Film
Lorin Terezi's “Agia” wins in Warsaw: prize in the competition for first and second films
The debut film, a collaboration between Kosovo and Albania, was honored at the 42nd Warsaw International Film Festival, where it also had its world premiere.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 17, 2026, 20:00 · Updated 12:20 · 1 min read
In brief
- “Agia” won the “1-2 Competition” section prize at the Warsaw Film Festival.
- The jury, which included Czech director Petr Zelenka, praised it as a rare debut for its completeness.
- The film tells of a young woman's rebellion against a patriarchal culture in which family honor is placed above life.
The film “Agia” by director Lorin Terezi has been named the winner of the “1-2 Competition” section at the Warsaw International Film Festival, a competition reserved for filmmakers' first and second feature films. The Polish festival ran from Oct. 9 to 18, and “Agia” had its world premiere there on Oct. 13.
The decision was made by a jury composed of Czech director Petr Zelenka, Jon Einarsson Gustafsson and Polish producer Natalia Grzegorzek. According to reports, the jury members stressed that it is rare for a debut film to emerge so polished in every respect, and compared its structure to Greek tragedy, predicting it has the potential to become a classic.
A woman against the patriarchal order
At the center of the story is Agia, a young woman who refuses to accept the rules of a male-dominated society in which family honor weighs more than human life. She seeks to decide her own fate, in a post-communist country that is moving away from its totalitarian past and opening up to the world.
The cast includes Kosovare Krasniqi, Lurni Krasniqi, Afrim Muçaj, Luan Jahja, Lulzim Zeqja and Luiza Xhuvan. The film was produced by Dritan Huqi and Florenc Papas, with co-producers Ivan Durovic, Elly Senger Weiss and Besnik Krapi, and is presented as an artistic collaboration between Kosovo and Albania.
The festival's grand prize went to the Polish film “What Belongs to Others” by Grzegorz Dębowski, while the success of “Agia” in the parallel debut competition gives Albanian cinema another important international accolade this fall.
