The documentary “To raise above violence” is successfully presented by AWA.

In the Millennium cinema, about 70 people attended the premiere of the documentary “Overcoming violence,” a project supported by the Small Grants Program of the US Embassy in Tirana.

The documentary, directed by Suela Bako, with a script by Valbona Sulce, camera by Armelin Llanaj and Subjon Dume, journalists Anila Hoxha and Evis Nasto, and post-production by Adi Guri, brought to the screen for the first time a journey in the mechanism of reference against violence, told through the real stories of four women. Filming took place in Tirana, Elbasan, and Pogradec over a five-month period, which included a quarantine due to the pandemic.

Mrs. Sabina Kodra, chairman of AWA, emphasized in her welcome speech that AWA’s mission is to combat violence against women. “This documentary is a continuation of our efforts to give voice to abused women, as we did with the campaign “An abused woman is like poisoned soil.” An abused society, in my opinion, is a poisoned society.”

Following that, Valbona Sulce and Suela Bako briefly explained the documentary’s purpose to the audience.

“This documentary is proof of what has happened in the 15 years since the law against domestic violence was passed,” Ms. Sulce said. “Every year, 300 protection orders are issued in Albania. These women are not visible to us. Women only appear on screen when they are killed. This is a documentary about living women, women who fight, women who don’t give up, women who believe that there is life after violence with the help of institutions. But also to all the men and women who work every day to free women from the shackles of violence, such as the police, the prosecutor, the judge, the teacher or the family doctor, the social administrator or the municipality’s anti-violence coordinators, and all civil society organizations and journalists who, when threatened, do not retreat, but help them to the end. I wanted a documentary about women who had survived the violence, as well as a portrait of a successful warrior. Fighters inspire, empower, and provide courage. Victims are incapable of doing so.” – she concluded.

Suela Bako emphasized the process of recounting the violence by the interviewed witnesses, thanking them for their cooperation and participation in such an important process as recounting the exit from the violence.

The US ambassador in Tirana, Yuri Kim, thanked the organizers and stated in her speech following the documentary that she was very impressed with it. “According to UN Women data, one in every three women in the world is raped.” This is a concerning figure. This battle, however, can be won if all of the institutions do their jobs, if the prosecutor prosecutes the violator and the police take the criminal complaint seriously. “Let us all do our jobs!” she concluded. Ms. Kim left the door open for future collaborations with AWA to further the cause of protecting women from domestic violence.

Following the premiere, the documentary will be shown in various cities at the request of civil society organizations, universities, schools, and municipalities in order to raise awareness about this topic and start a discussion about what can be done better.

AWA thanks all participants for their positive comments and pledges to continue its mission of empowering Albanian women with all its might.