A fierce debate has erupted over the new draft law on cinematography after director Mevlan Shanaj issued a public appeal to several well-known names in film and public life, urging them to examine closely the draft expected to go to Parliament. At the center of his accusations is the suspicion that, behind a film festival, public noise is being used to push through a legal change with serious consequences for Albanian film.
A direct appeal to well-known figures
Shanaj publicly addressed actress Rajmonda Bulku, Professor Përparim Kabo, producer Petrit Beci and Esat Teliti, asking them to read the new draft law on cinematography carefully.
In his reaction, the director presents the draft as a blow to domestic production and raises concern that the changes are passing under the shadow of a media event which, according to him, is being used to distract from the real debate.
Suspicions that the festival is being used as cover
According to Shanaj, a distorted festival has been created that is serving as an “anteroom” for changing the current cinematography law by a grouping that he closely links to this event.
He calls the festival artificial noise, citing the large number of career awards and other prizes as part of a scheme that, in his version, is intended to cover up the content of the draft being prepared for approval.
What the director opposes in the draft
Shanaj claims the new draft law does not strengthen Albanian film, but risks weakening it even further. One of the points he raises is that in the new structure the very concept of “film” could be diluted, while the institution would take the form of an “Audiovisual Service Agency.”
For the director, this change is not merely technical. According to him, behind this model lies the risk that the domestic industry will not develop as national creativity, but will instead be pushed toward a service role for foreign productions.
Fear of turning the industry into a foreign service arm
In his reaction, Shanaj says Albanians could end up in secondary roles on foreign projects, while the main levels of creation would remain out of the hands of local professionals.
He also raises concern about the way Albania has been portrayed in some foreign films, asking whether the country is building an Albanian cinema or simply a service arm for productions arriving from abroad.
The debate goes beyond the festival
Shanaj’s message ends with a clear appeal: according to him, the issue is no longer a festival, but the future of Albanian film production itself.
So far there has been no public reaction mentioned from the people he addressed, while the claims raised by the director place the focus on the transparency of the draft law and on the way an intervention with direct impact on Albanian cinematography is being pushed forward.
Beyond the harsh tones, the reaction exposes a broader problem: the lack of public clarity about the authors, logic and beneficiaries of the new draft. When such changes affect cultural identity and funds linked to film, suspicions are not dispelled by ceremonies, awards or festive rhetoric.
The debate has now shifted to the essential question: is Albanian film being protected, or is the way being opened for a model that leaves domestic creativity in the background?