The third edition of FemFEST will take place in Tirana in March, and feature work by Uresa Ahmeti, Eni Jani (and Jeton Neziraj).
The programme has been announced for the third edition of FemFEST, which will be held in Tirana from 4th-8th March, concluding on International Women’s Day.
FemFEST was founded by BASH ART in 2022 to highlight women’s rights and promoting women’s role in Albania’s artistic community. Every year, in all March, FemFEST showcases a variety of cultural events, including theatre, music, art exhibitions, and discussions, all focused on empowering and advocating for women’s rights.
During the five-day festival, there will be ten theatrical performances. The festival will open on March 4th at the ArTurbina National Theater with 10 Years of Marriage by Alil Vardar, directed by Andia Xhunga.
On March 5th, there will be a further two theatre shows. Rain on the Beach at the National Experimental Theatre, a revival of a comedy written in 1984 by Teodor Laco, directed by Eni Jani, in collaboration with the women and girls from the Institution of Execution of Criminal Decisions Ali Demi, in Tirana. The second play will be, 7 Minutes by Stefano Massini directed by Driada Dervishi will be shown at the National Theater.
On March 6th, there will be a performance of Desperate Housemen directed by Artan Imami at the National Theatre, as well as a performance of Burrnesha, a play about the phenomenon of the sworn virgin and its appropriation and exoticisation by the West, written by Kosovo’s Jeton Neziraj and directed by Erson Zymberi.
On March 7th there will be three shows: Nasty Beauty by Uresa Ahmeti, directed by Agnes Nokshiqi and Arlinda Morina -Liki at the National Experimental Theatre, The Half – Life of Marie Curie” by Lauren Gunderson, directed by Armela Demaj at the Metropol Theater, and The Discovery by John McCann directed by Salsano Rrapi at the National Theatre.
Finally, on March 8th, International Women’s Day, there will be a performance by the HAVEIT Group at 10:00 AM in Skënderbej, the main square of Tirana. On the final day of the festival, scholarships will also be awarded to four women students at the University of Arts. These scholarships are made possible by the income from ticket sales, which has become a tradition for the festival. After the scholarship distribution, FemFEST will conclude with the play Marriage with Conditions directed by Altin Basha, at the National Theater.
Further reading: review of Burrnesha
Flamur Dardeshi is a freelance writer based in Tirana. He has contributed in the areas of translation, analysis, and poetry. His main fields of interest are literature, cinematography, and theatre.