Kukumi / Kukumi

When NATO forces march into Kosovo in 1999, the Serb wardens in a makeshift psychiatric hospital are among those who flee. Many “lunatics” find themselves unexpectedly at liberty, including the agile Hasan, the doll-like Mara, and the silent Kukumi. While some semblance of normality begins to return to the heavily bombed country, the three of them wander about like visitors from another planet. Director Isa Qosja presents their escapades in a series of picturesque tableaux with parable-like qualities, which end when one of the threesome is shot down by a KFOR tank. His visual meditation on Kosovo’s zero hour and the concept of freedom has echoes of Tarkovsky. Winner of a special award at Sarajevo IFF.