Plus IconFilmPlus IconTVPlus IconWhat To WatchPlus IconMusicPlus IconDocsPlus IconDigital & GamingPlus IconGlobalPlus IconAwards CircuitPlus IconVideoPlus IconWhat To HearPlus IconClick to expand the Mega MenuPlus IconClick to Expand Search InputGot a Tip?NewslettersSwitch edition betweenU.S. EditionAsia EditionGlobal EditionU.S.AsiaGlobalVarietyPlus IconClick to expand the Mega MenuPlus IconClick to Expand Search InputVarietyPlus IconRead Next: \u2018Matilda the Musical\u2019 Star Alisha Weir to Lead Coming-of-Age Comedy Feature \u2018Underdogs\u2019 (EXCLUSIVE)HomeFilmGlobalMay 14, 2026 2:34am PTSundance Winner \u2018Hive\u2019 Director Blerta Basholli Releases Her Second Feature \u2018Dua\u2019 in Cannes\u2019 Critics\u2019 WeekByRoberto PrietoPlus IconRoberto PrietoLatestBrazil\u2019s VDF Showcase Makes an Exciting Return to Cannes, Highlighting a Diverse Group of Films From Fresh New Talent (EXCLUSIVE)3 weeks agoJamaica-Set Horror Drama \u2018Duppy,\u2019 From \u2018Seventeen\u2019 Director Aju\u00e1n Isaac-George, Set for Cannes Fronti\u00e8res Platform (EXCLUSIVE)1 month agoPrime Video Renews \u2018La Oficina\u2019 From \u2018Club of Crows\u2019 Co-Creator Gaz Alazraki (EXCLUSIVE)1 month agoSee AllPinea Matoshi in “Dua”Blerta Basholli\u2019s second feature film \u201cDua\u201d has just had its world premiere on May 13 during Cannes\u2019 Critics\u2019 Week. It follows Basholli\u2019s film \u201cHive,\u201d which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2021, becoming the festival\u2019s only film to ever win the Grand Jury Prize, directing and the Audience Award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition.Set in late 1990\u2019s Kosova during the war, \u2018Dua,\u2019 a coming-of-age film follows 13-year-old Dua, who has to deal with the ongoing reality of war and the growing pains of becoming a young woman. As she navigates the daily violence and the possibility of having to leave her beloved country, Dua must learn how to protect herself physically and emotionally from the constant barrage of challenges thrown at her.Related Stories’Big Brother’ Season 28 Sets July Release DateNXT Premium Live Events to Air on CW in Multi-Year DealBorn in Kosova, Basholli explains that the film is semi-autobiographical: \u201cMost of the scenes in the film are based on what I experienced and what happened to me. Witnessing protests, watching the news, being part of all the discussions at home, leaving the country, it\u2019s all based on my life.\u201dPopular on VarietyShe adds: \u201cWhen you\u2019re making a film about small countries like Kosova, there\u2019s always a temptation to explain because it\u2019s complicated. There are two nations, two languages, nobody can tell the difference between them, and not many people know what really happened. They just know there was a war. In this sense, we tried to focus on Dua and to tell that journey through her.\u201dBasholli cites the Dardenne brothers\u2019 \u201cRosetta\u201d as a source of inspiration, along with Andrea Arnold\u2019s \u201cFish Tank\u201d and Lucrecia Martel\u2019s \u201cLa Ni\u00f1a Santa\u201d. The film is filled with long shots, most of the scenes being shot in one take. \u201cNaturally, I want beautiful lighting, but I don\u2019t want the hand of the DP, the camera, or the director to be felt. For me, it is very important that we believe in the atmosphere. I want people to feel that we are with an Albanian family in 1998 and not to make it feel like a beautiful film,\u201d says Basholli.Pinea Matoshi, who plays Dua with a vulnerable yet understated intensity, was discovered during a search through every primary school and high school in Prishtina, Kosova, Basholli\u2019s hometown. She and her second assistant director Dafina Gjikolli auditioned around 5,000 children. \u201cShe\u2019s a little bit like me when I was a teenager, she doesn\u2019t talk much. I prefer actors who express themselves with expressions or attitudes. I think Pinea has this ability to talk with her eyes,\u201d says Basholli.The film also stars Yllka Gashi as Dua\u2019s mother, who was the lead in \u201cHive.