Depicting Social Issues in the Socialist Era of Albania in Animation Made for Adults in the 1980s

Abstract

In Albania animation production began in 1975 during the socialist era, occurring later than in many other European countries. This paper focuses on nine animations made for adults under the Albanian socialist system in the 1980s.

During socialism in Albania some people were in favor of the system, some were brainwashed, others were persecuted by the regime and suffered, some were dissatisfied, and a few intellectuals had a clear understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of socialist ideology. How people received these works depended on their points of view. The reality under socialism was that film producers had to follow the ideology of the government, but art and political propaganda have contradictory aspects. How did this manifest itself in Albanian animation films for adults and how did creators maintain their artistic autonomy in the face of political propaganda?