‘Agon’ officially selected as Albania’s Oscar submission

TIRANA, Oct. 17 – Agon, an Albanian-Greek co-production, has been officially selected as Albania’s submission for the 86th Academy Awards for the best foreign language film submission. Artan Minarolli, the director of the National Cinematography Centre, said the movie was not selected because of being the only candidate meeting the criteria but also because the jury believes this is a really good movie which can be nominated by the Academy.
The Agon movie screened in Albania last December after making its world premiere at the Chicago Film Festival.
Agon, a movie featuring Albanian migration and prejudice against them abroad in the post 90s is a Greek-Albanian co-production directed by Albania’s Robert Budina. A powerful drama about cultural conflict and the strength of familial bonds, Agon explores the relationship between Albanian brothers who must deal with prejudice and bigotry in a new country. Saimir is well-established and thriving with a stable job and a fiancꥠin Greece, while Vini, newly emigrated, is involved with dangerous criminals. Family is incredibly important to both brothers, but their differences open a rift between them that they must confront.
“This is no immigrants΄ story, but a story about people’s efforts to integrate. This is no story about crime and mafia, but a story about impossible love. I have met all the characters of my drama, in other circumstances. Today I have an opportunity to recreate them, in order to build a story with them and express, through this story, the complexity of human feelings,” says the movie director.
Last year, Albania submitted Joni Shanaj’s Pharmakon. None of the Albanian submissions since 1996 has been nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category.