyan, R. Keneshova, F. Chorobekova, A. Alybekova, D. Murzulukova and A. Baimuratova (Kyrgyzstan, 2025)
- Better This Way – Jaakko Antero Ylitalo (Finland, 2024)
- The Breast and the Bombs – Ogerta Spahiu (Albania, 2025)
- The Stone-Carved Dara Empire – Emrullah Taş (Turkey, 2026)
- As It Was – J. Leite, L. Fanzeres, M. Lesniczki and R. Sabioni (Brazil, 2025)
- Ink on Paper – Kenana Hussein Hasan (Lebanon, 2025)
- On the Dry Riverbank – Almourad Aldeeb (Germany, 2024)
- Pasta Alfredo – Leila Noee (Iran, 2025)
- Phoenix – S. Khaled, Ch. Williams, Ph. Inaya, A. Brenner and K. Harris (USA, 2025)
- The Prayer – Sofia Geweiler (Portugal, 2025)
- Quarter – Maja Górczak (Poland, 2025)
- Summer Cemetery – Valèria Cuní Capellà (Spain, 2025)
- Thermokiss Knows No Borders – Korab Jashari and Tea Krasniqi (Kosovo, 2025)
- The Village Elder – Ksenia Chetvergova (Russian Federation, 2025)
- The Peony Tale – Yuqing Liu and Jintao Sun (Hong Kong, 2026)
- Urtajo – M.A. Marqués (Spain, 2025)
- When It Rains Inside – Silvia Zennaro (Italy, 2025)
The Student Film programme highlights the creative energy of emerging filmmakers and their artistic exploration of contemporary generational concerns. The selected works address themes of personal identity, family relationships, migration, memory, existential uncertainty, and the individual’s relationship with modern society, demonstrating a growing interest among young filmmakers in hybrid forms of storytelling and the fusion of aesthetics with social reflection.
The Short Film and Student Film programmes will be evaluated by the Short Film and Student Film Jury, chaired by More Raça (Kosovo), screenwriter, director, and film scholar. The jury also includes Merita Çoçoli-Sali, actress and documentary filmmaker from North Macedonia, and Albanian director and screenwriter Renis Hyka. The jury will award the DEA Prize for Best Short Film and the DEA Prize for Best Student Film.
From the perspective of their social, cultural, and communicative contribution, the competing films will also be assessed by the Media Jury, composed this year of prominent Albanian cultural journalists and media authors: Fjodora Fjora (Chair), Luela Myftari, and Florian Markeci. The Media Jury will award the Special Media Prize in both the Feature Film and Short Film categories, recognizing works distinguished by their awareness-raising impact and human dimension.
Press Office
DEA OPEN AIR
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The 13th Edition of the DEA OPEN AIR International Film Festival Opens
Gülizar – the Opening Film of a Festival that Invites Dialogue, Reflection, and Open Minds
Under the motto “Open Sky. Open Minds!”, the 13th Edition of the DEA OPEN AIR International Film Festival opened in Tirana, reaffirming its place as one of the most important cinematic events in Albania and the region. For five consecutive days, the Amphitheatre and facilities of the University of Arts will become a meeting place for filmmakers, artists, scholars, students, and audiences united by a shared belief in the power of cinema to foster dialogue, reflection, and mutual understanding.
The opening ceremony brought together representatives of the diplomatic corps, cultural institutions, universities, the film industry, and the media, as well as artists and filmmakers from various countries around the world, once again confirming the festival’s international profile and its role as an important platform for cultural exchange.
In his opening remarks, the festival’s founder and director, Edmond Topi, reflected on the philosophy guiding this year’s edition:
“Open Sky. Open Minds. It is more than a poetic phrase; it is a philosophy that permeates the very essence of cinema. Film, at its core, is an open window onto other worlds, a way of seeing beyond ourselves and understanding more deeply the reality that surrounds us.”
The festival’s Artistic Director, Mirela Oktrova, spoke about cinema as an instrument of knowledge and reflection, emphasizing that:
“Great films do not merely tell stories. They offer perspectives and challenge convictions. Cinema is a way of thinking, a way of feeling, a way of understanding. Cinema is not simply art, nor merely industry, nor only entertainment. Cinema is a worldview.”
According to her, at a time when noise often overshadows meaning and spectacle replaces reflection, festivals such as DEA OPEN AIR remain among the few spaces where the art of cinema continues to defend critical thinking, sensitivity, and cultural dialogue.
