film February 29, 2012 By Chloe Eichler

Has the film been shown in Albania?
It opened in Albania in September, and it broke box office records there. It was really gratifying because when it came out, a lot of teenagers went to go see it. There really aren’t a lot of people who go to the movies, most people see things on TV and on the internet. That’s definitely the way the younger generation have come up, watching things on You Tube and whatnot. So it was kind of a coup that we had told this story that, aside from being about a blood feud, had really captured something about being a teenager in Albania that struck a chord with teenagers there.

In terms of the tradition of blood feuds having a place in the new generation, the ending is ambiguous. Did you mean to leave it open-ended?
Absolutely. One of the things that I was trying to do was to, first and foremost, tell a story that is in some ways complete for these two kids. They’re different and more grown up by the end of the film than they are in the beginning. And in that respect, I hope that the film is not ambiguous. But as far as the future of blood feuds in Albania, the fact of the matter is, as we sit here there are people stuck in their houses, not able to go out. And the feuds are not going away. And that is a reality.

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