The Visa
aka
The Albanian Librarian
A Football Match... an International Incident... an Accidental Romance

Danny McGrain's teammates nervously worry if their captain is about to be ejected from the match, or even detained by the authorities.

The Partizan Tirana players line up for the match
mood-board visual
Log-Line:
An earnest paralegal and a displaced tourist team up as an unlikely couple in a daring test of the law that will either transform their lives or get them respectively disbarred and deported.
Synopsis:
The film begins in September 1979, in a bar in Tirana, Albania - fans are watching a live TV broadcast - Partizan Tirana are playing Glasgow Celtic. The match became famous not for the football, but for the off-field ramifications of the Celtic captain's beard! Albania was a pariah state - the repressive communist regime subjugated the population - dissenters feared the labour camp - paranoid over the influence of 'western decadence', the dictator had banned everything from rock music to chewing gum to the wearing of flared trousers... and beards! For the Albanian footballers, spectators, those fans watching on the TV and many in the country, Danny McGrain's beard would become a defiant gesture, and he himself became an instant hero.
[This opening segment is factual - see this Guardian piece]
Forty five years later, in Glasgow, the events of that night will make for a dramatic turn in the lives of ARTUR KOĆI and AILSA SALCOATS.
Present day Glasgow. AILSA is Scottish - a single woman desperate for a child, she’s a paralegal in her Glasgow law firm’s immigration department. ARTUR is Albanian - away from his real life back home as a librarian, he presently finds himself as a night-time cleaner in Ailsa's office block. Artur came to Glasgow on a simple mission… his recently-deceased father, a footballer who played in that infamous match, had a lifelong dream to swap match shirts with his hero Danny McGrain - 45 years later Artur has traveled to fulfill that dream for his father.
But meanwhile, away from his homeland, fate has dealt Artur a dangerous hand - he learns that he’s a target in a Kanun… one of the blood feuds that blights the country to this day. He cannot return safely, and he can’t claim asylum. He’s now a man ‘trapped’ in Glasgow, with no status. Effectively, he doesn’t exist! He needs a visa.
When Ailsa & Artur’s lives collide, an unlikely friendship is forged. Moved by his predicament as a jeopardy-ridden tourist who cannot return home, Ailsa hatches an ingenious but wrong-side-of-legal plan to help Artur get a precious Visa. Artur's role in this quid-pro-quo is simple... he merely has to get Ailsa pregnant!
The illicit collaborators become embroiled in the process of artificial conception… Artur is stocked up with syringes and sterile cups, while Ailsa is up to her elbows in ovulation and pregnancy testing kits. Emotions see-saw as Ailsa juggles domestic expediency with professional ethics; while Artur struggles to evade detection as an illegal worker. Despite the cultural divide, the mismatched pair begin to sense there may be more to their alliance than mere procreation… but their budding romance is just one positive pregnancy test away from being over.

(Copyright © Michael Normand, 2025)
See full Synopsis
Screenplay Evaluations
'The Visa is a highly original black comedy with a social conscience and a huge heart' - Industrial Scripts
'In terms of originality, the narrative does have some tonal similarities to films such as “Green Card", but 'The Visa' does its own take' - Slated
'The script has truly enthralling character arcs and backstories and would make a fascinating indie drama if given the chance to shine' - The Black List
'A strong premise & concept for a romantic dramedy - it fuses lovable odd-couple sensibilities with a commentary on relevant contemporary themes such as illegal immigration' - Slated
The Visa is positioned to be a hilarious, thoughtful, and heartwarming addition to the romantic comedy and dramedy genres' - Slated
See full Script Coverage Summary
Cast Attachments (and counting):

‘Sorority’, ‘The Danish Girl’, ‘Philomena’, ‘The Cry’
Unrestricted View Film Festival: Winner, Best Actress, 2021
BAFTA Scotland Winner: Best Actress, 2014

‘The Albanian, ‘Seven Lucky Gods’,
‘Direnis Karatay’
PriFest: Winner: Best Actor, 2021
Creative Statement:
The creative & commercial elements, along with independent/external evaluations of ‘The Visa’ now point to a unique new British feature film that will appeal to audiences looking for an intelligent, contemporary, entertaining film with a universal message that will linger.
In its essence, it’s a story about the lengths two incongruous characters... one Albanian, the other, British... will go to if sufficiently desperate and driven; but there are a number of elements that distinguish this film from the mere will-they-won’t-they. It’s a film about collisions and contradictions. Ailsa & Artur come from worlds apart, yet her immigration paralegal and his troubled tourist couldn’t be a more seamless fit. The undercurrents of shared goals and obstacles are obvious - Ailsa’s biological imperative will echo with many women, while Artur’s story taps into one of the most emotive and controversial societal issues of our day. This contemporary backdrop provides a canvas against which the consequent high-stakes drama is played out.
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Team (to date):

Writer/Director:

Line Producer:
Summary:
◉ Contemporary Feature - Theatrical/TV/Streamer
(comedy drama)
◉ Feb 2025 draft: 92 pgs
◉ Certified British-Qualifying
◉ Available:-
Script.
Budget (£0.75m).
Sales Estimates.