\u201d Basholli says Gashi \u201chas the same quality as Pinea: she expresses a lot by not saying much. I love working with her and she\u2019s going to be in my next film.\u201dThe rest of the cast includes Kushtrim Hoxha as Bekim, Vlera Bilalli as Maki, Andi Bajgora as Veggie, Fiona Abdullahu as Mimi, Kaona Matoshi as Tina (who happens to be Pinea\u2019s sister), Arben Bajraktaraj as Pinea\u2019s Judo trainer and Mila Savic as Mrs. Tomic.A Kosova\/Switzerland\/France co-production, \u201cDua\u201d is produced by Ikon\u00eb Studio, Alva Film, Kazak Productions, ARTE France \u2013 Unit\u00e9 Cin\u00e9ma and RTS Radio T\u00e9l\u00e9vision Suisse. The film\u2019s producers are Valon Bajgora, Britta Rindelaub, Thomas Reichlin, Amaury Ovise, Yll Uka, Agon Uka and Jean-Christophe Reymond.World Sales are being handled by The Party Film Sales; Frenetic Films Distribution is handling distribution in Switzerland.Blerta Basholli. Photo by Artan KorenicaVarietyspoke briefly with Basholli before the film\u2019s Cannes world premiere:Are you now based in Kosova? In your opinion, how has Kosova and its people changed since the war?\u00a0 \u201cHive\u201d dealt with mysogyny in the village, for example. \u00a0 Do you think the status of women has improved?Blerta Basholli:Yes, Kosova has changed tremendously. Women have played a crucial role, both before and after the war, in shaping society and pushing forward the position of women. Today we see women leading the country, women in politics, business, and filmmaking. But in everyday life, and not only in Kosova, I believe there is still a long way to go. These structures and mentalities come from history, and change takes time.The film is more relevant than ever considering all the conflicts that are happening around the world.\u00a0What would be your message to the teenage girls growing up right now in Ukraine, Palestine and other war zones?Basholli:Unfortunately, yes, the film is more relevant than ever, and that is exactly why I felt it was important to tell this story now. My message to teenage girls growing up in Ukraine, Palestine and other conflict zones would be: Keep dreaming, never give up, and never feel less than anyone else. You are equal to every person in this world, intelligent, capable, and deserving of every opportunity. The fact that you are growing up in conflict should not stop you from becoming who you are. As painful and unfair as it is, I hope it becomes a source of strength, resilience, and courage. And yes, I am sorry we are only watching and not helping you more.Can you tell us a bit about what happened to your own family after the war and where are they now?Basholli:Me, my mother, and my brother left Kosova by train. We first went to refugee camps in Macedonia, where we stayed for five days, and then we signed up to fly to Germany. We were placed in Braunschweig, near Halle, as refugees. We stayed there for four months and returned home after Kosova was freed.My father and my two sisters stayed behind in Prishtina. They had moved from our apartment to our cousin\u2019s apartment because it was becoming too dangerous. Later, they also tried to leave by train, but Milo\u0161evi\u0107\u2019s forces turned the train back, trying to create the false image to the world that people were voluntarily returning to Kosova. No trains were allowed to leave the country after that and our car got stolen by the Serbian forces, so they could not leave.They went through a very difficult period. At one point, the police took my father to the station without