Scandal erupts as Albanian-language film blocked in Montenegro

The cabinet of Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović requested that the film “The Stork” by Kosovar director Isa Qosja be shown again to the public, after its screening on September 3 was forcibly interrupted.

The interruption occurred due to the reaction of some citizens who, apparently, did not accept the fact that the film was in the Albanian language, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

“We expect the police and the Prosecutor’s Office to identify the perpetrators and prosecute them. It is important to make it possible for the film to be shown again,” the statement from Milatović’s cabinet said.

The Montenegrin police did not issue an official statement, but unofficially told Radio Free Europe that they are still “gathering information” and “acting on the prosecutor’s orders.”

The organizers of the Xhada festival, where “The Stork” was being screened, confirmed that there had been an “unpleasant situation” and that the film’s showing was interrupted for security reasons.
They did not want to comment further to Radio Free Europe.

Several political parties and civil society groups called on the authorities to urgently punish this kind of violent behavior and to protect the dignity of artists, citizens, and public space.

What did a witness say?

Jasmin Muriq, who was part of the audience, described the course of events for Radio Free Europe:

“After the first scene and the first words spoken in Albanian, some people left the screening, making nasty comments. After 20 minutes, a group of people who were standing nearby began shouting loudly, demanding that the screening be stopped.”

He said that one of the organizers asked them to be quiet and allow the film to continue, but that they “threatened and insulted him” and even made “gestures of physical attack.”

According to Muriq, the situation calmed down somewhat, but about 15 minutes later, “another group of seven or eight people appeared, aged between 20 and 40.”
“They aggressively and loudly demanded that the screening be stopped immediately. They shouted: ‘Stop this film right now’, ‘No Albanian film in [the neighborhood] Zabjelo’, ‘I live here and you cannot show me an Albanian film,’” Muriq recounted.

“The organizers immediately acted on that ‘order’. The police, who were nearby – two cars at the beginning and end of the street – did not react while I was there,” he said.

‘This did not start yesterday’

One of the producers of “The Stork”, Ivan Gjurović, told Radio Free Europe that no one from the competent government institutions contacted him after the interruption of the film – “not a single member of the film crew.”

He said he was surprised, but did not blame those who caused the incident.

“I don’t blame these people. Society is poisoned. With all the information it is exposed to, with this kind of indoctrination, this poisoning, nothing is surprising,” he said.

According to him, “The Stork” is a story about the position of women in isolated areas, including parts of Montenegro.

“People from different countries worked on the film, including Montenegro. The crew included Montenegrins, Serbs, and Albanians. This is a story about them. Director Isa Qosja was born in the village of Vuthaj, on the border with Albania. It is logical that the film is in the Albanian language,” Gjurović said.

He sees the incident as a deeper problem because “the state has not devoted any time to building a healthy society.”
According to him, society is on the verge of a serious crisis.

“This did not start yesterday. Society has long been neglected. Anyone is allowed to act as they please, and no one is seriously dealing with fighting these disturbances,” Gjurović said.

Calls on authorities to identify perpetrators

The violent interruption of the film was condemned by part of the public, the NGO sector, as well as representatives of political and religious life.

In addition to the request that the film be shown again and the perpetrators identified, the Office of the President of Montenegro said that the violent interruption of the screening represented serious discrimination and open intolerance, “only because the film was shot in the Albanian language.”

“This is an alarm that fundamental social values are being dealt a serious blow,” the statement said.

The head of the Islamic Community in Montenegro, Rifat Fejzić, said the interruption of the film was an “attack on Montenegro’s cultural diversity.”

According to Montenegro’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development, Nik Gjeloshaj, the violent interruption of the screening of a film in the Albanian language is not only an issue for the Albanian community but for Montenegro as a whole.

“Those who bear the most responsibility for reacting and ensuring the screening of the film are: the president of the state, the prime minister, and the speaker of parliament. Unfortunately, their reaction is missing,” Gjeloshaj said.

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament of Montenegro, Nikollë Camaj, said he expected a decisive reaction from the institutions and announced that “he will personally ensure that the authorities find the organizers and perpetrators of this disgusting event,” TCh reported.

The European Union delegation in Montenegro, which financially supported the Xhada festival, issued a brief statement on platform X, saying that “artistic freedom of expression is an integral part of freedom of speech and one of the fundamental democratic values.”