One of the most acclaimed Albanian-language films in European cinema this year, and an Oscar contender, will meet Albanian audiences with a powerful story about dignity, poverty, family and the human cost of survival.
The Tirana International Film Festival, taking place from September 21 to 27, will screen “Shame and Money”, the latest film by Visar Morina, one of the most prominent contemporary Albanian filmmakers from Kosovo. Morina will also attend the festival in Tirana alongside his film.
The film had its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. It left one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals with a major honor, winning the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition.
However, “Shame and Money” continued its international journey after Sundance.
The film has been selected for several major festivals, including the Sydney Film Festival, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and Sarajevo Film Festival. It also won the Jury Award in the CineMasters competition at FilmFest München.
The story follows Shabani and Hatixheja, a couple who live with their family in a village in Kosovo. They earn a living from their farm.
A family conflict destroys their economic foundation and forces them to move to Prishtina. They travel to the capital in search of work and a new way to support their family.
However, the city does not offer the escape they expect. Instead, it confronts them with a world where work, money and human dignity begin to carry the same price.
Morina builds a powerful social drama from the experience of one Kosovar family. Yet the story quickly moves beyond its geographical setting.
“Shame and Money” explores poverty, but it also examines the shame that poverty can create. It looks at the need to ask for help and the wounds that dependence can leave on a person’s pride.
At the same time, the film examines a society where survival can become a daily test of human dignity.
Astrit Kabashi and Flonja Kodheli play the leading roles. Kumrije Hoxha, Fiona Gllavica and Alban Ukaj also join the cast.
Visar Morina and Doruntina Basha wrote the screenplay.
The film brings together Kosovo, Germany, Slovenia, Albania, North Macedonia and Belgium in a multinational co-production. The filmmakers shot the movie in Albanian.
Morina has already established himself on the European film scene. His previous films have screened at major international festivals, including Berlinale, Sundance, Locarno and Karlovy Vary.
His 2020 film “Exile” won the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Film at the Sarajevo Film Festival. It also competed in Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition.
Morina made his feature-film debut with “Father” (“Babai”). The film represented Kosovo in the Academy Awards race and marked another important milestone in his international career.
In 2015, Morina also won the Best Director Award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for “Father”.
Morina’s return to Tirana therefore carries special significance.
“Shame and Money” is not simply the latest film by a Kosovar director arriving at an international festival. It represents the work of a filmmaker who has developed a distinctive cinematic voice.
Morina transforms Albanian and Balkan experiences into stories that resonate far beyond the region.
The film speaks about money, but above all, about something money cannot buy: dignity.
/a.c/
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