“Field of Blackbirds” – Kosovo premiere on the opening night of PriFest

Arzana Kraja’s debut feature film “Field of Blackbirds” will open the 11th edition of PriFest on the opening night on July 16 at the National Theatre in Prishtina.

Circle Production company chose to screen the Kosovo premiere of the film at PriFest. The film will not take part in any of the competitive programs of the festival.

Vjosa Berisha, festival director, is pleased to have a Kosovo production screened at the opening night of the festival. “The opening night of the festival is a special event and one which marks the beginning of of a week full of film industry activities and premieres of films from around the world. Many international guests will be present on the night, so we are happy to make the evening even more special by screening a Kosovar film. “Field of Blackbirds” will be a special screening, meaning it will not be part of the competitive programs. The cast and crew will be present in the opening night to showcase their work. The film will be screened simultaneously in two venues. The second screening will begin 45 minutes after the first. The reason for this is that the space in the theatre is limited, whereas demand for participating in the opening ceremony is very high, as it has always been. PriFest has been implementing this form of simultaneous screening in the last few years to enable more people to take part,” said Berisha.

Arzana Kraja, director of the film, said that she feels great joy in presenting her film before a local audience. “What happens to a disappointed idealist? What happens when he is betrayed by the people he trusted? The film shows the path of an idealist who returns after a long time to reveal the truth, but ends up even more confused. I am happy that the film will be screened before a local audience in the opening night of PriFest, because the story is related to the recent history of the last three decades in Kosovo. I believe that each person in the audience will find something to relate to their own personal history,” said Kraja.

“Field of Blackbirds” is a 2019 production from Circle Production company and has been supported by Kosovo Cinematographic Center, in coproduction with Great Britain and Albania. Besnik Krapi is the producer of the film, whereas Arzana Kraja is the director and screenwriter. The cast is comprised of Shkumbin Istrefi, Astrit Kabashi, Melihate Qena, Abdinaser Beka, Ilire Vinca, Art Lokaj, Çun Lajçi, Xhevat Qorraj, Adem Karaga, Irena Cahani, Xhevdet Doda, Shengyl Ismajli and Ilir Prapashica.

PriFest kicks off on July 16, with the opening night being held simultaneously in two different locations. Soon the full program of the festival will be made public. Ticket prices for films are 3 euros, and the sale of tickets will be managed by RaveTravel. Students and citizens above the age of 65 can watch all films free of charge. For more information regarding the festival, follow us on social media and our app PriFest.

Friendship. Forever.