Under the slogan "Friendship. Forever. PriFest", the 8th edition of Prishtina International Film Festival opens its doors today with an 8-day international program and parallel activities. During the week of 22-29 April, some 80 films will be screened in various programs in competition and non-competition. All of them, premieres in Kosovo and a number of them regional, European, International premieres including two that will be World Premieres within this festival.

European competition programme this year comes with films that not only grabbed attention of the film industry world and the film critics, but also brought a new style and wave in film making. Three regional premieres out of 7 films in this category along with Mediterranea and other premieres will compete in front of international jury to win the Golden Goddess for the Best European Film. Intriguing, daring, happy, melancholic, traditional and sexy. The selection in this category will bring to the audience of PriFest the best taste of the latest entries of European cinema.

Eleven documentary films in total, 2 world premieres, one European premiere and one regional premiere is the setting of this year’s PriDocs. The documentary programme of PriFest this year will bring all the colours of documentary section coming from places like Estonia, Croatia, Romania, Turkey, and all the way to Palestine and USA.

Modris by Juris Kursietis

Honey & Blood Competition - Balkan film competition - the main program of the festival, and Middle Length Competition, are veterans of Prishtina International Film Festival.

Honey & Blood Competition is the presentation and competition of 10 Balkan films. Films from Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, Greece etc. will showcase their styles, concepts and realities in the region, after which they will be evaluated by three juries: the international jury of the festival, which is made up of three members; the Fipresci critics΄ international jury, which is established in a festival in Kosovo for the first time and it chose to be at PriFest; and the media jury, which has been a part of PriFest for many years now, comprised mainly of journalists from Kosovo. All films within this category are premieres in Kosovo. PriFest also welcomes the screening of the regional premiere of the film "The Good Wife", director debut by the renowned actress Mirjana Karanovic that had world premiere in Sundance this year. We cannot go without also mentioning the film "Death in Sarajevo" by Oscar winning director Danis Tanovic, movie that recently had the world premiere at Berlinale, winning the Silver Bear. Many awards will be given to this category, making it one of the most important ones in the festival.

In the Middle-Length Competition 11 films have been selected this year, all premieres in Kosovo, and two of them regional premieres. The competition in this category is for the Silver Goddess; won by the best middle-length film.

Focus programme is one of the many interesting spaces within PriFest, as in the context it represents, it changes in every edition. This year, winners of the FIPRESCI Prize from different world festivals will be in focus, whereas Focus USA will showcase American cinema.

Prishtina International Film Festival has continuously expressed its support to the LGBT community, being the first festival in the country to provide a special space for cinema dedicated to the subject of exploration and acceptance of sexual identity and diversity, with the Let It Be program.

Many films can resemble the British style, but authentic British films are like no other. British Night, now a tradition at PriFest, has always provided the creme-de-la-creme of British cinema. This has been made possible by its partners, the British Council and the British Embassy Kosovo.

The last program made public is that of the Swiss Night, presented for the first time at this year΄s edition of PriFest.

The Network by Claudiu Mitcu

PriFest also hosts PriFORUM, an industry platform of the festival and meeting point of regional filmmakers, which is extended this year to more days within the dates of the festival 22-29 April. Many debates, workshops, training and other activities are expected to happen between 23-27 April at PriFORUM including the new ones Prishtina Rendezvous which will be an important activity for producers that wish to meet distributors and sales.

The Best Pitch Award will be handed by the International Jury to the best presentation of a first feature fiction film project. Projects selected to be part of Best Pitch for this year are:

Broken, Macedonia with director Marko Crnogorski and producer Vladimir Stojcevski

Open Door, cooperation between Albania and Italy, director Florenc Papas and producer Eno Milkani.

The Witch Hunter, from Serbia with director Rasko Miljkovic and producer Jovana Karaulic.

Three Lions Heading Venice, from Albania, director Jonid Jorgji and producer Elkjana Gjipali.

Grandfather and his Grandson, from Macedonia with director Illja Piperkoski and producer Ognen Antov.

Pledge from Kosovo with director and producer Valon Jakupaj and scriptwriter Dituri Neziraj.

Perhaps, from Macedonia and Kosovo with director Kastriot Abdyli, and producer Simeon Damevski.

After the Winter, film project from Montenegro with director Ivan Bakrac and producer Ivan Djurovic.

Vera Dreams of the Sea, Kosovo project with director Kaltrina Krasniqi and producer Shkumbin Istrefi.

Why Me? by Tudor Giurgiu

Balkan films and documentaries at PriFest 2016:

European Film Competition

Modris by Juris Kursietis, Latvia/Germany/Greece, 2014

Mustang by Deniz Gamze Ergüven, France/Germany/Turkey/Qatar, 2015

PriDocs

Paths by Mevlan Shanaj, Albania, 1996/2015

Missing Times by Faysal Soysal, Turkey, 2015

I like that super most the best by Eva Kraljević, Croatia, 2015

The Network by Claudiu Mitcu, Romania/Hungary, 2015

Making of thinking of you by Fitim Shala, Kosovo*, 2015

Middle Length Competition

A Surplus of Wind by Dane Komljen, France/Bosnia & Hercegovina/Serbia, 2014

Shooting Star by Lyubo Yonchev, Bulgaria/Italy, 2015

The Last Act by Dina Duma, FYROM, 2014

Balkan Film Competition "Honey & Blood"

A Good Wife by Mirjana Karanović, Serbia/Bosnia and Herzegovina/Croatia, 2016

The High Sun by Dalibor Matanic, Croatia/Serbia/Slovenia, 2015

Why me? by Tudor Giurgiu, Romania/Bulgaria/ Hungary, 2015

Death in Sarajevo by Danis Tanovic, Bosnia and Hercegovina/France, 2016

A Blast by Syllas Tzoumerkas, Greece/Germany/Netherlands, 2014

Sivas by Kaan Müjdeci, Turkey, 2014

The Judgement by Stephan Komandarev, Bulgaria, 2014

The kids from Marx and Engels Street by Nikola Vukcevic, Montenegro, 2014

Our Everyday Life by Ines Tanović, Bosnia and Herzegovina/Slovenia/Croatia, 2015

Special Screenings

Alone by Jeton Lakna, Kosovo, 2015

PriFest 2014 full list of films

Source: PriFest