PriFest unvails the Main Competitive Category of the 16th Edition

PriFest presents the main competitive category, which focuses on feature films from the Balkans. Six new productions from the region are featured, showcasing powerful and emotional stories. Among the six films, one is a world premiere, one is an international premiere, and all the films are local premieres.

Another characteristic of this selection is that out of the six films, four are productions or co-productions with Kosovo.

The films are:

OKARINA by Alban ZOGJANI, Kosovo / Kosovo Premiere (92 min).

This is a tale of family issues that emerge due to a shift in lifestyle upon moving to a new country, driven by a solid aspiration to improve their circumstances. Shaqa and Selvia challenge their sense of "morality" to pursue a brighter future. Conversely, Giovanni's unintentional involvement steers their chosen path in an unforeseen direction. However, their journey does not culminate as they initially anticipated.

EXCURSION by Una GUNJAK, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, France, Norway, and Qatar / Kosovo Premiere (93 min).

In Sarajevo, a teenager seeking validation claims that she had sex for the first time during a game of "truth or dare" among middle schoolers. Trapped in her own lie, she invents a pregnancy and becomes the center of a controversy that spirals out of control.

STORK by Isa QOSJA, Montenegro, Kosovo / World Premiere (97 min).

A sleepy Montenegrin village, where most of the natives have emigrated to the US, is the setting for a bitter-sweet tale of three women fighting for autonomy. Suta resists pressure to marry her late husband's autistic twin, Vezire and Drane must learn to coexist as their mutual husband plans to leave, Fize tries to find a bride for her son. A stork's arrival troubles the superstitious villagers.

M by Vardan TOZIJA, Macedonia, Croatia, Kosovo, France, Luxembourg / Kosovo Premiere (96 min).

In a secluded forest, young Marko lives under the watchful eye of his overprotective and mysterious father. Their sheltered existence is all he knows. Marko seeks solace in his cherished picture book, finding comfort and answers within its pages. One day, an encounter with a kind-hearted, helpless boy named Miko, brings a glimmer of warmth and connection into Marko's isolated world. As his curiosity grows, Marko yearns to uncover the secrets that lie beyond the confines of the wilderness. A cruel turn of events grants him his wish sooner than he expects. A grim journey awaits
him, filled with unknown dangers and a glimpse into a world forever changed.

THIS IS NOT A LOVE SONG by Nevio MARASOVIC, Croatia / International Premiere (72 min).

A famous film director in midlife crisis invites his fatal ex-girlfriend to a lake hotel to help him write a script based on their relationship.

SILENCE OF SIRENS by Gazmend Nela, Kosovo, Switzerland, North Macedonia, Albania / Kosovo Premiere (90 min).

Avni is a traffic police officer in a small town in Kosovo, an ordinary policeman and family man, neither very honest nor very brave. Together with his partner Gezim, they accept petty bribes from the drivers they arrest for speeding. One night, thinking they are doing the right thing, they escort to the station an international court prosecutor who was driving drunk with a bag full of cash in the back of the car. The two of them then will quickly find themselves entangled in a corruption case that goes way beyond them.

The screening schedules for all the films will be announced soon.

The 16th edition will be held from September 10-15, 2024, at Kino Armata, Prishtina.

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