Antoneta Kastrati debuton with “Zana” at the Great Toronto Festival

Being from a small country,” points out director Antoneta Kastrati, “and toʹi belong to the first generation of female cinematists from Kosovo, it is an honor for me to show my first film at such a respected festival and among the wonderful Chinese. This year is also marked the 20th anniversary of the Kosovo War, and the movie ézaana is my long attempt to reflect on my personal wartime past. It's very special to me that for the first time I can share this story with a broader audience. T IFF has made this” possible.

The film “Zana” is a shocking and exciting drama featuring a young Kosovo woman trying to become a mother while facing horrors from her wartime dark past.

The film project “Zana” is also the long film in which Antonette's sister, successful cinematographer Sevdije Kastrati, has filmed the film with cameras and Panavision lens after winning the New Filmmaker Grant Award.

The top financial supporters of the film are the Kosovo Cinematographic Centre, the National Cinematography Centre (Albania), Panavision New Femmaker Grant, SFFILM Raine Grant, Light Iron and the municipality of Pec.

The film project was also part of Midpoint Feature Launch 2017, winner of Midpoint Development Award, and part of Midpoint Editing Room.

The production of the film “Zana” is Casey Cooper Johnson and co-production Sevdije Kastrati with Crossing Bridges Films (Kosovo), Dritan Huqi with On Film Production (Albania), and Miguel Govea and Brett Walker from Alief.

Adriana Matoshi, Astrit Kabashi, Fatmire Sahiti, Mensur Safqiu, Irena Kahan, Schelj Ismajli, Vedat Bajrami, Chun Lajci, and Ilire Vinca.

Otherwise, the Toronto International Film Festival opened with the documentary film “once Were Brothers”.