TIRANA, June 24 /ATA/ - The 16th edition of the Balkan Film and Food Festival opened in the lake town of Pogradec in southeastern Albania on Tuesday, bringing together cinema, culinary traditions and cultural events from across the region.

The five-day festival, running from June 23 to June 27, features film screenings, discussions with filmmakers and a range of food-related activities aimed at promoting the cultural diversity of the Balkans.

Organisers said the event seeks to celebrate regional artistic traditions and foster cultural exchange in the lakeside city on the shores of Lake Ohrid.

The festival opened with a screening of Maricel, a film that follows a Filipina caregiver who travels to a remote village in Cyprus to care for an elderly couple. The story explores themes of migration, loneliness, emotional dependency and human connection.

The programme also includes short films by students from the Universities of Pristina and Tirana, which are scheduled to be screened in Pogradec’s central square.

Alongside contemporary productions, the festival will showcase feature films, documentaries, animated works and a selection of classic films from the pre-1990 period, including The Commissar of Light (Komisari i

Dritës) by Albanian directors Dhimitër Anagnosti and Viktor Gjika.

Held annually in Pogradec, the festival has become one of Albania’s established regional cultural events, attracting filmmakers, artists and audiences from across the Balkans.

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