A total of 40 films from 25 countries are competing for the DEA Awards 2026, divided into three competition sections: Feature Film, Student Film, and Short Film. This year’s programme presents a broad panorama of contemporary international cinema, bringing together established names and emerging filmmakers from diverse cinematic traditions.
The festival opened with Gülizar, directed by Belkıs Bayrak and produced by Valmira Hyseni, a film that fully embodies the philosophy of this year’s edition. The film tells the story of a young woman whose life is profoundly changed after an act of sexual violence, exploring not only individual trauma but also the prejudice and social pressure that often burden the victim. Through a sensitive yet courageous artistic approach, Gülizar raises important questions about human dignity, justice, and the individual’s right not to be defined by the violence they have endured.
The film carries a special significance for DEA OPEN AIR, as both director Belkıs Bayrak and producer Valmira Hyseni have previously served on the festival’s international jury in Tirana. In this sense, Gülizar represents not only the opening film of this edition but also a tangible example of DEA’s role as a space where creative collaborations emerge and long-term artistic relationships develop.
Following the opening ceremony and the screening of Gülizar, DEA OPEN AIR immediately enters the full rhythm of its international competition programme. On Tuesday, 2 June, audiences will be offered four screening sessions featuring films from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, providing a rich panorama of contemporary cinema. The programme begins with the Student Film Section, where young filmmakers from six countries present the visions and concerns of a new generation, continues with the Short Film Programme, and concludes with two films from the main competition: Jet Lag in Summer by Yan Kunao and The Third Time by Gianni Aureli. Through fourteen films presenting diverse cultures, experiences, and perspectives on humanity and society, the festival continues to affirm both its international character and this year’s motto—“Open Sky. Open Minds.”—inviting audiences on a shared journey through stories, emotions, and worldviews that only cinema can bring together within the same space of dialogue.
The 13th Edition of the DEA OPEN AIR International Film Festival takes place in Tirana from 1 to 5 June 2026. Through screenings, meetings with filmmakers, professional discussions, and cultural exchanges, the festival continues to strengthen its mission as an international platform for independent cinema, cultural dialogue, and free thought.
Press Office
DEA OPEN AIR
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Cinema as a Confrontation with Time: Portraits of the Feature Film Directors at DEA OPEN AIR 2026
The 13th edition of DEA OPEN AIR – Tirana 2026 presents a selection of feature films which, despite their differences in style, cinematic language, and cultural background, share a common approach: cinema as a critical reflection on contemporary humanity, its fears, moral crises, loneliness, power structures, technology, and the need to preserve human integrity in an increasingly unstable world.
The Feature Film Programme of this edition includes works that reject the formulas of commercial spectacle and instead choose to speak about life, trauma, memory, justice, and conscience through the honest language of auteur cinema. This year’s filmmakers offer narratives ranging from political drama and psychological thriller to historical reflection, social drama, and existential science fiction, creating a broad mosaic of contemporary human concerns.
The Feature Film Programme will be presented from 1–4 June 2026 at DEA OPEN AIR Cinema 1 and DEA OPEN AIR Cinema 2, according to the festival’s official schedule.
🇹🇷 Gülizar – Turkey
Directed by Belkıs Bayrak
(1 June 2026, 20:30 – DEA OPEN AIR Cinema 1)
Gülizar officially opens the Feature Film Competition at DEA OPEN AIR 2026. The film is a powerful psychological and social drama about trauma, silence, and the patriarchal pressures that weigh upon women’s lives in traditional societies. The story of a young woman whose life is shattered by an act of violence shortly before her wedding becomes a sensitive reflection on shame, fear, and the impossibility of speaking openly in a reality where society often judges the victim rather than the perpetrator.
Belkıs Bayrak represents one of the most compelling voices of the new generation of Turkish cinema. She is internationally recognized for her minimalist approach and her intimate portrayal of female characters. The film’s aesthetic relies on silence, emotional tension, and a camera that remains close to the protagonist, transforming her experience into an almost physical experience for the audience.
A particularly meaningful detail concerns the film’s own origin story. Director Belkıs Bayrak and the film’s producer first met while serving on the international jury of DEA OPEN AIR in 2019, and it was after that encounter that they decided to collaborate on Gülizar. In this sense, DEA OPEN AIR becomes, figuratively, the matchmaker behind the film’s creation, demonstrating the festival’s genuine role in building international artistic and professional bridges.
