RETURN TO EUROPE
KOSOVO – CUTTING THE LIFELINE

DOCUMENTARY / A 2008 / HD CAM / 45 & 52 MINUTES
directed by Gernot Stadler

SYNOPSIS

On 17 February 2008 a dream that the Albanians in Kosovo had had for decades finally became reality – their country became an independent state. But Kosovo is still far from being a stable and functioning state. Although a lot has changed for the better since the bloody conflict between Serbs and Albanians, the former crisis region, even after its independence, is still under the supervision of the UNO, EU and NATO which are monitoring the security and development of the country. So what does the future look like for the youngest European state?
The documentary examines this question by looking at one of the most central problems in Kosovo – the catastrophic economic situation. There is practically no industry, the unemployment rates are the highest in Europe, there is no money for social benefits. For most Kosovans the traditional extended family is the only recourse in the fight for financial survival. But the old family unit with its patriarchal structures is slowly starting to disintegrate. More and more young women and men want to live an independent life. But even with a good education, only very few of them will have the chance of a job – creating a social time bomb. In many encounters the viewer can see the everyday life in what are still the biggest families in Europe, but also the modern, Western life in Pristina in the environment of the international organisations. Visits to KFOR troops and students who are rebelling against the presence of the international community, to single mothers and guest workers who support their entire families with their earnings, show the tense reality of life in the Kosovo of today.

FILMSTILLS

credits