Spotting the Eagle on Anglophone Turf

While Albania as a nation was remote from western eyes during both the Ottoman years and the Communist period, even more so was its cinema. During the height of the nation’s isolation in the 1970s and 1980s, Albanian films were, on occasion, screened in international festivals, which afforded rare opportunities for scrutiny by western viewers. ¹ The reception of these, however, was highly influenced by the stereotyping of Albanian cinema as a mere mechanism of propaganda. Such a perception is, in part, correct. One cannot deny that a great deal of funds was dedicated by the Enver Hoxha regime to the film industry at the expense of other sectors of the economy, this largely due to the ideological goals that could be attained by the medium. ² Although Albanian films were viewed sporadically at western festivals, they had a real audience in the People’s Republic of China, at least at the height of the Chinese Cultural Revolution during which China’s own film studios were virtually shut down. ³ The fall of Communism has changed this situation considerably. Although the number of Albanian films produced under democracy is a fraction of those released under Communism, these recent films have enjoyed a wider audience in the West.