Gjama | Telescope Film
Gjama

Gjama

  • Albania,
  • Kosovo,
  • Netherlands
  • 2021
  • · 9m

Director Zgjim Elshani
Cast Geg Zefi, Gjon Kosteri, Kol Martini, Ndue Fusha, Gjon Fiku
Genre Documentary

“Gjama” is a rarely practiced mourning ritual that was performed by Albanian men throughout the centuries. By shouting specific phrases and acting out a strict choreography, it is a way of paying respect to the deceased but also overcoming grief and pain over the loss of a loved one. Through the documentation of the re-enactment of the ritual, Zgjim Elshani seeks to recover fragments of the practice in the communities where this form of collective grieving is still a way of overcoming loss. By doing so, the project intends to rethink collective grieving and what it means to publicly display emotions in a male-headed society.

Stream Gjama

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