🇨🇳🇭🇰🇺🇸 Jet Lag in Summer – China / Hong Kong / USA
Directed by Yan Kunao
(2 June 2026, 17:00 – DEA OPEN AIR Cinema 2)
Jet Lag in Summer is an intimate drama about loneliness, migration, and emotional distance during the COVID-19 pandemic. A young couple is forced to live apart between China and New York, while global isolation transforms their relationship into an endless and uncertain wait.
Yan Kunao is a young filmmaker shaped by experiences in both Asia and the United States, a dual perspective clearly reflected in his cinematic style. The film creates a quiet, urban, and meditative atmosphere in which slow pacing, silence, and the poetic use of urban space evoke the emotional isolation of a global generation. It explores not only the pandemic as a historical event but also the crisis of communication and the existential loneliness of modern life.
🇮🇹 The Third Time – Italy
Directed by Gianni Aureli
(2 June 2026, 20:00 – DEA OPEN AIR Cinema 1)
Set in Italy during the Second World War, The Third Time follows the journey of two women in a country devastated by war, where survival, fear, and betrayal intertwine with the struggle to preserve human dignity.
Gianni Aureli belongs to the tradition of Italian cinema focused on character and the moral dimension of history. His films frequently explore collective memory and the relationship between individuals and historical trauma. In The Third Time, he avoids the spectacle of war and instead crafts a quiet, poetic, and emotionally restrained film, where landscape and silence carry much of the narrative’s dramatic weight.
Press Office
DEA OPEN AIR
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Short Film at DEA OPEN AIR 2026: Intimate Portraits of Contemporary Humanity and a New Generation of International Filmmakers
The 13th Edition of the DEA OPEN AIR International Film Festival – Tirana 2026 presents, within its Short Film Competition Programme, a broad panorama of contemporary international cinema. Through 15 films from Spain, France, Argentina, Israel, Romania, China, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, and Turkey, audiences will encounter stories exploring loneliness, memory, trauma, family relationships, war, loss, marginalization, and the emotional crisis of modern individuals.
This year’s programme clearly reflects the growing tendency of short cinema toward intimate and emotional storytelling, where personal narratives become universal reflections on humanity and our time. At the centre of many of these films are family relationships, childhood memories, communication breakdowns, the consequences of war, and the need for human connection in an increasingly fragmented and emotionally distant world.
One of the most striking characteristics of the programme is the strong presence of young European filmmakers who are shaping their artistic identities through a sensitive, minimalist cinema focused on character and emotional truth. In many of these films, drama emerges not through spectacular action but through atmosphere, silence, emotional tension, and subtle psychological observation.
The programme also demonstrates remarkable aesthetic and stylistic diversity. While psychological and social drama remains dominant, it is interwoven with elements of poetic realism, magical realism, docu-fiction, moral thriller, and introspective cinema. Many of the selected works embrace a minimalist aesthetic in which silence, rhythm, atmosphere, and emotional detail become more important than plot-driven spectacle. Here, the camera does not seek to impose emotion but rather to reveal it through faces, spaces, light, and invisible psychological tension.
The selected filmmakers come from a wide range of European and international cinematic traditions, creating an engaging dialogue between different film cultures. Among them are directors educated at prestigious institutions such as ESCAC in Spain, Paris 3 University in France, ERAM–University of Girona, Warsaw Film School, the Sarajevo Film Academy, and leading Chinese film schools closely connected to major international festivals.
Another notable aspect of the programme is the diversity of the filmmakers’ professional backgrounds. Many of them come not only from directing but also from acting, cinematography, editing, literature, music, and theatre, resulting in cinematic languages that are more hybrid and deeply personal. Juli Suàrez, for example, emerges from creative documentary filmmaking and the influence of Abbas Kiarostami and Asghar Farhadi; Marta Martín Bueno draws inspiration from magical realism and personal memory; Paola Termine brings her experience as an editor and composer; while Alma Qoqaj creates a poetic and meditative cinema rooted in spirituality and human introspection.
The programme also features filmmakers who are beginning to establish themselves at major international festivals. Chinese director Lam Can-zhao belongs to a new generation of Asian filmmakers recognized at Cannes and the Berlin International Film Festival, where his film A Summer’s End Poem won the Best Short Film Award in the Generation Kplus section. Likewise, Doğu Turan represents a new generation of Turkish filmmakers connected to European film schools and international short film festivals.
