Zana Hoxha (born in 1981) is a professional theatre director, founder, and executive director of the Artpolis – Art and Community Center, an organization that promotes art and diversity through social dialogue and community integration.
She has created more than 20 theatrical performances which have been presented in the major theatres in Kosovo, in the Balkan region (Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Croatia, Turkey), and has also presented her work as an artist/activist/trainer in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.
Her work has been highly valued and has won several awards over the years: The musical “Spring Awakening” was awarded with the best performance for 2020 by the Ministry of Culture of Kosovo; “Best Director” in the “Albanian theatre in North Macedonia” festival; Best performance – “Grand Prix” Award, in the fourteenth edition of ITF SkupiFestival 2020; The performance “Artemis’s Huntresses” was awarded in Etno Fest 2020 with two prizes Best Show and Best Performance; The performance “Bits and Pieces” was awarded in Etno Fest 2019 with two prizes: Best Director and Best Actress.
Her artistic activism has expanded in 2022 with the creation of two theatre performances: “The Bug” which was presented for 10 days during May at the House of Leaves in Tirana, Albania; while “Haunted Land”, opened the 10th edition of the FemArt Festival on June 14th.
Zana was the Director of the Theatre Department at the SKENA UP festival during 2004-2011, the Artistic Director of the Professional Theatre 2011-2014, and also the Founder and Director of the ARTPOLIS Organization and the largest feminist festival in the Balkans of artists and activists, FEMART.
She is also selected as IVLP alumna (International Program for Foreign Visitors to the United States of America) and the winner of many awards for her contribution as a director in Kosovo and the region. Combining art and activism, she uses theatre as an advocacy tool for social rights that focuses on raising awareness of gender-based violence, human rights, and diversity.
Zana is a Laureate of “Future Leaders” program by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for her leadership in gender equality, advocacy, social enhancement, and women’s rights.
She was a Chevening Fellow currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Theatre Directing at LAMDA in London. Recently, she created and directed the theatre performance Revolt. She Said, Revolt Again by Alice Birch. Additionally, she directed Electra, a performance born from a collaboration between the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and the Athens Conservatoire.
In 2024, she co-directed the theatre performance “Women of Troy” alongside Maja Mitic, while also penning the dramaturgy for the dance theatre play “O Lord, O Lord, Lady of the House.”
She is proud to be a member of the board of the Kosovo Women’s Network, a lecturer and trainer specializing in Forum Theatre, and a supporter of the empowerment and emancipation of women activists.
