Amsterdam Express is a 2014 Albanian

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 by Fatmir Koçi and co-written by Koci and Jonathan Preece. The film was an international co-production between studios based in Albania, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

Plot

Bekim, a young Albanian immigrant in Amsterdam, is precariously caught between the promise and allure of the rich city, the threats of ruthless Albanian drug dealers & sex traffickers, and his white marriage to a Dutch girl. At the heart of it all is a true love in his poor and backward country. Bekim, will do anything to make a quick buck. Instead, he returns to his country empty-handed after spending his last Euros to save a young girl at the windows of the red light district.

Cast

Blerim Destani Blerim Destani is an Albanian actor and producer. He is best known for his roles in '' Time of the Comet'' and '' Dossier K.'' Biography Destani was born in Stolberg near Aachen, West Germany. He spent his childhood in Tetovo, North Macedoni ...

as Bekim * James Biberi as Van Doom * Flonja Kodheli as Marta *

Bujar Lako Bujar Lako (23 May 1946 – 26 December 2016) was an Albanian actor who appeared in numerous films and theaters, playing the lead roles of hundreds characters. He died on 26 December 2016, at the age of 70. Filmography References Exter ...

as Selim * Rajmonda Bulku as Vjollca * Carolien Spoor as Suzanna * Natasha Goulden as Anna * Renne Gjoni as Grijs * Victoria Mirovaya as Junkie Girl * Gert Ferra as Roni * Dritan Kastrati as Deki * Olta Gixhari as Dora * Irena Mecaj as Albana * Laert Pasko as Tuki * Lykele Muus as Johan * Gjenovefa Redhi as Shqipe * Vasian Lami as Elezi

Production

''Amsterdam Express'' was directed by Fatmir Koci and co-written by Koci and Jonathan Preece. Albania's Act Triangle Production, United Kingdom's

Film and Music Entertainment Film and Music Entertainment (F&ME, FAME) is a British film production company based in Dublin, Ireland. The company was founded by Mike Downey and Sam Taylor in 2000, then headquartered in London, and has since produced many films, including ...

, Netherlands' Popov Film, and Germany's Lara Film were involved in the production. This was the first time that a company from the United Kingdom was involved in an Albanian film production. Funding for the film was obtained from the international partners and the Albanian Film Centre.

Mike Downey Mike Downey may refer to: * Mike Downey (columnist) (1951–2024), American newspaper columnist * Mike Downey (producer) (fl. 1980s–2020s), Irish-British film producer See also * Mike Downie (fl. 1990s–2020s), Canadian documentary filmm ...

, the head of Film and Music Entertainment, first met Koci in France in 1995, and made documentaries together at the Imaginary Academy in

Grožnjan Grožnjan (; ) is a settlement and a municipality in Croatia. It is part of Istria County, which takes up most of the Istrian peninsula. Around 36% of the municipality's population is Italian. History Early history In Grožnjan are found ancient ...

in 1999. Six weeks of filming was done in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

and additional filming was conducted 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 ...

. Filming ended on 23 August 2013, and post-production was done in Amsterdam. Max Vonk edited the film.

Release

''Amsterdam Express'' was released in Albania on the 27 March 2014.

References

Works cited

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External links

*{{IMDb title, id=2496808, title=Amsterdam Express 2014 films English-language Albanian films Albanian-language films 2014 drama films Albanian drama films 2010s English-language films 2014 multilingual films