LOGLINE

A transsexual Albanian woman living in Paris, forced to leave her home and family decades prior as a dammed homosexual, finds herself at death’s door and tries to arrange for her body to be returned and buried in her homeland.

SUMMARY

Adrian leads a content life with family and parents in a quiet rural Albanian town. One day out of the blue a frenchman named Toni Panie appears at their doorstep. He informs the family that their eldest son Gëzim who lives in Paris, is dying and that a member of the family must travel to bring him back for burial in Albania.
It has been almost thirty years that the family banished Gëzim for being a homosexual. After all this time, Gëzim has changed even further becoming a transsexual whilst amassing a considerable amount of wealth in France band Albania. The wealth may be a motivator for the family to consider accepting him back, alas in death.
Adrian decides to head for Paris to go get his brother’s body now a transgender woman, a tabu and a scandal for his family, and bring her back to Albania vía Italy.

SHORT BIO of Director

Director / Screenwriter/Producer Bujar Alimani was born on January 27, 1969 in Patos, Albania. He studied painting and stage directing at the Academy of Fine Arts in Tirana. In 1992 he immigrated to Greece, where he worked as an assistant director on several Greek films. His short films were awarded in various International Film festivals, such as in Tampere, Rezenburger, Siena, Sydney, Montpellier etc. In 2011 he directed his first feature film “Amnesty”. It was the first Albanian film that was funded by the Council of Europe fund, Eurimages. The film is the first official participation of Albania in Berlin International Film Festival, and participated in many international festivals Wesbaden Germany, Lecce Italy, Kopenhagen Denmark, Jerusalem Israel, La Rochelle France, Srajevo Bosnia Hercegovina, Montreal Canada, Anatolia Turkey, Raindance London UK, Chicago USA, Kalkouta India, Lisbon Portugali, Lens Poland, Talin Estoni, etc, and won the C.I.C.A.E. Prize in Berlin International Film Festival, Fipresci Award , CINEUROPA AWARD , JURY PRIZE Lecce Italy, JURY PRIZE Lisbon Portugali etc. AMNESTY is official Albanian Candidate for Foreign Language Film Award OSCAR 2012. KROM / CHROMIUM is the second his feature film one Albanian, Kosovo, Germany and Greece coproduction.This film has participate in the most Important International Film Festivals like Hamburg Film Festival, Montpellier Film Festival, Bruxels, Segovia Spain, Munich etc.and was also the official Albanian Candidate for Foreign Language Film Award OSCAR 2017. During 2016 he completed two documentaries “ZOIS” and “DOM” in USA. In 2017 he completed the short MISSING EARRING . In 2018 he completed the 3 th feature film THE DELEGATION one Albanian coproduction with France, Greece and Kosovo. THE DELEGATION had world premiere in Warsaw International Film Festival (October 2017) and won the GRAND PRIX and Ecumenical Award. And in Trieste Film Festival / Italy January 2019 won THE BEST FEATURE FILM and PAG AWARD. This period workis in postproduction for ALBANIAN VIRGIN , one project with Albania, Germany, Belgium and Kosova coproduction. Bujar Alimani lives in New York USA from 2013.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

We have been invited to participate in this special project that will tell a story that depicts the Albanian society as one not that different than others societies. Two topologies are immediately apparent in the script, that of Albania and the western perspective depicted by the French, Italian and even Greek countries and their respective geographies, in contemplation with the psychological construct of the main characters in the story, which contrast everything else.
This story is full of colors which contrasts death, the ever connector of characters that is always a point of reference and a crossroad, from which the heroes can always embark journeys they may have had contemplated otherwise. Sacrifice is deployed and used akin to an ancient rite, as well as the return of the body of the deceased brother, that reminds us old Balkan legends, which solves conflicts and alleviates spirits. The story is not about grief instead, it’s a song about humanity, love, and goodness in people although, death is sitting at the table.
The script is complete and gives one the ability to use different perspectives and camera angles, colors, clothing and wardrobe, music, locations, and the actors who will inhabit these challenging, unique, and beautiful characters.

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