Balkan film industry women leaders meet at conference in Tirana

Film directors, producers and film fund executives from across the Balkans gathered in Tirana for an international conference to address challenges facing the regional audiovisual industry and the underrepresentation of women in the sector.

The conference, titled “Breaking the Frame: Balkan Women Reimagine Cinema”, brought together participants from Albania, Kosovo, Greece, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Cyprus and France, as well as representatives of Eurimages, CE Report quotes ATA.

More than 50 participants took part in discussions on the state of the audiovisual industry in the region, French and European practices that have improved gender representation, and the structural barriers facing women directors and producers in the Balkans.

Three panels focused on obstacles preventing women from directing their first feature films, opportunities for regional co-productions and the shift from voluntary recommendations to binding gender-equality mechanisms in film funding.

Participants said women no longer needed to ask for a seat at the cinema table, as they had built that table themselves.

The event was organised by Albanian Women in Audiovisual (AWA) with the support of the French Embassy in Albania, KUB France Tirana and the National Cinematography Centre (QKK). French Ambassador Catherine Suard and QKK head Jonid Jorgji attended the conference.