Luli Bitri

Luli Bitri was born in Lushnjë, Albania, on 27 June 1976. She initially pursued medical studies but abandoned them after her first year to follow her passion for the arts. She then studied drama at the Academy of Fine Arts in Tirana, earning a diploma in professional acting in 2004.

While still a student, Bitri appeared in numerous short films, feature films, and theater productions. She launched her international career with the 2007 film Father and Godfather,^[2] directed by Dhimitër Anagnosti, followed by Alive! (2009), directed by Artan Minarolli, and Amnesty (2011), directed by Bujar Alimani.^[3] The latter two films were Albania's official submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2009 and 2011, respectively.

In 2018 she starred in the film Holy Boom, directed by Maria Lafi.^[4]

Bitri gained international recognition for her portrayal of Elsa in Bujar Alimani's Amnesty, in which she played the title role to great acclaim, earning widespread media attention. The film won the C.I.C.A.E. Prize at the Berlinale International Forum in 2011. That same year, Bitri was nominated for Best Actress at several international film festivals, including the Sarajevo Film Festival, Copenhagen International Film Festival, Lecce European Film Festival (Cineuropa, FIPRESCI, Jury Prize), Jerusalem Film Festival, and Prishtina International Film Festival in Kosovo.

Following Amnesty, she starred in numerous feature films across different countries, including Dimmi che destino avrò (Italy) by Peter Marcias and Holy Boom (Greece) by Maria Lafi. She is also an established stage actress, performing at the National Theatre of Albania.