Kolonel Bunker

Kolonel Bunker is a 1996 Albanian historical film directed and written by Kujtim Çashku. Starring Agim Qirjaqi and Anna Nehrebecka, the film covers Enver Hoxha's mass construction of bunkers in Albania. French and Polish companies produced the film alongside Albania's Orafilm.

Plot

ruled Albania with an iron fist for nearly 40 years, and for a long time Albania was the only Maoist regime and by far the most isolationist society in Europe—politically, psychologically and physically. This film is about Colonel Muro Neto, a character based on the historical engineer Josif Zagali, the man Hoxha charged with constructing the bunkers throughout the country which ostensibly protected Albania from its enemies both without and within. He became known as "Kolonel Bunker."

Cast

Agim Qirjaqi as Muro Neto
Anna Nehrebecka as Ana
Cun Lajci as Eminenca Gri
Fatime Lajçi as Aviator's wife
Xhevat Limani as Prison commander
Guljem Radoja
Kadri Roshi
Petrit Malaj as Internment commander

Production

Directed and written by Kujtim Çashku, Kolonel Bunker was produced by Albania's Orafilm, France's A 3B Productions, and Poland's Film Studio Dom. Kahena Attia-Riveill edited the film and Andrzej Krause composed the music. Josif Zagali, who Muro Neto is based off, consulted for the film. Filming was done in Tirana.

Release

Kolonel Bunker was released in 1996. It was shown at the Montreal [World Film Festival] and Thessaloniki International Film Festival. Albania selected it as its List of submissions to the [69th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film|nominee] for the Academy Award for [Best International Feature Film] at the 69th Academy Awards, but it was not one of the finalists.

Reception

Philip Kemp, writing for Varitey, praised the film's "grimly humorous impact" and that technical problems and "self-consciously poetic interludes" did not weaken it.