Martesa
The Marriage
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
Director Blerta Zeqiri
Albania 2017
color
97 minutes
Albanian OV with English subtitles
Screenplay Blerta Zeqiri, Keka Berisha
Cinematography Sevdije Kastrati
Editing Keka Berisha
Sound/Sounddesign Pëllumb Ballata
With Alban Ukaj, Adriana Matoshi, Genc Salihu
Producer(s) Keka Berisha
Production
bézé, Bunker Film+
Austrian Premiere
Weltpremiere / World PremiereTallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2017
Premierenstatus / Premiere Status
Austrian Premiere