Kosovar Director and Scriptwriter Blerta Zeqiri won the Black Nights Film Festival (2017) Award for Best Director and Feature Film for "The Marriage". Thus, "The Marriage" is Kosovar's official 2018 Oscar entry. Bedim (Alban Ukaj) and Anita (Adriana Satoshi) are childhood lovers soon to marry. When Bedim's male ex-lover Nol (Genc Salihu - Kosovo's #1 musician) drops back into his life, their past history soon become a tangled web for all three. Director Zeqiri manages to successfully intertwine several storylines here, that of Anita trying to figure out her fiancé's relationship with his old friend, Anita trying to find her place in life while see waits to see if her missing parents have been killed by the Serbes, and the continued struggle that many Kosovar LGBTQ citizens must endure which leads them to marry opposite sex partners in order to survive. What stands out here is that while all the main characters are struggling to identify with who they really are, as an audience, we can relate with each and want each to find what makes them full. I don't know if this type of film will find Oscar success, but you can't go wrong with the tangled love story, terrific acting and interesting relationships presented.
Review of The Marriage