any reason and later released him. Thankfully, despite everything, we all survived and were reunited.What are your hopes for \u201cDua\u201d as you get ready for the film\u2019s world premiere in Cannes?Basholli:I just hope that our little film helps remind the world that teenagers growing up in conflict zones are no different from any of us. They have dreams, talents, and knowledge. They listen to the same music, want to fall in love, go to concerts, laugh with their friends and imagine a future for themselves. I hope the film encourages people to see them not as distant victims of war but as human beings exactly like us. And maybe, in some way, it can make us all think about what more we can do to stop these conflicts. No one deserves to live through war \u2014 no one.Read More About:Blerta Basholli,Cannes Film Festival,Critics Week,Semaine de la CritiqueJump to CommentsMore from VarietyHow Bill Condon and Laura Bickford Tell the Story of Paul Simon\u2019s \u2018Graceland\u2019 in Musical \u2019The Road Home\u2019 Starring Cynthia Erivo\u2018Margo\u2019s Got Money Troubles\u2019 Renewed for Season 2 at Apple TVMadonna, Shakira and BTS to Co-Headline FIFA World Cup Final Halftime ShowAlly Lewber on Life After \u2018Vanderpump Rules\u2019 and Her Return to Reality TV for \u2018Perfect Match\u2019: \u2018I\u2019m Excited to Rewrite My Own Story\u2019Super Bowl Soap Opera: Disney Sells Some Commercials for $9 Million, But Still Faces Resistance From Large Ad Buyers (EXCLUSIVE)\u2018Dragon Ball Z\u2019 Rep Yasuo Matsuo, Jun Matsuo and Frankie Seratch Launch IP Bay to Bring Japanese Authors to Western Screens (EXCLUSIVE)JavaScript is required to load the comments.Loading comments…Most PopularChristopher Nolan Defends ‘The Odyssey’ Armor and Casting Travis Scott After Online Backlash: ‘What Is the Best Speculation?’\u2018Big Bang Theory\u2019 Spinoff \u2018Stuart Fails to Save the Universe\u2019 Drops Apocalyptic First Teaser, Sets Official Release Date\u2018The Odyssey\u2019: Why Elon Musk and His Troll Army\u2019s Attacks Aren\u2019t Just Silly but Wildly InaccurateSaudi Arabia\u2019s Shattered Hollywood Dreams: Will the Warner Bros. and Paramount Merger and a Shift in Strategy Help the Kingdom Rebound?\u2018The Boys\u2019 Star on [SPOILER]\u2019s Tragic Death, Why He Can\u2019t Watch His Final Episode and Dancing With Homelander Between Takes: \u2018We Had to Keep It Light\u2026\u2018Lincoln Lawyer\u2019 to End With Season 5 at Netflix, Series Adds Six Recurring Guest StarsAdam McKay Says \u2018No Group Is Worse\u2019 for America Than \u2018White Liberals\u2019: \u2018They\u2019re Getting a Lot From This Broken System\u2026\u2018Off Campus\u2019 Boss and Star Ella Bright Break Down Dean and Allie\u2019s Surprise Role in Season 1, Changes From the Book and [SPOILER]\u2019s Shocking\u2026’Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Sets Disney+ Release Date\u2018KPop Demon Hunters\u2019 Global Concert Tour Set by Netflix and AEG PresentsMust ReadFilm\u2018Dune 3\u2019 Wows CinemaCon With 7-Minute Opening Scene Featuring Brutal Battle as Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet Dominates the GalaxyBy Andrew Wallenstein4 weeksTVChristopher Meloni Says Goodbye to Stabler After \u2018Law & Order: Organized Crime\u2019 Cancellation: \u2018It Was a Great Ride\u2019Film\u2018Avengers: Doomsday\u2019 Trailer: Thor Battles Doctor Doom, Chris Evans Picks Up the Hammer, X-Men Back in Action in Thrilling CinemaCon\u2026MusicD4vd Arrested for Murder of Celeste RivasTV\u2018The Pitt\u2019 Season 2 Didn\u2019t Have a Defining Disaster \u2014\u00a0and Proved It Doesn\u2019t Need OneSign Up for Variety NewslettersYour EmailSign UpSign UpBy providing your information, you agree to ourTerms of Useand ourPrivacy Policy.<\/p>\n
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