Blerta Basholli’s film “DUA” premiered in Pristina on Tuesday evening, bringing together the cast, production team and numerous guests at Cineplexx Kosova for its first screening before a Kosovo audience.
Set in Pristina in the late 1990s, the film follows Dua, a 13-year-old Albanian girl whose childhood is disrupted as Serbian violence and repression intensify across Kosovo. As fear spreads and the situation around her deteriorates, Dua is forced to confront realities far beyond her age and grow up before she is ready.
As violence draws closer and her family faces increasing difficulties, a courageous friend helps Dua find the strength and courage to face the circumstances around her and search for a path toward safety.
The film carries particular significance as “DUA” will represent Kosovo at the Academy Awards, bringing the story of a young Albanian girl growing up amid violence and uncertainty in late-1990s Kosovo to an international audience.
For director Blerta Basholli, bringing the film to audiences in Kosovo was a particularly emotional moment after years of work on the project.
“We worked on it for a very long time, first on the screenplay and then on the preparation and production. Those who have seen the film can see how much work went into making it. So being here tonight, together with the team and the Kosovo audience, is a great feeling. We can’t wait to see their reactions,” Basholli said.
The director also explained the story behind the film’s title, stressing that “DUA” has no connection to global pop star Dua Lipa or to her own name.
“Why Dua? It has nothing to do with Dua Lipa, nor with me. We wanted to give her an Albanian name, and I wanted it to be the character’s name as well as the title of the film,” Basholli explained.
She said the name also reflects the personality of the protagonist and the meaning of the Albanian word dua.
“I like Dua because it has to do with wanting and loving, and I thought it was a very fitting name because the character is always wanting something. She wants to listen to music, she wants to go out with a boy, she wants to be part of a group of friends. The name fits her desires and her character,” Basholli said.
The film stars sisters Kaona and Pinea Sylejmani, who appear together in a film production for the first time. Kaona described the experience as a special one for both of them.
“It is the first film we have worked on together. For both of us, it has been a very special and wonderful experience. It is our first film, but I believe there will be many more projects in the future,” she said.
She also praised the production and encouraged audiences to see the film.
“I believe this is one of the most successful films we have made. Kosovo has many great films, but as an actress, I felt very comfortable and happy working on this one, and I believe Pinea feels the same. I think audiences will really like it. The film will speak for itself,” Kaona said.
Pristina Mayor Përparim Rama was also present at the premiere and spoke about the capital’s support for the production.
“We have supported this film significantly, and I am genuinely proud of everything the capital has done for ‘DUA.’ I hope it even wins an Oscar, because I have heard it is wonderful and I am really looking forward to seeing it,” Rama said.
He also stressed the importance of telling Kosovo’s history through cinema and bringing those stories to international audiences.
“Everyone should know our history. The more we know it, the more we understand what our people went through, and the more the world can understand what Pristina and Kosovo experienced. The freedom we enjoy today was achieved through great sacrifice, extremely difficult circumstances and bloodshed. We have many stories that we can tell the world, and ‘DUA’ is one of them,” he said.
Actress Adriana Matoshi, who plays the mother of Kaona and Pinea Sylejmani, described the experience as particularly emotional because her own daughters are part of the film.
“It has been an extraordinary experience, an indescribable feeling and a tremendous source of pride. I wish every parent could experience what I have experienced, especially the parents of all the children who took part in this film,” Matoshi said.
She also praised her daughter Pinea’s natural talent, explaining that she never pushed her into acting.
“Pinea is a born talent. I never pushed her into this. Like all the other children, she auditioned, and the director happened to like her and chose her. Afterwards, it was actually difficult to convince her to come and act in the film, but the director managed to persuade her,” Matoshi said.
Matoshi credited Basholli for bringing out her daughter’s performance.
“Whatever you see Pinea doing in the film is not my achievement. It is the achievement of the director, Blerta Basholli, whom I thank immensely,” she added.
“DUA” revisits one of the most painful periods in Kosovo’s recent history through the eyes of a young girl, portraying the loss of childhood and the struggle to find courage and safety as Serbian violence and repression increasingly shape everyday life.
Rather than focusing solely on the battlefield, the film tells the story through the eyes of a child and her family as the conflict closes in around them, offering a personal perspective on what life was like for Kosovo Albanians in the late 1990s.
Following its premiere in Pristina, “DUA” now begins its journey before local and international audiences, representing Kosovo on the road to the Academy Awards and carrying with it a story of childhood, fear, courage and survival from one of the most difficult chapters in Kosovo’s history.