Spain is represented by several films that offer strong auteur perspectives on memory, loss, and emotional transformation. A Good Man, directed by Juli Suàrez, examines a community’s reaction to a violent act, reflecting on social hypocrisy and society’s efforts to preserve a façade of normality. Educated through workshops with figures such as Abbas Kiarostami and Asghar Farhadi, Suàrez creates a restrained and realistic aesthetic in which tension emerges through silence and the observation of human behaviour.
Also from Spain comes Arenillas, directed by Marta Martín Bueno, a poetic story about loss and memory, where magical realism intertwines with the emotional journey of a young girl attempting to reconnect with her deceased father. A graduate of ESCAC, Martín Bueno belongs to a generation of filmmakers who use personal memory as creative material and cinema as a space for intimate reflection.
In a similar emotional register, Broken Shoes by Nuria Cánovas Navedo explores the inner strength of a young girl facing life’s difficulties. The film examines the emotional and identity-forming processes of childhood, while the director’s background in theatre, acting, and arts education informs her sensitive and humane approach to character.
Despite the Ruins, directed by Raquel Quintana Martín, presents another dimension of contemporary Spanish cinema: the relationship between personal crisis and the possibility of transformation. Built around an ordinary family situation that gradually becomes an existential turning point, the film combines gentle humour with emotional reflection. Known as both an actress and creator of social theatre projects, Quintana Martín continues in cinema her exploration of human relationships and emotional change.
Another major thematic strand of the programme concerns war, trauma, and the emotional consequences of modern conflicts. The Argentine film After Every Fire, directed by Tomás Faranna, explores memory, mental health, and the emotional fragility of a young man confronting the traumas of the past. Educated in literature and film studies in Barcelona, Faranna constructs a dark and introspective film where reality and memory constantly intertwine.
From Israel comes A Moment of Relief, directed by Haim Eliyahu, where war is viewed not through battle but through waiting, loneliness, and the anxiety of those left behind. The film focuses on the emotional dimension of conflict and the ways in which war distorts intimate life. Originally trained as an actor, Eliyahu develops a cinematic language rooted in emotional sensitivity and the expressive use of sound and silence.
The Turkish film Drone, directed by Doğu Turan, also approaches war from a contemporary moral perspective. Through an unusual dialogue between a soldier and the drone operator controlling him remotely, the film raises questions about technology, responsibility, and the loss of human dimension in modern warfare. Turan represents a new generation of Turkish filmmakers shaped between the commercial industry and international film schools, with a strong interest in psychological tension and moral dilemmas.
Family relationships and personal memory also occupy an important place within the programme. The Melody of My Childhood, directed by Romanian filmmaker Alin Brancu, revisits the atmosphere of totalitarian Romania in the 1980s through the eyes of a child. Combining nostalgia, political absurdity, and childhood innocence, the film becomes a reflection on collective memory and life under dictatorship. Brancu, a respected Romanian actor and director, brings to the film the influence of theatre and Romanian psychological realism.
In a similarly emotional vein, Something Is Wrong, directed by Paola Termine, is a drama about loss and family memory in which a piano becomes a symbol of connection with a deceased sister. Formerly an editor and composer, the French director creates a restrained and emotionally nuanced work where music and silence function as organic elements of the narrative.
One of the programme’s strongest social concerns is marginalization and exclusion. Felix & Fernand, by Oscar and Thierry Buenafuente, portrays the unusual relationship between a homeless father and son, exploring family love under conditions of poverty and social isolation. The film creates a warm and humane atmosphere in which marginalized characters are portrayed with dignity and empathy.
Similarly, the French film For Educational Purposes, directed by Charlotte Cayeux and Hassan Benali, addresses cultural tension, verbal aggression, and intergenerational conflict within the French educational system. Through a verbal incident between a teacher and her student, the film examines social polarization and the limits of communication in contemporary society.
A poetic and existential dimension emerges in Zuta Deva by Kosovar filmmaker Alma Qoqaj, where isolation during quarantine becomes a reflection on loneliness, identity, and the need for human connection. A graduate of the Sarajevo Film Academy, Qoqaj develops a poetic and meditative visual language in which atmosphere and silence are as significant as dialogue.
