Pogradec: Where Film, Food, And Culture Meet At The Balkan Film And Food Festival

Published on September 18, 2025

The 15th Balkan Film & Food Festival has kicked disconnected successful Pogradec, nan beautiful lakeside municipality successful Albania, wherever nan waters of Ohrid are calm and reflective. The ceremony runs until September 20 and mixes movies pinch mouthwatering meals, inviting everyone to return successful nan varied tastes and tales of nan full Balkan area successful 1 awesome taste event.

The flicks are playing astatine nan “Lasgush Poradeci” Cultural Centre, and nan champion part? Getting successful is wholly free for anyone who loves a bully film. This year, nan show has gathered much than 50 flicks—shorts, documentaries, animations, and full-length features—born from nan imaginative minds of Albania, Kosovo, Turkey, Greece, Slovenia, Romania, and nan wider Balkan neighbourhood, offering a colourful glimpse into nan powerful tales and inventive tone of nan full region.

A Diverse Film Program

The show kicked disconnected pinch a vibrant opening convention that whisked nan assemblage crossed nan Balkans successful a azygous morning. The captivating lineup included short and characteristic films showing disconnected inventive tales, caller fresh voices, and different points of view. The morning’s must-sees were:

The Phantoms of nan Mind (Slovenia)

OGRE (Kosovo)

Amra (North Macedonia)

Make Love Not Porn (Greece)

Mimas (Turkey)

Together, these titles overgarment a bold and colourful image of today’s Balkan cinema, exploring each shadiness of nan region’s astir pressing themes. Both greeting and evening shows ray up nan city, pinch nan sun-kissed Pogradec Cinema hosting sunrise screenings and nan evening crowd gathering astatine nan shiny Multifunctional Centre, conscionable a hop distant from nan waters of historical Lake Ohrid. Tonight’s highlights see nan stirring documentaries Bekim Fehmiu and Lulëkuqe mbi mure, which committedness much unforgettable storytelling and artistry.

Celebrating Balkan Culture Through Food and Film

The show isn’t conscionable a showcase of stories connected screen; it’s a feast moreover earlier nan lights dim. The Balkans Film & Food Festival brings together nose-tickling, taste-bud-tickling culinary treats from each area of nan region. As visitors lounge successful nan shimmering air, they tin tuck into savoury ćevapi from 1 stall, crunchy baklava from another, aliases cherry- and pumpkin-filled pastrami rolls from nan next. Each sheet is designed to deepen nan experience, letting nan tastes of nan Balkans lavation complete festival-goers on pinch nan vivid stories being projected connected nan screen.

Pogradec shines for illustration a postcard erstwhile nan show sunsets happen. Perched adjacent to shimmering Lake Ohrid—famous for being 1 of Europe’s oldest and astir beautiful—Pogradec pulls successful everyone from backpackers to foodies. Old woody houses beryllium beside cafes boasting free Wi-Fi. It’s not conscionable beautiful successful pictures; you’ll spot really scrambled eggs successful bunny slippers erstwhile break is simply a unrecorded parade of lakes and wonders.

Friends Eno Milkani, Fatos Baxhaku, and Gerta Qurku had an thought to switch stories and radiated their lakes. They moulded a show dividing stroll civilization and practice served basking and rolling. Burgers’ quiet evening, successful, their lakeside room lights arsenic a communicative gala room and movie chat circles travel to everyone.

A Regional Station of Filters.

The show hands guests nan intends to flip nan pancake and manus it crossed nan continent. At sunset erstwhile nan movies rotation connected nan house, nan woods, chefs from Kulenghane, ribs successful hubscolas, from awards to course, cookware from bougari.

Tourism successful Pogradec: Culture Meets Mountain and Water

If you’re arriving successful Pogradec, nan show is nan cleanable invited mat to nan city’s lively heart. The municipality has go a favourite for those who want some sweeping upland views and a sensation of history successful nan aforesaid day. Green peaks guidelines defender astir town, while nan sparkling aboveground of Lake Ohrid—protected by UNESCO—hides plants and animals you won’t find anyplace else.

After nan festival, you mightiness hike up to Golik Mountain, wherever nan hike ends successful postcard-perfect overlooks of nan lake. For history, nan Ohrid Lake Museum has stories that operation civilization and nature. When you rotation backmost to nan metropolis centre, you’ll observe cosy cafes, lively restaurants, and sparkling shops. Sink into a wicker chair and bid nan day’s catch—tender food consecutive from nan lake—while nan sunset paints nan h2o successful shades of gold.

Pogradec is for illustration a postcard that came to life, but moreover kinder than a postcard because it wants to stock its stories. Besides its clear-lake charm, it’s packed pinch leftovers from aged times—churches that whisper, aged walls that activity hello, untouched churches, and quiet monasteries that ever invited a wandering eater, reminding america that quality and history are champion friends here.

Peeking Ahead: What’s Next for nan Balkan Film & Food Festival

Crunching popcorn, wafting spices, and a cardinal heartbeats: that’s really nan 15th Balkan Film and Food Festival is astir to feel. Every year, it seems to put connected a caller hat, getting a wee bigger, and promising moreover much movie magic, must-taste dishes, and a cardinal friends faces from each area of nan globe. Only a ticket-free autobus thrust away—maybe ne'er far, a cheese-filled pastry scheme away—Pogradec is still nan astonishment extremity connected nan Balkan travel and nan show is its glowing lighthouse.

Travellers wondering really to aquatics into nan bosom of nan Balkans will find Pogradec keeps a lukewarm small area fresh for anyone pinch a movie summons and a fork. Art, culture, and nan sizzle of grilled lamb ever wait, manus successful hand.