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The Visa

aka

The Albanian Librarian

A Football Match... an International Incident... an Accidental Romance

Log-Line:

In present-day Glasgow, 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 - football fans are watching a rare live TV broadcast - it’s Partizani Tirana v Glasgow Celtic.  Back then, Albania was an isolated pariah state - its Communist leadership, ruled by the maniacal dictator Enver Hoxha, demanded obedience from a subjugated population loathsome of the regime - dissenters were detained and imprisoned with impunity.  Paranoid over the influence of 'western decadence', Hoxha had banned everything from rock music to chewing gum to long hair to the wearing of flared trousers... and most bizarrely... beards!


In the weeks leading up to the match, the word on the street was of alarm for the Celtic captain, Danny McGrain, who was known to sport a full beard… an image the regime, mindful of a TV-viewing public, would fear.  That night, for many in the country, Danny McGrain's beard would become a defiant gesture, and he himself became an instant hero.

Proof-of-Concept

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mood-board visual

Forty-seven years later, AILSA SALCOATS and ARTUR KOĆI will collide in present-day Glasgow.  Ailsa, a single woman desperate for a child, is 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 Danny McGrain… something he couldn’t do on the night for fear of arrest.  Artur wants to fulfil 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!


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.

[This story is based on documented actual events - eg: see this Guardian piece]

[It has been acknowledged by many cultural historians that the 'Danny McGrain Beard Incident' was one of the opening salvos in a movement that led to the eventual collapse of Communism in Albania the early 1990s]

(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 sanctuary and migration' - 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):
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Attached* as 'Ailsa' -

SOPHIE KENNEDY CLARK

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‘Sorority’, ‘The Danish Girl’, ‘Philomena’, ‘The Cry’

Unrestricted View Film Festival: Winner, Best Actress, 2021

BAFTA Scotland Winner: Best Actress, 2014

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Attached* as 'Artur':-

BESIR ZECIRI

'The Girl with the Needle'

'Outlaw', 'The Danish Woman'

Berlin Film Festival:

2025 Shooting Star Winner

Danish Film Awards: Winner, Best

Actor 2022

Attached* as 'Pavlo -

NIK XHELILAJ

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‘The Albanian,  ‘Seven Lucky Gods’,

‘Direnis Karatay’


PriFest: Winner: Best Actor, 2021

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Attached** as 'McTear' -

JOHN HANNAH

* officially attached & confirmed via agent, subject to availability and final terms

** attached on financing/greenlight via agent, and subject to availability and final terms

Developed & Packaged with

Creative Statement:
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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, entertaining feature with a universal message that will linger... an idiosyncratic film that hits that sweet spot between comedy & social commentary.

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.

Target Audience/s:

⦿  Urban Adults 25-60

⦿  Particularly urban (& rural) women

⦿ a good chunk of the Richard Curtis fan base... who are looking for a Curtisesque-type film but with social relevance

⦿  Fans of mainstream with arthouse sensibilities

⦿  Rom-com fans

⦿  Football fans

⦿  Every Albanian

⦿  Fans of Besir Zeciri

Comparables:

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Team (to date):

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Co-Producer:

OLWYN SILVESTER

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Co-Producer/Albania:

DRITAN HUQI

Writer/Director:

MICHAEL NORMAND

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Line Producer:

JAMES RYAN

Summary:

◉  Contemporary Feature - Theatrical/TV/Streamer

(bitter-sweet comedy drama)

◉ June 2025 draft: 92 pgs

◉ Certified British-Qualifying

◉ Budget £1.5m

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