Concrete Empire
Creative Documentary /
In Development /
Director: Kaleb Wentzel-Fisher /
Producers: Costanza Julia Bani, Fabian Martin Diering and Kaleb Wentzel-Fisher /
Production Companies: Molly Aida Film GmbH (Germany) and Supernormals (USA) /
Concrete Empire website
From 1967 to 1986 Albania built 750,000 bunkers for a war that would never happen. With a population of only 3,5 million, the bunkers totalled one for every four citizens. The construction of these concrete domes – ordered by the dictator Enver Hoxha -, led to years of seclusion, economic crisis, and corruption.
“Concrete Empire” is a feature length documentary that explores the history of the Albanian people; their trials, tribulations and triumphs during and after communist rule.
The film poses many questions: How is a community shaped by the extreme paranoia of a single person and its resulting isolation? How do individuals live through extreme hardship? How does a nation redefine itself in such a short time period? How does a nation balance the well-being of its citizens and the costs of national security?
“Concrete Empire” uses the bunkers as a narrative canvas to paint a portrait of the unique and unusual past of the latest democracy in Europe.