Abstract

Abstract:

The journeys and travails of Albanian immigrants in Greece have featured prominently in contemporary Greek films from 1993 onward. The identity-based strategies of representation we find in these films contest the xenophobic logic of the Greek media, which has reproduced criminality as a mainstay of Albanian identity. At the same time, Greek migration films have failed to radically reassert the terms of belonging, since filmmakers project victimhood in their efforts to portray the hostility of the Greek host. This article addresses two case studies from this corpus, Mirupafshim (See You, 1997) and Eduart (2006), which envision Albanian identities beyond the constraints of otherness, affording genuine humanity and individuality to their migrant protagonists. Analysis of the films’ screenplays, editing, and cinematography provides the basis for an understanding of their challenging evocation of identity, inviting further debate regarding Greek migration cinema and filmic portrayals of Albanian immigrants and Albania.

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