Martesa
The Marriage
Die Hochzeit soll schon in zwei Wochen stattfinnden, Anita und Bekim sind bei den letzten Vorbereitungen für ihren großen Tag. Obwohl sie Neuigkeiten erwarten über das Schicksal von Anitas Eltern, die seit dem Krieg im Kosovo 1999 als vermisst gelten, und trotz der Einmischungsversuche von Bekims Familie, die alles kontrollieren will, scheint es den beiden doch irgendwie zu gelingen, sich auf die Hochzeit zu freuen. Als dann aber Nol, Bekims heimlicher schwuler Ex-Geliebter, unerwartet aus dem Ausland zurückkehrt, wird die Lage kompliziert - vor allem, weil Bekim klar wird: Nol ist immer noch in ihn verliebt. Das Hochzeitsbankett wird zum Schauplatz intensiver Spannungen.
The personal is subtly political in Blerta Zeqiri's compelling relationship drama The Marriage. Paralleling the unquiet recent history of the nation-state of Kosovo with the lives of three of its inhabitants, Zeqiri has crafted an absorbing and empathetic first feature. Transforming gradually from an authentic and insightful portrait of middle-class life in contemporary Pristina into a gay love story, the movie is anything but a single-issue melodrama. Rather, it is a relevant, relatable and rewarding snapshot of how a society grows crookedly around its unresolved secrets, in the same way that a marriage can. (Jessica Kiang, Variety)
Director's Biography
Blerta Zeqiri
Blerta Zeqiri is a Kosovar director and scriptwriter, and a member of the European Film Academy. She was born in 1979 in Pristina. The war in Kosovo made her go to France, where she studied cinema at Paris 8 University. She wrote and directed a number of short and medium length films, winning the Sundance International Short Fiction award in 2012. “The Marriage” is her feature debut.
Film Selection: Martesa (The Marriage, 2017) — Kthimi (The Return, 2012, short) — Darka (2009, doc short) — Exit (2004, short)
Blerta Zeqiri is a Kosovar director and scriptwriter, and a member of the European Film Academy. She was born in 1979 in Pristina. The war in Kosovo made her go to France, where she studied cinema at Paris 8 University. She wrote and directed a number of short and medium length films, winning the Sundance International Short Fiction award in 2012. “The Marriage” is her feature debut.
Film Selection: Martesa (The Marriage, 2017) — Kthimi (The Return, 2012, short) — Darka (2009, doc short) — Exit (2004, short)
Competition Fiction 2018
Blerta Zeqiri
Albanien 2017
color
97 Minuten
Albanisch OmeU
Drehbuch Blerta Zeqiri, Keka Berisha
Kamera Sevdije Kastrati
Schnitt Keka Berisha
Ton/Sounddesign Pëllumb Ballata
Mit Alban Ukaj, Adriana Matoshi, Genc Salihu
Produzent*innen Keka Berisha
Produktion
bézé, Bunker Film+
Österreichpremiere
Weltpremiere / World PremiereTallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2017
Premierenstatus / Premiere Status
Austrian Premiere
