Best Albanian drama movies

Get ready to binge. We've found a collection of must-watch drama films from Albania, now streaming on Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Prime Video, and other top services!

  • Poster for Hive

    Hive 2021

    Fahrije’s husband has been missing since the war in Kosovo so she sets up her own small business to provide for her kids, but as she fights against a patriarchal society that does not support her, she faces a crucial decision: to wait for his return, or to continue to persevere.

    67
  • Poster for The Forgiveness of Blood

    The Forgiveness of Blood 2011

    A seventeen-year-old boy and his younger sister’s dreams and aspirations are put on hold when their father is accused of murder.

    67
  • Poster for Red Poppies on the Wall

    Red Poppies on the Wall 1976

    In an orphanage in Tirana at the beginning of the Second World War during the occupation by the Italian fascists, a group of boys make plans to rebel against the despotic director and the oppression by the management.

    87
  • Poster for The Happiness Effect

    The Happiness Effect 2019

    Lea, 21, is being diagnosed with leukemia. Having no time left she starts appreciating every hour, seeing beauty where she's never seen before. Hoping she could change the world, Lea makes a video project aiming to give her contribution to living by creating a viral happiness effect.

    90
  • Poster for The Albanian Virgin

    The Albanian Virgin 2023

    Albania, 1958. Luana, the daughter of a well respected man in the village, makes friends with Agim, who moved here after his family were banned from the city by the communists. Years later, their childhood friendship turns into teenage love, but without prospects. Luana’s father promised her in marriage to someone else when she was a child. When her father finds out about Luana and Agim’s love, he is furious and immediately arranges for his daughter to be married to the man he chose for her. Luana faces a dilemma: to flee with her lover to Germany, risking being caught by the communists and probably killed, or stay loyal to her family. A poignant love story set in dark times shaped by pressure from old traditions. A deeply human tale about freedom, which is the greatest good even if the price is loneliness.

    75
  • Poster for The Van

    The Van 2019

    The van finally stops, the doors open and Ben comes out alive. A few more fights and he will be able to pay his way out of Albania, and hopefully, take his father with him.

    70
  • Poster for Bloodlands

    Bloodlands 2017

    A struggling family in Albania, wrestling with tradition, must unite against a mysterious clan's aggressions, leading to a 'blood feud' that is all too familiar in the Balkans.

    70
  • Poster for The Delegation

    The Delegation 2018

    In 1990, a European delegation comes to Tirana to monitor the reforms of the communist regime. A government official is sent on a mission to a faraway prison in order to bring an important dissident back to the capital.

    75
  • Poster for Tomka and His Friends

    Tomka and His Friends 1977

    Tomka is a boy who likes playing football with his friends. When the German army captures his town, the German soldiers establish their camp in the town stadium. Tomka with help from his friends and their parents organizes sabotage actions against the soldiers.

    73
  • Poster for The Albanian

    The Albanian 2010

    Handsome Albanian villager Arben wants to marry Etleva, daughter of a neighboring clan, but her father has promised her to another man who is offering a 10,000€ bride price. But when it turns out Etleva is carrying Arben's child, the pressure is on for him to come up with the dowry before the baby is born -- and before her brothers take revenge for the dishonor he has brought their family. Fleeing to Berlin without papers, experience or knowledge of the language, Arben soon learns the ways of survival.

    69
  • Poster for Distant Angels

    Distant Angels 2017

    The story takes place in March 1999, Kosovo. It is the period of NATO bombing. Massive displacement of Albanians on ethnic basis. Terror, fear, insecurity and hunger have plagued the town of Gjakova.

    72
  • Poster for The Man with the Cannon

    The Man with the Cannon 1977

    After Mato Gruda, a man living in a remote village in the mountains of Albania, steals a cannon abandoned by the German invaders he has to decide whether to use the weapon to support the Partisan resistance or to avenge his family.

    80
  • Poster for Beni Walks by Himself

    Beni Walks by Himself 1975

    Beni is an eight-year-old boy living in Korçë with his parents and leads a sheltered life. His mother is very protective and doesn't let him play outside. When Beni is able to go outside, the neighborhood children make fun of him. One day when his uncle Thomai is visiting, he sees Beni crying after the other children took his horse. Thomai decides to take Beni on horseback to a distant village where he teaches him about life and how to be a man.

    80
  • Poster for Sounds of War

    Sounds of War 1976

    Bardhi, an orphan boy, goes to the city to work in the house of a rich man, where he learns how to play the violin.

    80
  • Poster for At the Beginning of Summer

    At the Beginning of Summer 1975

    In Fascist Albania 1942, Albanian partisans will do all they can to remove the Italian fascists from their country.

