Vjosana Shkurti is a Canadian-Albanian filmmaker, once immigrant in Greece during her childhood and adolescence, now based in Montreal, Canada. Her cinema explores questions of origin, language, elusive desires and surreal manifestations of intimate power dynamics. Her works blend reality with abstraction, and have travelled to festivals in Canada, France, UK, Finland, Spain, Greece among others.
Her first short film “Ofranda” (2023, prod Peripheria, Distributed by Travelling) received the Writers Guild of Canada prize for the best film script atCours Ecrire Ton Court organized by SODEC. The film won an award by Metafilms at Prends ça court! Gala for its precise direction and sensitive storytelling, and was reviewed in Revue Séquences. She is currently finishing her second fiction film “Mother, My Child” distributed by Welcome Aboard.
When I’m not working on my own projects, I do videography and photography for art & culture in Montreal, especially dance, performance, and media arts installations. Since 2019, I have been working as a photographer / videographer at Ada-x (previously Studio XX) and have also collaborated on a casual basis withTAG,Pixelles, Sight&Sound Festival 2020 (Eastern Bloc), CQAM, PHI and MUTEK. I have been involved as a videographer withCinema Politica Montreal (Winter 2018) and as filmmaker/designer at the Milieux Institute for Arts, Culture & Technology (2017-2019).
2018
Specialization in Film Production, BA , Concordia University
Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema Award for Outstanding Achievement in Specialization in Film Production, 2017
Advisory Board Scholarship in Film Production – Fondation René Malo, 2015
2011
Architectural Design & Visual Art, High Distinction Honours BA, University of Toronto
Arts & Science Dean’s List Recognition for Academic Excellence
articles / screenings / exhibitions
2025
- Becoming Olive, Dance Days Chania, Greece, 24.07 & 27.07
- Thorn on her side, Labocine: Ethnobotanica, ONLINE, April 1-30
- {光 (陰 | 影)}之∞》── [guāng yīn] the lightest dark is darker than the darkest light, by Nien Tzu Weng & Collaborators, co-presented by Danse-Cité at the MAI (Montreal Arts Interculturels), April 9-12, 2025
2024
- Thorn on her side, Queer City Cinema, Regina Public Library Film Theater, Sept 2024
- Ofranda, at RIFFA (Regina International Film Festival and Awards), Canadian Short Film, August 2024
- Ofranda, at ICFF IncluCity Festival, Toronto, July 2024
- Ofranda, International Premiere at 26th Mecal Pro, Barcelona International Short and Animation Film Festival, Oblique Competition, July 2024
- PRESS: Sequences – La Revue de cinema, No 338, (Courtes Metrages: Ofranda), p.53, April 2024
- Thorn on her side, Qaleidoscope : Queer Film & Performance on tour (The Baltics), Presented by Queer City Cinema, April 4 – May 9 || Copenhagen, Denmark
- Thorn on her side, Qaleidoscope : Queer Film & Performance on tour (The Baltics), Presented by Queer City Cinema, May 2 || Vilnius, Lithuania
- Thorn on her side, Qaleidoscope : Queer Film & Performance on tour (The Baltics), Presented by Queer City Cinema, April 24 || Turku, Finland
- Thorn on her side, Qaleidoscope : Queer Film & Performance on tour (The Baltics), Presented by Queer City Cinema, April 19 || Tallin, Estonia
- Thorn on her side, Qaleidoscope : Queer Film & Performance on tour (The Baltics), Presented by Queer City Cinema, April 12 || Gothenburg, Sweden
- Thorn on her side, Qaleidoscope : Queer Film & Performance on tour (The Baltics), Presented by Queer City Cinema, April 4 || Riga, Latvia
- Ofranda, at Filministes Festival (Tenk), Montreal, 2024
- Ofranda, at Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma, Competition Court Metrage, Cinematheque, Montreal, 2024
2023
- Ofranda, World Premiere at Festival du Nouveau Cinema, Competition National, Cinematheque, Montreal, 2023
- Koumaria Residency – Medea Electronique, Selassia & Athens [Plyfa Space], Greece, 2023
- Hello Earth at Festival OODAAQ, L’Oeil d’OODAAQ, Rennes, France, May 11-20
2022
- Hello Earth, at Antimatter Media Arts Festival, Victoria, BC – October 20-30, 2022
- PRESS : Rencontres digital catalogue: XXVe Rencontres Internationales Traverse, Capacité (presque) illimitée: Installations: Hello Earth by Vjosana Shkurti (p. 273), 2022
