01
THE FILM
In her realistic and assured debut feature, Hive, writer/director Blerta Basholli, portrays the life of Fahrije Hoti as she tries to move on.
Played by Yllka Gashi, a well-known actress from Kosova, living in New York, Fahrije is a woman from a village in Kosova, Krusha e Madhe, who having lost her husband during the war in Kosova needs to start working in a patriarchal society who does not see her empowerment as a positive thing.
Hive started back ten years ago when the director heard a TV Story about a woman in Krusha e Madhe who got a driving license and started to work and society prejudiced her for that. Blerta went to meet Fahrije and she went together with Yllka Gashi, who was cast for the film before even writing the script. Both the director and actress fell in love with the character of Fahrije from the beginning. Since then they lived with the character until it became alive first as a script in 2015 and then as a film in 2021.
Her father-in-law is played by another great actor from Kosova, Çun Lajçi, who had lost his son during the war, is cut between the grief and, the patriarchal society which he is part of. He understands Fahrije’s need to move on, although he finds it hard to accept.
The film has won three awards at Sundance Film Festival, Grand Jury Prize, Directing Award, and Audience Award, making it the first film to win all three awards in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition.
Other parts in the film include Kumrije Hoxha, Aurita Agushi, Adriana Matoshi, Molike Maxhuni, Blerta Ismaili, Valire Haxhijaj Zeneli, Astrit Kabashi, Armend Smajli, Nexhat Xhokli, Xhejlane Terbunja, Shkelqim Islami, Ilir Prapashtica and her children Kaona Sylejmani and Mal Noah Safqiu.
02
AWARDS AND FESTIVALS
Hive (Albanian: Zgjoi) is a 2021 Kosovan drama film directed by Blerta Basholli in her directorial debut. The film stars Yllka Gashi, Çun Lajçi, and Aurita Agushi. It premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 31, 2021, and became the first film in Sundance history to win all three main awards – the Grand Jury Prize, the Audience Award, and the Directing Award – in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. It was selected as the Kosovan entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.
Sundance Film Festival 2021
Winner
Audience Award
World Cinema - Dramatic
Winner
Directing Award
World Cinema - Dramatic
Blerta Basholli
Winner
Grand Jury Prize
World Cinema - Dramatic
Jerusalem Film Festival 2021
Nominee
Award for International Cinema
Best International Debut
Jameson CineFest - Miskolc International Film Festival 2021
Nominee
Emeric Pressburger Prize
Best Feature Film
Guanajuato International Film Festival 2021
Nominee
International Feature Competition
Best Film
Prishtina International Film Festival 2021
Winner
Best Balkan Feature Film
Balkan Feature Competition
Winner
Annual Achievement Award
Balkan Feature Competition
Cinedays European Film Festival 2021
Winner
Best Film – Golden Star
International Feature Competition
Tetova International Film Festival ODA 2021
Winner
Best Film
Cine Balkan Panorama Feature Competition
Berkshire International Film Festival 2021
Winner
Best Narrative Feature
Narrative Competition