Amnesty (2011 film)

Amnesty (Amnistia) is a 2011 Albanian drama film written and directed by Bujar Alimani. The film was selected as the Albanian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards, but it did not make the final shortlist.

Plot
Elsa (Luli Bitri) is a woman with two children, recently unemployed, and living in post-communist Pogradec, Albania in grim circumstances. She is helped by her father-in-law Remzi (Todi Llupi). Her husband is in prison in Tirana for gambling and debt issues. The prison institutes a conjugal visit program, and during her visits she meets and falls in love with another conjugal visit participant Shpetim (Karafil Shena), whose wife is in prison for forging immigration certificates. Elsa becomes friends with Maya (Mirela Naska), whose recent husband is also in prison, and Maya helps Elsa to get a job at a hospital kitchen and a place to live in Tirana. Elsa's increasing independence and relationship with Shpetim creates problems with Remzi. Then a prisoner amnesty where the imprisoned spouses are released early threatens the bond between Elsa and Shpetim.

Cast

 * Luli Bitri as Elsa
 * Karafil Shena as Shpetim
 * Todi Llupi as Remzi
 * Mirela Naska as Maya