A similarly humane and socially engaged perspective characterizes the Greek film Black Mountain, directed by Nikos Kakonas, in which a grandmother’s love for her grandson confronts poverty, abandonment, and urban indifference. The film creates a realistic and sombre atmosphere where human sensitivity remains the last form of resistance against social brutality. Trained in cinematography in Scotland and active as both cinematographer and editor in Greece, Kakonas brings a strong visual realism, with the camera functioning as an intimate observer of urban life and human emotions.
The Short Film Programme at DEA OPEN AIR 2026 once again demonstrates that the short film is not a “smaller” form of cinema, but rather a free space for aesthetic, emotional, and narrative experimentation, where emerging international filmmakers are shaping the future language of world cinema. Through intimate stories and universal themes, the films in this programme transform the screen into a space for reflection on humanity, memory, pain, and the need for connection in an increasingly fragmented world.
Press Office DEA OPEN AIR
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Student Film at DEA OPEN AIR 2026: A New Map of Emerging International Cinema
The 13th Edition of the DEA OPEN AIR International Film Festival – Tirana 2026 presents, within its Student Film Competition Programme, a broad panorama of the newest generation of international filmmakers. Through 18 films from Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, Finland, Albania, Turkey, Brazil, Lebanon, Germany, Iran, the United States, Portugal, Poland, Spain, Kosovo, the Russian Federation, Hong Kong, and Italy, audiences will encounter diverse forms of contemporary student cinema, ranging from psychological drama and social documentary to experimental animation and poetic introspective filmmaking.
This year’s programme clearly demonstrates that student film is no longer merely an academic exercise but a free territory of aesthetic and emotional exploration, where young filmmakers are developing their own cinematic languages and articulating the concerns of their generation. Themes of memory, identity, isolation, family trauma, war, migration, emotional crisis, and the search for belonging recur throughout the programme.
One of the programme’s most remarkable characteristics is its stylistic and aesthetic diversity. The selection ranges from realist drama and intimate documentary to artistic animation, experimental cinema, and hybrid approaches that blur the boundaries between documentary and fiction. Many of the films embrace a minimalist and introspective aesthetic, where silence, atmosphere, and emotional tension become more significant than direct narrative action.
The programme also highlights filmmakers educated at prestigious international institutions such as ESCAC in Spain, VGIK in Russia, the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne, the University of Hong Kong, the Academy of Arts in Turku, KinoEyes European Masters, and the University of Arts in Prishtina. Their diverse cultural and artistic influences create a fascinating dialogue among European, Asian, and American cinematic traditions.
Psychological drama remains one of the programme’s dominant genres. The Egyptian film Al-Adham, directed by Eman Hatem Ebied, explores memory and emotional pain through the story of a married couple trapped in the past. A graduate of El Shorouk Academy in Cairo and active in both theatre and digital media, Ebied creates a dark and emotionally charged atmosphere in which tragedy emerges gradually from the inability to escape memory.
A similarly introspective approach characterizes the Finnish film Better This Way, directed by Jaakko Antero Ylitalo. The film follows a person suffering from amnesia who attempts to reconstruct their identity through memories recorded in an audio diary. A graduate of the Academy of Arts in Turku, Ylitalo explores the grey areas of morality and suppressed emotions through a cold Nordic aesthetic and a fragmented psychological narrative.
A powerful social and human dimension emerges in the Albanian documentary The Breast and the Bombs, directed by Ogerta Spahiu. The film follows the story of a young woman confronting illness and anxiety, transforming the body into a metaphor for emotional and existential explosion. Educated at the Marubi Academy and active in television directing, Spahiu develops a personal and reflective documentary approach where intimacy, fear, and inner strength intertwine.
Documentary filmmaking forms another important pillar of the programme. The Turkish documentary The Stone-Carved Dara Empire explores cultural heritage and historical memory through the journey of a history student to the ancient city of Dara in Mardin. Director Emrullah Taş, a student of Radio, Cinema, and Television, combines academic research with a search for cultural and personal identity.
In a similar spirit, the Kosovar documentary Thermokiss Has No Borders, directed by Korab Jashari and Tea Krasniqi, explores the alternative community of Termokiss in Prishtina as a space of solidarity, activism, and youth creativity. The film captures the energy of a generation searching for new models of coexistence and urban identity. Jashari, a directing student at the University of Arts in Prishtina, represents a new generation of Kosovar filmmakers focused on community, alternative culture, and youth experience.