    80
  • Poster for I Love You More

    I Love You More 2024

    After a year of online pillow-talk, Ben, a shy Kosovar teen, is exhilarated to finally meet his first (but secret) love, Leo. Consumed with passion, Ben carefully weaves the plans and cover-story for his much desired romantic tryst with Leo who is arriving from Germany in just one month. Everything must be perfect. Great news, Ben’s mother surprises him and the family with a life changing opportunity, but he just can’t take it yet. He must meet Leo.

    57
  • Poster for Waterdrop

    Waterdrop 2024

    Aida, 45 years old, city hall manager in a small Southern Albanian town by the shore of Ochrid Lake has to fight against the infernal machine of a corrupt system, of which she’s a herself a part of, when her teenage son Mark becomes involved in a rape scandal that could send him to jail.

    75
  • Poster for Daybreak

    Daybreak 2018

    Leta has not been able to pay the rent for several months. When she and her one-year-old son are thrown out of their apartment, they move in with Sophie, an old woman confined to bed, whose daughter has just employed Leta as a caretaker. In order to keep her job and a roof over their head, Leta has to keep Sophie alive at any cost.

    75
  • Poster for Pack of Sheep

    Pack of Sheep 2022

    In a remote Greek town, a local businessman who has a debt, tries to join forces with the loanshark’s other deptors. But not everyone sees things the same way. Will he commit two murders?

    60
  • Poster for Sisters

    Sisters 2021

    Three best friends, sworn virgins, get into a fight with local boys. When things get rough, they are saved by a girl in the making.

    75
  • Poster for The Sorrow of Mrs. Schneider

    The Sorrow of Mrs. Schneider 2008

    It is 1961 and an Albanian student (Nik Xhelilaj) of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, together with a group of Czech students, is shooting his graduate movie on a motorcycle factory, in the small market-town of Český Šternberk, in then Czechoslovakia. Coming from a country that is completely isolated from the rest of Europe, he is fascinated by the lifestyle, society and "erotic exuberance" of the Czech golden youth, yet feeling strong links with his family in his homeland. He falls in love with a married woman (Anna Geislerová), the wife of a police superintendent (Paolo Buglioni) and is insecure about his future.

    68
  • Poster for Agon

    Agon 2012

    Two Albanian brothers migrate to Greece and try, each in his own way, to integrate into their host country by following two different lifestyles.

    70
  • Poster for Unë, ti dhe Kasandra

    Unë, ti dhe Kasandra 1999

    The movie brings closer the life of Albanian youth and the drug problem. It focuses on a relationship of teen girl from a well educated family and a heroin addict, mirroring of Albanian life after a very troubled decade.

    67
  • Poster for The Hill Where Lionesses Roar

    The Hill Where Lionesses Roar 2022

    Somewhere in Kosovo, in an isolated village, three young women find their dreams and ambitions stifled, but nothing can stop them in their quest for independence.

    54
  • Poster for East, West, East: The Final Sprint

    East, West, East: The Final Sprint 2009

    An amateur cycling team from Albania heads to France to take part in a tournament only to discover on the way that revolution has broken out back home.

    70
  • Poster for Father and Godfather

    Father and Godfather 2007

    The events take place in a small Albanian village, around the '30ies. This isolated land, dominated by rituals and patriarchal relationships is the spirit that welcomes the newborn child of Abas. Servet, a co-villager, emigrant in the United States of America comes back in his homeland bringing a new vision and a new mentality, which serves as an inspiration for the 10 years old boy, Gjoleka, the son of Abas. Gjoleka founds himself in between of the ideas of his wild father, Abas and his illuminist godfather, Servet. Gjoleka symbolizes the young generation in the difficult realities that offer small and underdeveloped countries, where the outside world constitutes an irresistible attraction. The movie shows with a deep realism the human relationships, such as love, jalousie, hate, the impossibility to be integrated with another world, making this way a cruel autopsy of the weird society to which, "sometime" we belong.

    66
  • Poster for The Monument

    The Monument 1977

    An old gardener tends for the flowers during the war. Nazis ask him for flowers for their dead.

    70
  • Poster for The Happy Couple

    The Happy Couple 1975

    A comedy about life during the 1970's. A father refuses to accept his son marrying a girl from a different religion, thus leading to several comical situations.

    70
  • Poster for Our Friend Tili

    Our Friend Tili 1981

    Tili is a troublesome kid who always bothers his teacher and parents. However, they try to make him change his ways.

    70
  • Poster for A 10-minute Swim

    A 10-minute Swim 2024

    In 1970s Albania, personal freedoms are suppressed by the dictatorship. A couple in love will turn against the status quo, yet their choices will wreak havoc to those around them.

