Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter 1
2. Table of Contents 5
3. Preface. A Personal Journey towards and through Albania and Its Cinema 9
4. Acknowledgements 15
5. Introduction
6. Albania—The Context for a Little-Known Cinema 19
7. Some words on the Balkans at large and at small 21
8. Albania in a postcolonial context 23
9. Additional words on the complete isolation of Albania 26
10. The arts in Albania 32
11. Albanian cinema and the project of this book 34
12. Films chosen for discussion and analysis 36
13. Structure of the book 37
14. I. The Roots of Cinema in Albania
15. The Ottoman Period, Independence, and the Fascist Occupation 47
16. A sequel as a prequel 48
17. The Manaki brothers 52
18. Early filming in Albania 58
19. Mihallaq Mone 64
20. II. The Birth and Development of a Socialist Cinema
21. Albania and the Soviet Union 71
22. Albania and the Soviet Union 75
23. Early Albanian newsreels and documentaries 76
24. The training of young film professionals in Moscow and linguistic and continued cultural ties between Albania and the Soviet Union 80
25. Sergei Yutkevich’s Luftëtari i madh i Shqipërisë Skënderbeu/ Великий воин Албании Скандербег/The Great Warrior Skanderbeg: A Soviet-Albanian coproduction 84
26. Another level of documentary: Endri Keko 92
27. Innovation silenced: Viktor Stratobërdha 95
28. Innovation silenced: Viktor Stratobërdha 97
29. Kinostudio’s first feature film: Kristaq Dhamo’s Tana 99
30. Kristaq Dhamo: A coproduction with the Soviet Union 102
31. III. The Flourishing of Kinostudio
32. Albania’s Rapprochement with China and Albanian films during the Cultural Revolution 107
33. Enver Hoxha on the arts in a socialist society 112
34. Enver Hoxha on the arts in a socialist society 115
35. Hysen Hasani’s DEBATIK: Children and vigilance 121
36. Feature films of the early to 1960s through 1976 125
37. Ngadhnjim mbi vdekjen/Victory over Death (1967): Heroines of the partisan movement 129
38. Dhimitër Anagnosti’s Duel i heshtur/Silent Duel (1967): A Cold War thriller 134
39. Viktor Gjika’s Clear Horizons/Horizonte të hapura: A hero of the working class 139
40. Viktor Gjika’s Rrugë të bardha/White Roads: The New Man reexplored 144
41. Fehmi Hoshafi and Muhharem Fejzo’s Kapedani/The Captain (1972): In communist Albania, women had the last laugh 146
42. Imagining Albania’s landscape, both bucolic and harsh 150
43. Dhimiter Anagnosti’s Lulëkuqet mbi mure/Red Poppies on the Wall: Totalitarianism defied 153
44. IV. A Cinema in Isolation
45. Historical context of the years of isolation 161
46. Thematic diversity of Albanian cinema in the period of isolation 165
47. Xhanfise Keko’s children’s films 168
48. Music and national identity 173
49. Piro Milkani and Kujtim Çashku’s Ballë për ballë/Face to Face: Nostalgia for Soviet friendship The ensuing discussion of Piro 177
50. Kujtim Çashku’s Dora e ngrohtë/The Warm Hand: A wayward youth redeemed 187
51. V. Kinostudio in the Post-Hoxha Era
52. Ramiz Alia’s Albania 191
53. Late Kinostudio productions 193
54. Adaptations of Kadare 194
55. A stance against corruption 201
56. Esat Musliu’s Rrethi i kujtesës/The Circle of Memory (1987): Posttraumatic stress and memory loss 203
57. Eduard Makri’s Shpella e piratëve/The Pirate Cave (1990): Childhood and adventure 206
58. Some Words in Conclusion
59. Towards an Albanian Cinema of Postcommunism 211
60. Esat Musliu’s Vitet e pritjes/Years of Waiting (1990): Emigration and women 213
61. Towards the future 218
62. Bibliography 221
63. Filmography 235
64. Index 241