Synopsis

During isolated Albania’s transition from communism, a family of five is murdered by two brothers in what is classified as a robbery. At least this is what was reported on the news in the early 1990s. After his older brother, Mark, migrates to Greece, young Gjon crafts the traditional Albanian plis (fez caps), helped by his sister, Agia, standing together, selling their wares at the edge of a busy motorway. Their luck changes when they meet a trader, Mario, who wants to enter into business with the duo. In the dead of night, the two brothers murder the trader and his family in cold blood. The communist code of justice sentences them both to death. With dignity, Gjon and Mark accept the verdict of capital punishment, believing this to be their only chance of salvation to keep their sister’s honour and to give meaning to their own self-destruction.

Director’s Statement

When I was a child growing up in the Eastern European nation Albania, an event left a deep mark on me. In May, 1992, a family of five was murdered. The event shook public opinion in a country which had just emerged from a half century of intense communist dictatorship. During the communist era, a crime like this was unimaginable. Albanians had to adjust to a new, grim reality.

Years later, I came upon a story by a beloved Albanian writer (author Teodor Keko), who’d written that the two young brothers had committed these murders in order to save what they believed to be their family honor. The brothers were sentenced to death by hanging. Their bodies remained on the gallows for twenty four hours as an example to all. This was the last death sentence carried out in Albania.

The Consequences of Freedom is a tragedy. My lead characters murderers who die for a primitive and archaic cause that has no value, belonging to a time that has become rotten. Our protagonist, Gjon, has lived between two extreme societal models, represented by none, unable to become either. The tragic irony of this true story preceded a long transition period that continues to haunt Albanians, thirty years on.

Lorin Terezi – Director

Florenc Papas – Producer

Short bio of the director

Albanian-born filmmaker Lorin Terezi attended the Academy of Arts in his country’s capital, Tirana, graduating in theatre, film and television directing.

Terezi went on to won first prize in Albania’s Youth Theatre Festival for his direction of Tennessee Williams ‘The Glass Menagerie’. Lorin Terezi is the writer and director of the short fiction film “Tirana 100 Km”, a film selected and nominated for awards in several international film festivals. Lorin’s next fiction short, “The News”, funded by the Albanian National Film Centre, premiered at the Flickerfest International Short Film Festival (Oscar and Bafta accredited) in Sydney Australia, winning the Best International Short, a prize which qualified the film for the US Academy Awards in the live action category. “The News” participation in Cyprus’ International Short Film Festival resulted in a nominationin the 2021 European Film Academy Awards. Lorin Terezi’s upcoming first feature-length film, “The Consequences of Freedom”, won the support of the Albanian National Film Center. Best Project in Cyprus Film Days and participated at First Films First and Mediterranean Film Institute.