The Tirana International Film Festival, held since 2003, is an Academy Award-qualifying event and European Film Award-qualifying event. It is the most important festival in Albania and is also highly regarded in Europe.

This year, Jakub Krzyszpin's animated film THE CROOKED HEADS qualified for the student competition.

The film premiered at the Krakow Film Festival, and then at several other festivals in Europe: Animafest Zagreb, Annecy IAFF, FEST New Directors | New Films (where it won an award), and most recently at Animist in Tallinn.

We’re keeping fingers crossed for Jakub!

THE CROOKED HEADS

Synopsis: The smell of mine smoke envelops a forgotten Polish housing estate. The young man shaves his head, puts on a tracksuit, and confronts the shadow of his big brother and his past.

Credits:
screenplay, direction, animation, editing and production management: Jakub Krzyszpin
artistic supervision: Piotr Dumała, Marcin Podolec
cast: Krystian Kanclerz, Artur Kujawa, Dorian Zypper

List of films qualified for Tirana IFF: tiranafilmfest.org/official-selection-2025

1-2 stills from the film THE CROOKED HEADS
3: festival press materials