Sunday, June 15
Kosovo film is seeing a seemingly surprising surge of success in the last couple of years. Festivals like Sundance, Berlinale, Rotterdam, Cannes and Locarno are no stranger to them anymore and even winning awards there is becoming a norm. So what is happening in Kosovo lately? Where did this all come from and should we be surprised with it? Is it too early to call it a New Kosovo Wave and what does it take to maintain this international presence in the coming years now that the bar has been set high? To discuss this and other issues a pool of young and promising Kosovan filmmakers, such as triple Sundance winner Blerta Basholli and Samir Karahoda, Cannes Film Festival’s nominee for EFA’s European Short Film candidacy, will be joined by industry representatives from Europe, namely Wouter Jansen, the head of sales at Square Eyes and Brigid O’Shea, co-director of Documentary Association of Europe. Panel will be moderated by film critic and programmer Neil Young.
A panel discussion that contemplates questions of freedom and creativity and addresses the various conditions that lead artists to bold actions. One of the particular interests of this discussion will focus on how the collective memory of our violent past is being shaped through different forms of art and what is the role of the dissenting artist in confronting established doctrines and social orders in the face of official censorship and new narratives. The panel discussion will bring artists, filmmakers, and media representatives from the region to discuss the challenges of confronting mainstream narratives and the ways in how art can contribute to reconciliation. This panel discussion is organized jointly with Humanitarian Law Center in Kosovo and will be moderated by Bekim Blakaj. Panelists: Blerta Basholli – Filmmaker Jeton Neziraj – Playwright Marija Ristić – Investigative journalist/filmmaker