Afterwar

15 years ago, while making a short film in Pristina, award-winning Danish director Birgitte Stærmose met several local kids selling peanuts and cigarettes on the street. She kept in touch, and in 2017 returned to film a sequel with their help. The resulting hybrid feature focuses on Xhevahire, Gëzim, Shpresim, and Besnik (all credited as co-creators) and is structured in three parts – the 1998-99 war, the quartet’s struggles in the present, and their uncertain future. As these former street kids reflect on the war’s long-term impact on their lives, audiences are left to consider the unavoidable truth: that today’s conflicts will doubtless trigger the same repercussions.