Ein Licht zwischen den Wolken

A rare gem, this lovingly directed feature film from Albania delicately explores the boundaries and possibilities of religiosity.

Set in the rugged yet beautiful highlands of an Albanian mountain village, the story unfolds in a surprisingly multicultural setting. Shepherd Besnik, raised by a Catholic mother and a communist father, and surrounded by both Muslim and Orthodox in-laws, is well-versed in the art of compromise. But this peaceful coexistence is soon put to the test. During prayer at the mosque, Besnik follows a strange intuition and makes an incredible discovery: hidden beneath a layer of plaster is a Christian icon. For the Muslim majority, the now irrefutable truth is hard to accept—the mosque was once a church. While a shared house of worship may have been natural for their ancestors, today’s villagers see it as blasphemy. But once awakened, desires and claims are hard to suppress.

At the center of this conflict is Besnik, who questions why a house of God cannot have many rooms. The tensions also spill over into Besnik’s multireligious family, as a dispute over the father’s house ignites and Besnik comes to understand just how closely religion and exclusion can be intertwined. The shepherd is ultimately forced to find his own path.

This small but beautifully crafted Albanian film is a rare cinematic jewel that, with great subtlety, sheds light on the complexities of faith. It’s a unique contribution to a timely global conversation, told with poetic finesse and a gently framed visual language—about sacred spaces and the shelter of community.

Followed by a discussion with Gudrun Becker (Theologian and Speaker for Ecumenism, Judaism, and Interreligious Dialogue for the Diocese of Linz) and Hajret Beluli (Islamic Religious Community of Upper Austria, Association Bashkimi), powered by Dorf.tv.

Admission is free!