- published: 08 Oct 2014
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The cinema of Albania had its start in the years 1911—1912.
The first public showing to occur in Albania was a little known title, Paddy the Reliable; a comical story detailing the afterlife events of a man who was so distracted by trivial matters that he was unable to attend his own funeral. These showings began in the cities of Shkodër and Korçë; these showings were of foreign films. The first Albanian films were mostly documentaries, the first film being about the Monastir Congress that sanctioned the Albanian alphabet in 1908.
After World War II, the communist government founded the Albanian Film Institute in 1945, which became Kinostudio Shqipëria e Re in 1952. This was followed by the first Albanian epic film, Skënderbeu, a cooperation with Soviet artists chronicling the life and fight of Albanian national hero Skanderbeg. The film won an award from the Cannes Film Festival. Two other known films from the time are Fëmijët e saj (Her sons) and Tana. Tana is known as the first Albanian movie, and also as the first movie that has a kiss scene in the history of the Albanian movies.
Albania (i/ælˈbeɪniə/ al-BAY-nee-ə, Albanian: Shqipëri/Shqipëria; Gheg Albanian: Shqipnia), officially known as the Republic of Albania (Albanian: Republika e Shqipërisë pronounced Albanian pronunciation: [ɾɛpuˈblika ɛ ʃcipəˈɾiːs]), is a country in Southern Europe. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the west, and on the Ionian Sea to the southwest. It is less than 72 km (45 mi) from Italy, across the Strait of Otranto which links the Adriatic Sea to the Ionian Sea.
Albania is a member of the UN, NATO, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Council of Europe, World Trade Organisation, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and one of the founding members of the Union for the Mediterranean. Albania has been a potential candidate for accession to the European Union since January 2003, and it formally applied for EU membership on 28 April 2009.