‘Amnesty’ wins three awards in Italy

TIRANA, April 19 – After the successful participation in Berlianle 2011, Amnesty, a movie directed by Albania’s Bujar Alimani has been awarded three prizes in the 12th edition of the European Cinema Festival held in Italy’s Lecce from April 12 to 16.
Amnesty won the jury’s special prize, the FIPRESCI Critics’ Award and the Cineuropa Prize for “the portrayal of the intense story of a society lost in transition, through a love story destined to a tragic end”.
Amnesty, was the first ever Albanian participation in the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival and made its world premiere on Saturday, Feb. 12, in the Forum section.
The Albanian-Greek-French co-production directed by Albania’s Bujar Alimani was financially supported by the Council of Europe European Cinema Support Fund, Eurimages. The movie was shot in Albania and Greece in the autumn of 2010.
The movie stars Albania’s Luli Bitri and Karafil Shena, tells the story of Elsa and Shpetim.
Using breathtaking images without any superfluous flourishes, Amnistia depicts the life of its protagonists in today’s Albania, which is marked by unemployment, economic hardship and patriarchal structures.
“A man and a woman in Albania. Their two partners are both in custody but reforms in the penal system allow married couples to meet once a month for sexual contact. The two meet by chance in the prison and start a tender love affair that looks set to end when their partners are freed in an amnesty.”