BOTA

Albania, present day. At the edge of a haunted swamp, Juli (Flonja Kodheli), Nora (Fioralba Krymadhi) and Ben (Artur Gorishti) work together in an isolated village where their families were exiled during their country’s intense communist rule. Under the disapproving eyes of Juli, Ben juggles an affair with Nora while dreaming of expanding his café into the Balkan big time. Their quiet world ceases to exist when a highway crew begins to widen the road nearby. Juli falls for engineer Milibut worries about her ailing and confused grandmother, Noje. As the new road approaches, the village inhabitants have one last glorious night of fireworks and celebration. But when the dawn arrives, Juli, Ben and Nora must face a shared secret from their traumatic past.

AWARDS

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
FEDEORA Critics Award
Reyjkavik International Film festival
FIPRESCI Award
Reyjkavik International Film festival
Audience Award
CINEDAYS, Macedonia
Special Jury Prize
SEEFest – South East European Film Festival, LA
Audience Award
SEEFest – South East European Film Festival, LA
Special Jury Prize
DEA Film Festival, Saranda
Best Direction
Balkan Film Festival, Pogradec