Raindance presents the UK premiere of THE LAND WITHIN, screening as part of the Debut Competition.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Dir. Fisnik Maxville, moderated by Cici Peng

Ex-Yugoslavia, 2008: the exhumation of a mass grave in a village brings secrets from the past emerge along with the bodies. How can the surviving extended family members live with one another, and with themselves, now that these buried secrets are coming to light?

A complex examination of family dynamics set against the backdrop of an atrocious ethnic conflict, the film plays over two timelines – one in the present, where Remo is finally able to deal with his unresolved issues, and one in the past, when baby Remo’s destiny is forged following a family tragedy. Guilt and hatred are themes perfectly symbolised by the wolves surrounding the village, leaving Una paralysed until they are defeated.

The Land Within opened at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in November 2022, where director Fisnik Maxville won the Best First Feature award.

In the aftermath of any conflict, things can hardly stay buried. Sooner or later its ghosts force the survivors to catch up with their past. A soulful film that excavates as deeply as the mass grave it depicts.

Cast:
Luàna Bajrami, Florist Bajgora, May-Linda Kosumovic, Armend Smajli, Valmir Krasniqi