Burning buildings in a dense fog, a dead horse on a dusty road, people fleeing through harsh mountain landscapes. Afterwar opens with images from war-torn Kosovo in 1999, as a dark chapter in the history of modern Europe draws to a close. After the war, children sell peanuts and cigarettes on the streets of Pristina to survive. They speak to us: ‘There’s only one reason I’m talking to you. It is my hunger! I’m so hungry, I could eat your money!’ In a cinematic testament co-created over 15 years, they transform into adults before our eyes. Yet the child still stares back at us from behind the adult gaze as the struggle to survive becomes a struggle for a future. They confront us with their innermost secrets and desires while stuck in limbo and haunted by their past. Through close artistic collaboration with the lead cast – Xhevahire, Gëzim, Shpresim, and Besnik – the film moves between raw realism, staged performance, and an existential meditation on the long-term repercussions of war. Any war, anywhere.
Click here to watch the trailer.
Afterwar will have its North American Premiere at DOC NYC in the Kaleidoscope Competition Section on Saturday, November 16th at 6:30 pm at the Village East by Angelika with a filmmaker Q&A. It will be available for audiences nationwide from November 17th through December 1st as part of DOC NYC’s incredible virtual screening experience. Click here for more information.