Another important tendency within the programme is the use of animation as a vehicle for emotional and philosophical reflection. The Brazilian film As It Was creates a fantastical and emotional universe centered on memory and loss through an imaginative and introspective visual style. Its young creators, graduates of ESPM-RJ’s Animation Design programme, combine emotional realism with symbolic and fantastical worlds.
Likewise, Because I Am a Girl from Kyrgyzstan presents an animated documentary created with teenage girls, using personal reflections to address gender roles and social expectations in Kyrgyz society. The film demonstrates the growing interest of young filmmakers in hybrid forms that combine documentary and animation to engage with sensitive social realities.
A particularly contemporary and experimental dimension is introduced by the Hong Kong film The Peony Tale, created with artificial intelligence and inspired by the Tang Dynasty poet Yu Xuanji. Directors Yuqing Liu and Jintao Sun combine surrealist aesthetics, traditional Chinese culture, and generative digital media to reflect on the fate of talented women in patriarchal societies. The film stands as one of the programme’s most compelling examples of AI being used as an artistic tool in contemporary student cinema.
Migration and cultural identity form another major thematic strand. The Portuguese film The Prayer, directed by Sofia Geweiler, portrays the life of an undocumented immigrant in Lisbon, caught between tradition, work, and fatherhood. The Russian-German director, trained in documentary filmmaking and currently part of the European KinoEyes programme, develops a cinematic language that combines social realism with emotional and identity-based tension.
The Lebanese film Ink on Paper explores identity and social constraints through the story of a Palestinian girl growing up in a refugee camp in Lebanon. Director Kenana Hussein Hasan, a graduate of the Lebanese International University, approaches questions of belonging and personal freedom with intimacy and humanity.
The programme also includes films that address the emotional crisis of a younger generation. The Polish film Quarter, directed by Maja Górczak, follows the anxiety of a twenty-five-year-old woman who feels trapped between social expectations and the fear that her opportunities are slipping away. Educated at Wajda School and FAMU International, Górczak brings a realist aesthetic and a strong sensitivity toward the emotional uncertainty of contemporary European youth.
A similarly introspective perspective characterizes the Italian film When It Rains Inside, directed by Silvia Zennaro, where psychological isolation, obsession, and the need for control become metaphors for modern loneliness. A graduate of the Blow Up Academy in Ferrara, Zennaro constructs a film focused on atmosphere, inner worlds, and emotional tension.
The Student Film Programme at DEA OPEN AIR 2026 once again demonstrates that a new generation of international filmmakers is seeking new forms of storytelling, grounded more in sensitivity, personal experience, and ethical reflection than in spectacle. Through diverse cinematic languages and aesthetic experimentation, these young authors create a new map of contemporary cinema, where film becomes a space of memory, identity, resistance, and human inquiry.
Press Office DEA OPEN AIR
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DEA OPEN AIR 2026 ANNOUNCES THE WINNERS OF ITS THIRTEENTH EDITION
Tirana, 5 June 2026 – With a gala ceremony held at the Amphitheatre of the University of Arts, the Thirteenth Edition of the DEA OPEN AIR International Film Festival came to a close. Under the motto “Open Sky. Open Minds!”, the festival brought together this year 40 films from 25 countries and nearly 30 invited filmmakers from 12 nations, once again confirming its role as one of the most important events dedicated to auteur cinema in Albania and the region.
Throughout the festival’s five-day programme, audiences had the opportunity to discover films exploring themes such as identity, memory, social justice, freedom, love, loss, and hope, presenting stories drawn from diverse cultures and human realities. At a time when societies face increasing polarization and uncertainty, DEA OPEN AIR continued to promote cinema as a space for dialogue, reflection, and mutual understanding.
An important place within the programme was also occupied by the DEA Academy, which, through the Regional Meeting of Film Schools, continued to encourage collaboration among film education institutions throughout the region. Within this framework, the creative project “Tirana – My Love”, produced by students of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Prishtina, was presented, together with the short film “The Lake”, shot during the days of the festival in Tirana.
During the closing ceremony, DEA OPEN AIR awarded the Faculty of Arts of the University of Prishtina a Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of its longstanding partnership and continuous collaboration with the festival.
STUDENT FILM COMPETITION
The Student Film Competition featured 18 films from 17 countries.
