The Albanian

“The Albanian” (German: Der Albaner, Albanian: Shqiptari) is a 2010 German-Albanian drama directed by Johannes Naber, who co-wrote the screenplay with Christoph Silber. It premiered at the Munich Film Festival on 28 June 2010 and opened in German cinemas on 4 August 2011.

Nik Xhelilaj plays Arben, a young man who must raise the ten-thousand-euro bride price demanded by the father of Etleva, the woman he loves. When her pregnancy becomes known and her family turns against him, Arben flees illegally to Berlin. There, without papers or a residence permit, he survives on precarious underpaid work and is gradually drawn into human trafficking. The film was a major success in Albania and collected several European prizes, including the Max Ophüls Award and a special jury prize in Moscow, while Xhelilaj won best actor at the 47th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival.