Luli Bitri

Luljeta Bitri (born 27 June 1976 ), better known by her stage name Luli Bitri, is an Albanian actress, director, screenwriter, producer, and voice actress.

Early life 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, directed by Dhimitër Anagnosti, followed by Alive! (2009), directed by Artan Minarolli, and Amnesty (2011), directed by Bujar Alimani. 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.

Career 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.

Filmography Film

Theatre

Voice acting Year Title Role Notes 2004 Thumbelina Thumbelina 2005 Mulan II Mulan 2005 The Incredibles Elastigirl 2005 Shrek 2 Princess Fiona 2005 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Elizabeth Swann 2006 Finding Nemo Nemo Redub 2010 The Princess and the Frog Tiana 2011 Megamind Roxanne Ritchi 2013 Epic Mary Katherine 2017 Finding Dory Nemo 2018 Incredibles 2 Elastigirl 2021 Winx Club Bloom Seasons 7–8

Awards and nominations Year Venue Award Result 2011 Prishtina International Film Festival Best Actress 2011 Sarajevo Film Festival Best Actress 2011 Copenhagen International Film Festival Best Actress 2011 Jerusalem Film Festival Best Actress 2011 Festival de Cinéma de Vernon Best Actress 2011 Akademia e Çmimeve Kult Best Actress 2012 East West International Film Festival, Orenburg Best Actress 2012 Albanian Film Festival Best Albanian Actress 2013 Busto Arsizio Film Festival Best Actress 2017 New York Albanian Film Festival Outstanding Artistic Achievement 2019 Aswan International Women Film Festival Best Actress 2019Calella Film FestivalActress Special Mention