ZANA

Los Angeles-based Kosovar writer-filmmaker Antoneta Kastrati, a survivor of the 1999 war, has directed a series of socially relevant documentaries on post-war Kosovar society, alongside her sister Sevdije Kastrati. ZANA [+] is her feature-length debut, which had its world premiere in the Discovery section of the 44^th Toronto International Film Festival.

Ten years after the war, in a small village in the west of Kosovo, Lume (Adriana Matoshi) lives with her husband Ilir (Astrit Kabashi) and her mother-in-law Remzije (Fatmire Sahiti). Lume is experiencing relentless night terrors and is under constant pressure to get pregnant, especially from Remzije, who threatens to "replace" her with a younger and more eager model. Living a never-ending life of neglect, Lume is forced to stray away from modern medicine, instead seeking the help of local witch doctors and famous televangelist mystic healers who promise to cure her infertility. During that process, and while trying to conceive, Lume's well-hidden post-war traumas return to the surface and the family will start to question her mental and psychological state.