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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.