Twenty-five years after his abduction during the Kosovo War, painter Skender Muja recounts a story of extraordinary survival. In the tumultuous final months of the war, Muja and numerous Albanian citizens from Mitrovica were captured while fleeing Kosovo. Detained in a repurposed school-turned-detention center, they faced fear, confinement, and an uncertain fate.
Narrated by Muja, the film blends his reflections on the transformative power of art with reenactments of his experience. I Believe the Portrait Saved Me is a testament to resilience, illustrating how creativity can emerge as a tool of survival even in the most oppressive conditions.
Alban Muja (b. 1980, Mitrovica) is a Kosovan contemporary artist and filmmaker based between Berlin and Prishtina. His practice is deeply shaped by the social, political, and economic transformations of the region, examining the intersections between personal narratives and collective memory.
In 2019, Muja represented the Republic of Kosovo at the 58th Venice Biennale with Family Album, a three-channel moving-image installation.
His latest film, Mua besoj më shpëtoi portreti (I Believe the Portrait Saved Me), has been screened internationally at major festivals, including its world premiere at the 75th Berlinale – Forum Expanded in Berlin, Germany.
| Director | Alban Muja |
| Duration | 10 min |
| Language | OV Albanian | English |
| Genre | Short, Documentary |
| Country | Kosovo |
| Year | 2025 |
| Distributor | Film Director |
PROGR
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