09/08/2024
Here comes the one day of DokuFest that embodies the absolute heart and soul of the festival: the New Wave x Future is Here program. Kino Lumi, one of the most captivating cinema setups at the festival located in the heart of Lumbardhi i Prizrenit, with an audience packed like sardines, hosted the 12th edition of Future is Here and the 3rd edition of the New Wave filmmakers of Kosovo.
DokuFest’s mission to empower young, new voices in Kosovo’s filmmaking landscape has always been a core element both inside and outside the festival. However, with ongoing efforts to bring on board young people passionate about storytelling and mentor them in using film as a method for self-expression, even DokuFest’s team has found it challenging to predict the fascinating outcomes of the powerful voices emerging from Kosovo’s new generation of filmmakers.
Tuesday’s Kino Lumi screening began with 17 O’Clock by Flaka Kokolli, a project initiated and completed as part of DokuFest’s Film Grants, “Support to the New Wave of Kosovo Filmmakers,” in collaboration with the Swedish Embassy in Kosovo. While Flaka’s film is the third to receive support from this initiative, it is the first to use animated documentary as a medium. Over 10 beautifully crafted minutes, 17 O’Clock takes us inside a house affected by war and misfortune but protected by the parents’ compassion and purity. Using soft brownish colors, Flaka explores new, comforting ways to address darkness, voice, and inevitability through child’s play and the innocence of youth, which contrasts with but also complements the calamities of the world. “Through this film, I also want to pay special tribute to the interior of our homes in the early 2000s,” says Flaka. “When I look back at the way things were, I feel like we didn’t appreciate the brownish colors as much, and I wanted to use this film to draw attention to what has been overlooked in the past.”
17 O’Clock was followed by the screening of eight short films created as part of Future is Here, a mentorship program, film school, and laboratory for new, inspiring voices to find their way onto the cinema screen. “We are amazed by their films,” says Eroll Bilibani, one of the mentors and co-founders of the Future is Here program—an understatement when describing the outcomes of this high school student-focused initiative.
Starting with Escapee, Anisa Aliu tells the touching story of her grandmother’s escape from her own family’s attempts to marry her off, leading to a new life where education and radio shows take precedence. The short, also filmed in transition and through train windows, provides a heartwarming portrait of Shkurte Godanci, whose soft voice still trembles with the weight of yesterday’s events. Ustah, masterfully executed by Albulena Caka, is an ode to manual labor, which may seem endangered by technological advancements. In this beautifully crafted story about the forgotten art of shoe-making, leather-working, or the inner world of a beauty parlor, Albulena reminds the audience of the essential human touch, the common thread that holds and will continue to hold everything together. Acorda by Ruena Rogova uses pixelated images and sounds to portray annihilation; in this beautiful 2-minute piece, it is not the subject that matters, but rather the manner in which it is presented. Platform 7, a collaboration between Jonila Muriqi and Suara Ismajli, traces life in the international bus station of Prishtina, capturing buses, people, umbrellas, and awkward neon signs. While everything unfolds in this transitory, non-place imbued with various layers of emotional significance, the filmmaking duo paints a portrait of life in limbo in Kosovo’s post-visa world. Elena Hoxha’s Ratrak follows a coming-of-age story within the framework of a season. As two skiers head to Brezovica and reflect on their shared lives, the film also traces their growth, much like a day spent skiing: before you know it, it’s over, and there will always be a sense of grief in ending things. Artistry by Lis Mustafa explores the nerve-racking subject of AI art, set against the metal music scene, delving into matters of creativity and temporal existence. In Wires Crossed, a poetic exploration of loss and what is to be lost, Era Latifi presents a phone call that reconnects and reignites but also examines letting go as the final act of love. Through a story of substance abuse, this short teaches us something tender and gentle about how one’s weight-of-the-world is intrinsically related to another person’s existence. To conclude the program, Traces by Tea Ahmeti filled the outdoor screening area with the same raw human emotions experienced on-screen. Reflecting on the commonly shared experience of losing a loved one, Tea explores human existence as traces of everyone we have loved throughout our lives.
Through something as seemingly trivial as a cinema screening, DokuFest uses a unique way to spread the best news ever to come out of Kosovo’s cinema landscape to date: the emerging talents from Kosovo, the new wave and backbone of the cinematic landscape-to-be, are not only talented but also inspiring, insightful, and immensely compassionate. With a genuine knack for human stories that creates a real distance from the already-exploited themes in Kosovo’s filmmaking scene, this new breath of fresh air is so exciting it’s intoxicating.
By: Enxhi Noni
Photo: Furkan Çelik