    70
  • Poster for Slogans

    Slogans 2001

    Andre starts as a teacher in a remote mountain village in Albania. His first task is to choose one of two communist slogans. He picks the shorter one, which is appreciated by his class, because they have to build the slogan on the hillside using whitewashed rocks. However, this means that the longer slogan goes to Diana, the French teacher to whom Andre is attracted. Andre gets on the wrong side of the communist party boss of the village, when he stands up for an unjustly accused goat herdsman, whom he had befriended. The boss is determined to take his revenge on Andre.

    55
  • Poster for Old Wounds

    Old Wounds 1969

    An old man refuses to undergo an operation in the hospital because he does not trust the abilities of the female surgeon.

    60
  • Poster for Bota

    Bota 2014

    Bota (Albanian for “the world”) is a cafe situated on the edge of a vast area of marshland in a remote part of Albania, and it is here that the lives of the protagonists intersect in this compelling debut by Iris Elezi and Thomas Logoreci. The directors skilfully exploit the genius loci of the desolate landscape and, aided by a period score and beguiling long shots, they flawlessly evoke the atmosphere of a place where the past still encroaches upon people’s lives.

    60
  • Dear Enemy 2006

    Dear Enemy tells the true story of the director’s grandfather who became friends with a German officer during the WWII German occupation of Albania while hiding a partisan, an Italian soldier and a Jewish watchmaker in his cellar.

    60
  • Poster for Albanian Gangster

    Albanian Gangster 2018

    Fresh out of the joint, a 47 year old man returns to his Bronx neighborhood and immediately becomes entangled in obsessive revenge whilst trying to court a local gal.

    46
  • Poster for Amnesty

    Amnesty 2012

    Two people meet up in jail when they come for monthly visits of their spouses. They fall in love after becoming witnesses to a wedding in jail but their relationship has to end because both their spouses get amnesty from the government.

    60
  • Poster for Home

    Home 2016

    Hava's brothers decide to divide their paternal property. According to traditional customs, the right to inheritance belongs to male descendants only whereas Hava has no right to inherit. The eldest brother is obligated to find a husband for his sister. Hava must be married and live at her husband's house.

    60
  • Poster for The Last Winter

    The Last Winter 1976

    Germans come amid snow and winter. In the village only people remained are women, that fight until wounded partisans, sheltered in the village, will retreat deeper and snow will cover their tracks. Face to face with the Germans and their control of the village, women, led by mother Shano and mother Mara, depart to make a pile of wood, but actually bring bread and food to the partisans.

    60
  • Poster for Concert of 1936

    Concert of 1936 1978

    In 1936, two female artists (a singer and a pianist) visit the city of Lushnja, which was very conservative.

    60
  • Poster for The Girls with the Red Ribbons

    The Girls with the Red Ribbons 1978

    Jeta is a student who is a member of the illegals and tries to create a group of antifascist girls in her school.

    60
  • Poster for Taulant Wants a Sister

    Taulant Wants a Sister 1984

    Taulant is a 4 year old only child, who is lonesome and wants a sister. However, despite his request, his parents keep ignoring him. Slowly, his parents start listening to him more and decide to consider his request more seriously.

    60
  • Poster for Eduart

    Eduart 2006

    Based on true events, a young man raised in a cruel and oppressive family environment, leaves Albania with the dream of becoming a rock star and living a better life. His reckless character and his youth passions lead him to commit a murder in Athens. Chased by everyone, even by his own self, he is imprisoned under the harshest conditions. With the help of a German doctor, he learns to feel sympathy for others and guilt for his crime. His deep remorse will lead him from darkness to light.

    52
  • Poster for The Bronze Bust

    The Bronze Bust 1970

    On the anniversary of the death of Commissioner Ibrahim Kovaçi, six of his war friends are accompanying his statue to his native village, where a ceremony will be held. During the road, each of them remembers moments related to the life of Ibrahim.

    55
  • Poster for The Discussion

    The Discussion 1961

    Three years after the fascist occupation, a group of children create the anti-fascist organization called "Debatik". Coli, an orphan boy, manages to become a member.

    55
  • Poster for Echo on the Seashore

    Echo on the Seashore 1966

    World War II. Patriot Jonuz Bruga has troubles with his young son, Selim, who leads an immoral lifestyle and does not support the anti-fascist war, while his brothers fight in the city's guerrilla units.

    55
  • Poster for War Mornings

    War Mornings 1971

    World War II. A group of kids try to sabotage the enemy whichever way they can.

    55
  • Poster for The Second November

    The Second November 1982

    A historical drama focusing on the days leading up to Albania's declaration of independence from the Ottoman Empire in November 1912.

