It's a wonderful job: women at work in the cinema of communist Albania

Abstract

In light of the official state policies of egalitarianism, the films of communist Albania frequently foregrounded the woman worker. Although the Albanian Film Archives have categorised only 20 films made between 1958 and the fall of communism under the rubric of ‘people working’, the theme of work was considerably more widespread. This article explores the representation of women at work in three films from distinct decades – Horizonte të hapura/Clear Horizons (Viktor Gjika 1968), Kapedani/The Captain (Fejmi Hoshafi and Muhharem Feizo 1972) and Kur po xhirohej një film/While Shooting a Film (Xhanfise Keko 1981) – to reveal how the theme of women at work gradually converged with that of the nuclear family. The depiction of a working woman integrating marriage, motherhood and career within the confines of the home ultimately served as a metaphor for the self-containment of Albania itself.

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