''Alive'' (, is a 2009 Albanian, Austrian, and French

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed and written by Artan Minarolli. It stars

Nik Xhelilaj Kreshnik Xhelilaj (born 5 March 1983), known professionally as Nik Xhelilaj, is an Albanian-born Turkish actor. He began his international career with the film The Sorrow of Mrs. Schneider, directed by Piro Milkani and Eno Milkani, and has st ...

in the 1997 tragedy of Otranto, in which 81

Albanians The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, Albanian culture, culture, Albanian history, history and Albanian language, language. They are the main ethnic group of Albania and Kosovo, ...

died while attempting to emigrate to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

by ship. It was Albania's

nominee A candidate, or nominee, is a prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position. For example, one can be a candidate for membership in a group or election to an office, in which case a ...

for the

Academy Award for Best International Feature Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

at the

82nd Academy Awards The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2009 and took place on March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, beginning at 5:30 p.m. ...

, but it was not one of the finalists.

Plot

In a country where tradition and modernity are in constant conflict, Koli, a college student determined to fully embrace his youth, finds his life upended when his father passes away. Tasked with bearing the burden of an ancient crime, Koli is drawn into the brutal and archaic realities of contemporary Albania's feudal past.

Cast

as Koli * Xhevdet Ferri as Zefi * Bruno Shllaku as Roku * Besart Kallaku as Fikja * Luli Bitri as the pool girl * Romir Zalla as Tiku * Reshat Arbana as the godfather * Arqile Lici as the mediator * Eni Cani as Fatime * Tinka Kurti as Fatime's grandmother * Gentian Zenelaj as Fatime's brother * Julian Deda as Fatime's brother * Ermal Mamaqi as Fatime's brother

Production

''Alive'' was an Albanian, Austrian, and French coproduction by WILDart Film, Agat Films & Cie – Ex Nihilo, and Art Film. wrote and directed the film. Oliver Neumann edited the film, the cinematography was done by Jacques Bouquin, and Baptiste Bouquin composed the music. Filming was done in

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...

Baldushk Baldushk is a village and municipal unit in Tirana County, central Albania. At the 2015 local government reform, it became a municipal unit of the municipality Tirana. The population as of the 2023 census is 3,879. It is located 15 km south-west ...

Lurë Lurë is a former municipality in the Dibër County, northeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Dibër. Its administrator is Leonard Rajta. The population at the 2011 census was 1,096.

Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra; historically known as Scodra or Scutari) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, fifth-most-populous city of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. Shkodër has been List of o ...

, and

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the List of cities and towns in Albania#List, second most populous city of the Albania, Republic of Albania and county seat, seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is one of Albania's oldest ...

during in 2008. Financial support was provided by the . Only one scene was not filmed in Albania and was shot in Vienna as the scene required underwater effects.

Release

''Alive'' premiered at the

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (, KVIFF) is an annual film festival held in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern Eur ...

on 4 July 2009. It was distributed in Austria by ThimFilm, where it earned $5,688. Albania selected the film as its

for the

at the

, but it was not one of the finalists.

References

Works cited

News

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Web

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alive 2009 films 2009 drama films Albanian drama films Albanian-language films Films set in Albania