Originally from Kosovo, Antoneta Kastrati’started directing in the late-1990s after surviving the war. She began tackling issues of post-war society in documentaries that she collaborated on with her sister, Sevdije. In addition to documentaries, she’s also directed many shorts, including “She Comes in Spring,” which premiered at the Busan Film Festival in 2013.”Zana” is her first feature.

“Zana” will premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

AK: “Zana” tells the story of a woman’s journey through grief and post-war trauma in a small, conservative village community in Kosovo.

It is a story about motherhood in war and the power of mother-child connection. It is a story about dynamics of female power and agency. It is a story about the costs of patriarchy and how women themselves, once victims of it, become vanguards of its ideology.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

AK: From all that I have experienced as a war survivor, having seen human destructive power first hand, including my mother and sister getting killed. The thing that has troubled me the most, that I cannot accept as a mother myself, is how war rendered mothers and fathers powerless to protect their children.

In what other situation are you are stripped of your humanity where you come to a point that you stand by and watch as your child is being killed? Longtime oppression and war does that. How does that happen, and can you overcome such thing?

This was the starting point for “Zana.” I wanted to explore the existential dilemma of post-war motherhood and how our culture deals with mental health.

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?

AK: I foremost want the audience to feel it — have an experience. To think about the fragility of life and the complexities of human connections. What “Zana” offers is a small window into life-shattering, long-term effects of war. I would want the audience to come out with a slightly greater understanding of it.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

AK: “Zana” was an ambitious project for the budget we had. We had few big scenes that required lots of extras, and [dream sequences], which included a war scene and special effects. It was challenging to shoot dreams sequences without proper special effects professionals, stunts, etc.

Another challenge was the winter shoot. It was very cold in the village and we had night exteriors and no proper trailers where the crew could get warm.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made. 

AK: Initially, we were fortunate to get a grant from Kosovo Cinematography Center. We applied for co-production grants and got a minor co-production grant from Albania. In Kosovo, we are limited because our country doesn’t have access to some of the major funding bodies in Europe such as Eurimages, World Cinema Fund, etc.

We applied to so many grants and participated in Midpoint Feature Launch, winning their development award, and that was put towards the film. We got the Panavision Filmmaker Grant and brought ALEXA XT [camera technology] from L.A. to shoot in Kosovo.

Before the shoot we organized an Indiegogo campaign, which was a lot of work and not as successful as I thought it would be, but still very helpful.

We shot in the area where we grew up and got financial and logistical support from our municipality. An advantage of shooting in Kosovo is that you have access to any location you want, It is so beautiful and very cheap and the community supports you in every way they can.

After the editing was done, we applied for many post-production grants and were awarded SFFILM Rainin Grant for post-production, and through Panavision, Light Iron [post-production services] helped us do color grading. This was donated to “Zana” — we only paid a symbolic amount.

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

AK: I’ve always been interested in human behavior and relations — pondering about our existence, as a young girl, as I quietly sat in a corner observing my large family and relatives around. But film never occurred to me until later.

Growing up in the village, in a patriarchal society, all I wanted was to pursue education — my older sisters hadn’t — and become an independent woman. In that time I was attracted to medicine, it had the highest reputation and that’s what I wanted to be.

And then war happened. I finished high school right after the war but I had lost my motivation for school and reading.

Right after that I got involved in a youth video project and wrote and filmed a PSA on violence against women. I loved the process and felt hopeful again, as I could see the power that video has in informing and/or changing perceptions.

I initially saw it as a tool for social change and activism, but as I matured and understood cinema better, my art matured as well. I later studied journalism, and documentary film, and directing at the American Film Institute.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

AK: In making “Zana” I have received a lot of good advice, but I can share something that was very inspiring.

A few years ago I went to see Agnès Varda speak at the AFI. Among many incredible things she shared she said, “Be ready to fail with the first feature. Make the film you want. Explore the cinema.” It somehow resonated with me as I was going through the process of each stage of making the film.

I honestly don’t think I have received bad advice. [A note of caution], maybe — in the beginning after I wrote the first draft and got the first round of feedback.

I had few people flag the fact I had dreams in my film. “That I was going to fail, that is an easy way out, and dreams are cliché because they are not real.” I understood it was challenging to create strong dream sequences, but “not real”?  What else is a movie but a dream? A dreamed up scenario by a writer? Why can’t I have dreams in my film?

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

AK: Very simple. Keep going. Keep writing and directing. Making a feature film is hard and a long process, and an expensive one.

It is easy to get discouraged when things fall through, you don’t get the funding you need, can’t hire the people you want, etc., but you just have to have patience, find solutions, and then you will make it through.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

AK: I have many favorites. I will only talk about the ones that deeply impacted me. One such is “The Piano” by Jane Campion. It was a very sad and yet beautiful film about womanhood that stayed with me for a long time.

I admired how it conveyed so much with images, very little words, and how poetic and mysterious it felt. How it was carefully constructed, specific, and detailed, but yet it felt ambiguous and open to interpretation. How it evoked so much emotion and it touched the unconscious and unknown. It is truly amazing when films can do that.

Other favorites I have to mention: “Monster” by Patty Jenkins, “Ratcatcher” by Lynne Ramsay, “After the Wedding” by Susanne Bier, and “Boys Don’t Cry” by Kimberly Peirce.

W&H: What differences have you noticed in the industry since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?

AK: I read quite often about new initiatives and film companies headed by women whose goal is to finance and make movies by women. Film grants are becoming more gender-aware and dispersing grants respecting gender equality. Film festivals are accepting more films by women.

As a result, more films are being made my women. It is an exciting time to be a filmmaker.