DEA Award for Best Student Film
Winner
- Pasta Alfredo — Leila Noee (Iran, 2025)
Nominations
- Quarter — Maja Górczak (Poland, 2025)
- Pasta Alfredo — Leila Noee (Iran, 2025)
- The Tale of the Peony — Yuqing Liu & Jintao Sun (China, 2025)
Special Jury Mentions
- Thermokiss Has No Borders — Korab Jashari & Tea Krasniqi (Kosovo, 2025)
- The Breast and the Bombs — Ogerta Spahiu (Albania, 2025)
SHORT FILM COMPETITION
The Short Film Competition featured 15 films from 10 countries.
DEA Award for Best Short Film
Winner
- When the Tiger Roars — LAM Can-zhao (China, 2025)
Nominations
- When the Tiger Roars — LAM Can-zhao (China, 2025)
- Felix & Fernand — Oscar Buenafuente & Thierry Buenafuente (France, 2025)
- For Educational Purposes — Hassan Benali & Charlotte Cayeux (France, 2025)
MEDIA AWARDS
Media Award for Best Short Film
Winner
- Felix & Fernand — Oscar Buenafuente & Thierry Buenafuente (France, 2025)
Nominations
- Something Wrong — Paola Termine (France, 2025)
- Felix & Fernand — Oscar Buenafuente & Thierry Buenafuente (France, 2025)
- For Educational Purposes — Hassan Benali & Charlotte Cayeux (France, 2025)
Media Award for Best Feature Film
Winner
- Kurak (Mosaic) — Erke Dzhumakmatova (Kyrgyzstan, 2025)
Nominations
- Kurak (Mosaic) — Kyrgyzstan, 2025
- Singular — Spain / Finland, 2025
- House of the Chosen — Poland, 2024
TIRANA AUDIENCE AWARD
Winner
- Gülizar — Belkıs Bayrak (Turkey, 2025)
FEATURE FILM COMPETITION
The main competition programme included seven films representing Turkey, Poland, the Netherlands, Kyrgyzstan, Italy, Spain, Finland, China, Hong Kong, and the United States through international co-productions.
DEA Award for Best Actor
Winner
- Bekir Behrem — Gülizar (Turkey, 2025)
Nominations
- Bekir Behrem — Gülizar
- Javier Rey — Singular
- Yan Kunao — Jet Lag in Summer
DEA Award for Best Actress
Winner
- Elisabetta Pellini — La Terza Volta (The Third Time) (Italy, 2025)
Nominations
- Elisabetta Pellini — La Terza Volta (The Third Time)
- Shuyao Chen — Jet Lag in Summer
- Ecem Uzun — Gülizar
DEA Award for Best Cinematography
Winner
- Mateusz Skalski — Debate (Germany / Netherlands / Poland, 2025)
Nominations
- Mateusz Skalski — Debate
- Davide Laguardia & Andres Arce Maldonado — La Terza Volta (The Third Time)
- Szymon Lenkowski & Jarosław Zamojda — House of the Chosen
DEA Award for Best Screenplay
Winner
- Álex Merino & Alberto Gastesi — Singular (Spain / Finland, 2025)
Nominations
- Álex Merino & Alberto Gastesi — Singular
- Nikolai Geffele — Debate
- Erke Dzhumakmatova — Kurak (Mosaic)
DEA Award for Best Director
Winner
- Wojciech Nowak — House of the Chosen (Poland, 2024)
Nominations
- Wojciech Nowak — House of the Chosen
- Alberto Gastesi — Singular
- Gianni Aureli — La Terza Volta (The Third Time)
DEA Award for Best Feature Film
Winner
- Singular — Alberto Gastesi (Spain / Finland, 2025)
Nominations
- Singular — Spain / Finland, 2025
- Gülizar — Turkey, 2025
- Jet Lag in Summer — China / Hong Kong / USA, 2025
SPECIAL FESTIVAL AWARDS
DEA Gratitude Award
Awarded to filmmaker Esat Musliu in recognition of his longstanding contribution to Albanian cinema.
DEA Homage Award
Dedicated to renowned cinematographer Ilia Terpini, one of the creators of some of the most memorable images in the history of Albanian cinema.
With the conclusion of its thirteenth edition, DEA OPEN AIR once again reaffirmed its mission to promote quality cinema, cultural dialogue, and international artistic exchange, and now looks forward to welcoming audiences, filmmakers, and partners back for the 2027 edition.
Press Office DEA OPEN AIR