Roland Sejko’s ‘Film di Stato’: Albania in the race for the 2027 Oscars

The documentary ‘Film di Stato’ (‘State Film’) directed by Roland Sejko has been selected by Albania as its candidate for the 2027 Oscars in the Best International Feature Film category.

The film, built on a rich body of archival material, tells through the images of the time a story about Albania during the communist regime and how state propaganda built and conveyed the country’s image.

‘State Film’ gives a central role to the film and photographic documents produced by the state structures themselves, returning them to a new historical context and building a narrative about the relationship between propaganda, power and memory.

Roland Sejko, director and scholar of audiovisual archives, is the author of several documentaries that treat Albanian history through archival materials. His work has focused particularly on documenting and re-evaluating Albanian film heritage.

The selection of the film as Albania’s candidate places ‘State Film’ in the international selection process for the 98th Academy Awards, which will culminate with the awards ceremony in 2027.

The candidacies submitted by the respective countries will undergo the selection process of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which will then determine the films that move on to the next stages of the race.