The 12th edition of the DEA OPEN AIR International Film Festival will take place in Tirana from June 9 to 13, 2025.

After five successful years in Saranda, DEA returns to Tirana for the seventh time. This time, the festival brings a fresh program of films and professional expertise to the capital’s audiences, students, and filmmakers.

As in previous years, DEA remains an open-air event. The main competition for feature films will screen at DEA OPEN AIR Cinema 1, located at the Amphitheatre of the University of Arts. In addition, this venue will host the opening ceremony and the Gala Awards Night.

Meanwhile, the afternoon screenings will take place at DEA OPEN AIR Cinema 2, inside Agimi Cinema Hall. These include feature films, short films, and documentaries.

According to organizers, all participants submitted their entries via FilmFreeway, Festhome, or directly to the festival.

As a result, DEA has received submissions from across Europe and beyond. The international selection committee reviewed them and completed the final list in March.

This year, the program includes 34 films from 20 countries. Specifically, the committee selected 7 feature films, 14 short films, and 13 student films.

In terms of origin, feature films come from Albania, North Macedonia, Turkey, Italy, Poland, and Brazil. Furthermore, short films arrive from Kosovo, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Iran, Canada, Turkey, Russia, Uzbekistan, Spain, Peru, and the United Kingdom.

At the same time, student films represent eight countries: Albania, Iran, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Italy, Chile, and Russia. Albania contributes 4 student films. Spain and Iran each have 2, while the other countries submit 1 film each.

In parallel, the DEA Academy will organize the Regional Meeting of Film Schools from June 10 to 12. This initiative aims to strengthen collaboration among film schools in the Balkans.

This year, three institutions will participate:

The Department of Film and Television, University of Arts, Tirana (Albania)
The Department of Film and TV Directing, University of Pristina, Faculty of Arts (Kosovo)
The Department of Film and Video, Academy of Arts, University of Split (Croatia)

During the three days, students will show their films and present their schools’ academic and cultural programs. In addition, roundtable discussions will address cinema development in the region, training for new filmmakers, and opportunities for joint projects.

Moreover, Turkish director Semih Kaplanoglu will lead a masterclass.

The event is supported by the Municipality of Tirana, the National Center of Cinematography, the Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation, and the University of Arts. Together, they create a welcoming environment for artists and guests from around the world.

Finally, the presence of directors, actors, producers, critics, and journalists will bring energy and dialogue. Through their work, the festival will once again showcase the power and promise of cinema.

/a.c/