- Hello Earth, at XXVe Rencontres Internationales Traverse, Capacité (presque) illimitée, Toulouse, France – Avril 2022
2021
- PRESS: Vie des Arts: Le festival HTMlles : laisser le temps faire son œuvre, 15 Avr. 2021
- PRESS: LOJIQ: Vjosana Shkurti remporte le prix Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) / 31 mars 2021
- PRESS: Qui Fait Quoi: le court métrage audacieux et sensible de Vjosana Shkurti / 26 May 2021
- PRESS: SODEC: Récipiendaires du concours Cours écrire ton court / 24 MARS 2021
- PRESS: CTVM: La SODEC annonce les 3 récipiendaires du concours CETC / 24 mars 2021
- PRESS: Festival REGARD: Concours Cours Écrire Ton Court, 2021
2020
- BIJOUX, Centre Never Apart, Montreal [Dir. of Photo – Si j’etais un homme by Elle Barbara]. 2020
- PRESS: HTMLLES FESTIVAL REVIEW – CQAM, 2020
- Hello Earth, at HTMlles Festival, Ecological Disturbances: Slowing Down, Reflecting and Re-imagining – Présenté par le Groupe Intervention Vidéo & Ada X, Montreal, 2020
- OFFTA, with Elle Barbara+Alexander Storm, Montreal, Canada (Director of photography), 2020
- Les Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma, Montreal, Canada (Sound design), 2020
2019
- TIFF Next Wave Film Festival, Canada, 2019**
- Leeds Queer Film Festival, UK, 2019**
- BFI Flare: London LGBTQ+ Film Festival, UK, 2019**
- Final Girls Berlin Film Festival, Germany, 2019*
*Cinematographer for Dulce Hogar, Directed by Gio Olmos
**Cinematographer for Silvia dans Les Vagues, Directed by Gio Olmos
2018
- West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival ★Winner of Best Border Theme
- PRESS: Quebec Cinema: RVQC 2018 : PALMARÈS PRENDS-ÇA COURT! / 28 février 2018
- Official Selection Prends ça court! ★ Winner of Prix AIR CANADA Enroute
- Fantasia International Film Festival, Montreal, Canada*
- TOHorror Film Fest, Torino, Italy*
- Frostbiter: Icelandic Horror Film Festival, Akranes, Iceland*
- Nitehawk Short Film Festival, New York, US*
- Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma, Canada**
- Festival Massimadi des arts et film LGBTQ + afro de Montréal, Canada**
- Outfest Fusion LGBT People of Color Film Festival, Los Angeles, US**
- CineArte: A Latinx Queer Festival, Los Angeles, US**
- Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival, Canada**
*Cinematographer for Dulce Hogar, Directed by Gio Olmos
**Cinematographer for Silvia dans Les Vagues, Directed by Gio Olmos
- CINERAMABC 7th International Film Festival in Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina, Brazil, 2017
- Festival International du Film Indépendant de Bordeaux, France, 2017**
- Festival des Films LGBTQ+ Chéries-Chéris Paris, France, 2017**
- Pentedattilo Film Festival, Italy, 2017**
**Cinematographer for Silvia dans Les Vagues, Directed by Gio Olmos
- Independent Days International Filmfest (IDIF), Karlsruhe, Germany, April 3, 2016
- PRESS: CinéWomen (Interview), Online, February 2016
- Festival des Films du Monde, Montreal (August 27 – September 7th, 2015)
- International Festival of Patmos, Hora, Patmos, Greece (July 23-29, 2015)
- The Dark Room 3.0 (Contact Photography Festival), at Gallery 918, Toronto, ON (April 24, 2014)
- Occam’s Razor: Art, Science & Aesthetics, at !dea Gallery (Ontario Science Centre), Toronto, ON (May 3-June 1), 2014
- Occam’s Razor: Art, Science & Aesthetics, at Propeller Centre for the Visual Arts, Toronto, ON (April 2-20), 2014
- Eco Art Exhibition, at Gallery 1313, Toronto (Jan 8-19), 2014
- 100 Urban Trends, at Guggenheim Museum BMW Lab, New York City, via Aziza Chaouni Projects (ACP) (Oct. 2013 – Jan. 2014)
- Green Line Ideas Competition, at GreenLineToronto.ca, via Aziza Chaouni Projects (ACP), 2013
- Aesthetics/Anesthetics, Storefront for Art & Architecture, NYC, via Aziza Chaouni Projects (ACP), 2012
- Entropy, at Hart House Arbor Room, University of Toronto
- Future Cities Exhibition, Chicago Museum of Art, via Aziza Chaouni Projects
- re:encounter, at Artscape Triangle Gallery, 2011
- Glitter Skirts & Shorts : Trans Film Night Pride Edition, at University of Toronto , 2011
- Coterie 21: Visual Studies Thesis Show, at University of Toronto, 2011
- Cabaret Voltaire, at Arbor Room, Hart House, University of Toronto, 2011
Vjosana Shkurti 