‘I Always Wanted to Be Part of a Skate Girl Gang,’ Sarajevo CineLink Winner Says
variety.comMarta Balaga Dina Duma’s upcoming feature “Skateboarding Is Not for Girls” turned heads at Sarajevo Film Festival’s industry section CineLink this year.
The story about a Romani Muslim girl from Skopje, Adela, trying to save her sister from being sold to the bridal market and dreaming of joining a group of female skaters, received the Film Center Serbia and the Female Voices awards.
The latter, sponsored by Slovenian Film Center, aims to support and promote female voices from the Southeast European film industry.“For us, filmmakers from the region, CineLink has become indispensable for development of our new projects,” observes producer Labina Mitevska of Sisters and Brother Mitevski, also behind “God Exists, Her Name Is Petrynia.” “As we were developing our company, we were guided by the belief that it’s our duty to speak openly about the world today.
To comment, fight and try to change it. I recognized those qualities in Dina’s story. It’s about some of the countless contradictions in the world we live in.”The film, which will be shot in April 2024, will mark Duma’s second directorial outing after Karlovy Vary premiere “Sisterhood.”“I had an amazing experience, working with non-actors [on that film] and I feel confident it’s what I need for this one as well,” says the Macedonian director, who will look for her characters in the Roma and skater communities.Her technique involves a “certain amount of improvisation,” she notes, allowing for the script to be adapted to the sensibility of her performers.“I always want to know about their personal stories and experiences and incorporate them into the film.
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