Short Film Forum

SOUNDTRACK OF A PEOPLE: BOOM

Director: Fjolla Muharremi
Producers: Laberion Nitaj & Ismail Myrseli
Country: Kosovo
Genre: Documentary
Estimated runtime: 20'
Total estimated budget: 7,000 Euros
Looking for: Funding; Technical Collaboration; Post-Production Services; Distribution & Sales.


Synopsis:
This short documentary revisits the rock scene of 1980s Prishtinë, focusing on two to three key figures who were active during this period. Through first-person interviews, they reflect on their personal experiences - how they discovered music, what it meant to them at the time, and how it functioned as both a creative outlet and a quiet form of protest.
The film is set in present-day Prishtinë, with key locations such as Pallati i Rinisë, once home to Boom Festival, serving as visual entry points into the past. Boom seems to be mentioned by everyone of the time, but little is publicly known or preserved about its history in this region. Using available archive material - home video footage, press clippings, and photos - the film will reconstruct fragments of the era.
Rather than offering a full historical overview, the film highlights personal memories and sensory details - what the scene felt and sounded like, and how it shaped those who participated in it. There is an emphasis on oral storytelling, intergenerational dialogue, and the role of music in shaping youth identity under a socialist regime.
The story is told through the perspective of a Kosovan in the diaspora, driven by a personal need to understand this cultural past. The film situates itself in a wider gap: the lack of public documentation or conversation around this specific music scene, and the absence of Kosovo’s cultural contribution in broader narratives about Yugoslav rock and new wave.

Director's short bio:
Fjolla Muharemi is a London-born creative with Kosovan roots, interested in stories that explore memory, cultural identity, and the power of sound. They hold a BA in Media and Communications from Goldsmiths, University of London, where they specialised in radio and audio documentary.
While at Goldsmiths, they created several audio documentary pieces that ranged from conversations with members of Kosovo’s creative diaspora, to stories about London’s vintage store culture, to The Art of Permanence - a feature on London’s tattooing landscape and the meaning people attach to permanent ink. These projects reflect a consistent curiosity about community, place, and personal storytelling.
They participated in DokuFest’s How Do I See You? initiative, a cross-cultural film project designed to build creative dialogue between Kosovan and Serbian youth. The experience further shaped their belief in film as a tool for conversation, connection, and archival resistance.
Soundtrack of a People: Boom will be their first major short documentary within a trilogy, born out of a long-standing desire to explore the erased or overlooked corners of Kosovan history through music and memory. What began as a university research topic has since evolved into a film rooted in years of reflection and reconnection with cultural identity.

Producer's short bio:
Ismail Myrseli is a multidisciplinary artist, researcher, and cultural worker whose practice flows through sound, performance, visual installation, and ethnographic inquiry. Drawing from his academic background in anthropology, Ismail’s work touches on memory, migration, queerness, and resistance - always with a sensitivity to the ways bodies carry history and imagination alike.
Recently, Ismail took part in a group exhibition at MuseumsQuartier Vienna, where - during his residency - he explored the entangled themes of guestwork, pornography, and intimacy. His contribution reflected a deep commitment to unraveling cultural taboos through poetic and political gestures. He has also published several art-books: one tracing the music and underground scenes of ex-Yugoslavia, and another speculative publication developed during a residency in Ljubljana, imagining new entanglements between nature, sound, and subculture.

Working in various areas such as filmmaking, research and production - Laberion is passionate about visual storytelling that explores identity, social themes and youth. Laberion’s involvement in visual arts began at DokuFest, where he created a short documentary on the impact of social media on youth featured in the “Futures is here” program. Since then, Laberion has worked on different film festivals and recently produced a short coming of age film in Albania, currently in post production. With a background in Political science working with international organisations such as OSCE has given him the knowledge of research and communication skills. He is driven by untold stories and cultural narratives, and now is shifting his passion as a producer focusing on ‘Soundtrack of A People: Boom’. Drawn to international collaboration, Laberion believes in the power of film for personal and collective histories.