The ancient fortress that stands guard over Prizren, a town in southern Kosovo, is among the picturesque settings for Dokufest. This film festival has emerged as a cornerstone of Kosovo’s cultural landscape.
Since its inception in 2002, the festival has showcased global short films and documentaries, offering young locals – many of whom face challenges in travelling overseas – a unique glimpse of the wider world.
Dokufest boasts five open-air theatres nestled amid churches and mosques, reflecting Prizren’s rich tapestry of cultural and religious backgrounds.
Two of these screens are perched on the Prizren fortress itself, another is set in a square close to the 17th-century Sinan Pasha Mosque, and yet another is positioned on a platform jutting out from the Lumbardhi River, which bisects the town.
Veton Nurkollari, the festival’s artistic director, remarked, “Dokufest has invited the world to us.” He added, “As travelling abroad poses challenges for us, we’ve decided to bring the world closer through cinema, connections, and camaraderie.”
Kosovars face numerous obstacles, not least of which is their restricted mobility due to the ongoing ethnic discord since Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008. With the requirement for visas to access EU nations and recognition from only about 110 countries, the Kosovar passport ranks as one of the most limited globally.
This year, Dokufest is set to screen over 200 films and documentaries from countries as diverse as Colombia, Tanzania, Britain, Canada, and the USA. The spotlight topic? The interplay between artificial intelligence and human cognition, probing which form of intelligence is potentially more flawed.
One of the festival participants, Jude Chehab, a Lebanese-American filmmaker, is premiering her film “Q.” It delves into the clandestine Lebanese religious order’s impact on three successive women generations in her lineage. Chehab believes the deeply personal touch documentary filmmakers provide can’t easily be replicated by AI. “The authenticity and personal depth I bring to my films, especially when portraying my mother’s story, is something AI can’t replace,” Chehab commented.
Dokufest is more than just a film festival; it’s a beacon of hope, resilience, and cultural exchange in a region that has seen its challenges. Offering a platform for diverse voices strengthens the bonds between different parts of the world and reaffirms the power of storytelling in bridging divides. As the films roll on the screens of Prizren, they weave a tapestry of shared human experiences that transcend borders, reminding us of the universality of our stories and the indomitable spirit of art.