    50
  • Poster for Stars of Long Nights

    Stars of Long Nights 1972

    World War II. The fascists kill a boy and invite his mother to identify the body, but she refuses.

    50
  • Poster for Mountains Clad in Green

    Mountains Clad in Green 1971

    Year 1943. A group of soldiers, carrying an injured comrade, are trying to reach the hospital.

    50
  • Poster for Pharmakon

    Pharmakon 2012

    A young pharmacist enters into a casual relationship with a young woman alleged to be his father's secret mistress, in contemporary Tirana.

    50
  • Poster for Seven Lucky Gods

    Seven Lucky Gods 2014

    An illegal immigrant from Albania infiltrates the lives of a group of Londoners with devastating consequences.

    41
  • Poster for A Shelter Among the Clouds

    A Shelter Among the Clouds 2019

    Besnik is a lonely shepherd and devoted Muslim, haunted by unfulfilled love. He is the son of a Catholic mother and formerly Communist father whom he takes care of in an Albanian village in the mountains. Up here, Christians and Muslims have found a way to co-exist peacefully. Even after the discovery that the old mosque used to be a church and that the building was actually shared by the two religions in the past, the calm of daily life can be preserved - with Besnik's help. After the death of his father, however, drastic changes threaten Besnik's multi-faith family and the shepherd is forced to seek his own path.

    45
  • Poster for Një Baba Tepër

    Një Baba Tepër 2000

    A tragicomedy in which an old man has two sons but neither of them, influenced by their wives, want to keep him. In the end, they decide to marry him off to an old woman, to free their houses of him.

    45
  • Poster for Flutura in My Cab

    Flutura in My Cab 1988

    Tom Melgushi, becoming overexcited from alcohol, wanders around the streets disturbing people. And one day, Flutura, a teacher of the village, gets on his cab, and there was a glimpse of hope for a stable relationship with the young woman. Tom becomes subject of public criticism after Flutura's accident, because she jumped out of the cab fearing Tom's violence.

    40
  • Poster for Montatorja

    Montatorja 1970

    Hëna, who works in a construction site, falls in love with another worker, Agim.

    40
  • Poster for Silent Duel

    Silent Duel 1967

    Spectacular film by successful director Dhimitër Anagnosti. Three people, Sergeant Rahmiu (Ndrek Luca), Islam (Reshat Arbana), and Bepini (Bujar Kapexhiu) hijack a military ship to emigrate to Italy. Along the way they encounter opposition in the sailor Skender Guri (Rikard Ljarja), who wants to turn the ship back to Albania. 4 people representing different layers of the postwar Albanian society merge and collide offshore, unfolding the political conflicts of that era.

    40
  • Poster for A Short Delay

    A Short Delay 1983

    A group of kids want to go to their teacher's house during the Teachers Day.

    40
  • Poster for The Little Partisan Velo

    The Little Partisan Velo 1980

    After his father is killed, a young boy decides to join the partisans and fight in the war.

    40
  • Poster for The Commissar of Light

    The Commissar of Light 1966

    After World War II, more than 85% of the Albanian people were illiterate. Partisan soldier Dritan Shkaba is tasked with opening new schools in north Albania to enlighten the population.

    40
  • Poster for Kastriota

    Kastriota 2018

    The Balkans 1443 . After a long successful military experience in the Turkish army, the reputation of the young Kastriota reached Albania and people began to hope in his return to his homeland, from which he was taken away as a child. When the Sultan gives the hero the task of facing János Hunyadi, Kastriota will start a journey towards finding his true self and choosing his path.

    40
  • Poster for Passion

    Passion 1983

    Romantic drama.

    35
  • Poster for Endless Words

    Endless Words 1986

    Bardhyl and Magdalena are newlyweds. At first they go along fine, until Bardhyl starts getting influenced by his neighbors' words.

    35
  • Poster for The Hot Hand

    The Hot Hand 1983

    Besim does not like his stepfather Ahmet. He abandons school and commits some mistakes, but with help from his friends, he returns to living a normal and healthy life.

    35
  • Poster for The Circle of Memory

    The Circle of Memory 1987

    Margarita Begolli, the portagonist of the film, returns to Albania after 25 years with her memory lost.

    35
  • Poster for In Every Season

    In Every Season 1980

    Zana and Bardhyl are two students in love with each other. Through the spiritual ups and downs of this love the film reveals their dreams and desires, likes and dislikes. With these characters more or less of the same age, which have their differences, the film delineates the portrait of the student youth.

    35
  • Poster for The Good Man

    The Good Man 1982

    The film focuses on 3 characters: Telo, Vera and Kiço. Vera is Kiço's sister and loves Telo, but Kiço is not happy about their relationship.

    35