Luaneshat e Kodrës

At the centre of the Balkans, following Kosovo’s long-waged battle for independence, three spirited young women struggle to envision futures beyond their homeland’s traditional pipeline. Suffocated by the discrimination and abuse that is a constant in their remote village, Qe, Li and Jeta decide to form a gang. Stronger together, they roam and reign and plot revenge on those who have wronged them while creating pathways to explore their submerged desires. But their new-found freedom is not without consequence, and a hunt for the wild trio is soon underway. THE HILL WHERE LIONESSES ROAR is the fiercely poetic debut of 20-year-old actor-turned–writer and director Luàna Bajrami, whose credits include a supporting role in Céline Sciamma’s PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE. (Toronto International Film Festival)