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Hunting Flies – New York Premiere

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HUNTING FLIES, with director Izer Aliu in person, presented in collaboration by the Albanian Institute New York and the American-Scandinavian Foundation, is set for its New York premiere on September 28. This is the debut feature film of the Albanian-born, Norway–based filmmaker Izer Aliu. The film world-premiered at the Toronto Int Film Festival, Canada and has earned Aliu numerous accolades including the Amanda Award for Best Director.

In this political metaphor about the rise and fall of dictatorship, set in a classroom over the course of one intense day, idealistic teacher Ghani discovers that he’s lost his job on the very first day of school. In an attempt to get it back, he locks his students inside the classroom, and forces them to resolve a generation-long conflict between their villages. As the day unfolds, principles are forced up against necessity how long would our beliefs of any kind stand intact when we are forced to choose between them and our livelihood?

In Albanian with English subtitles.

Date & Time: Saturday, Sept 28, 7:00 PM

Venue: 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016, Scandinavia House

"In it's core the film is also about inheritance. What we get from our fathers. Every single character in this film has inherited either behavior or philosophy from their dads. Tradition plays a big role in the lives of these people. Tradition that is never questioned, but followed blindly. The only thing the characters know is that the other side is wrong, without really knowing why or how. The kids repeat what their fathers have said and are willing to die for something they don't understand" - Izer Aliu

Director

Izer Aliu

Izer Aliu (b. 1982) is an Albanian-born, Norway-based director and screenwriter who has garnered numerous awards and prizes for his work as a filmmaker. His feature debut film Hunting Flies earned Aliu many accolades including the Amanda Award for Best Director bestowed by the Haugesund’s Norwegian Intl. Film Festival, and a nomination for the coveted Nordic Council Film Prize (2017). His childhood and adolescence primarily took place in Norway and Sweden where he grew up. Since he graduated from the Norwegian Film School at Lillehammer in 2012, he has made films in various locations around the world, but Oslo has always been home. His exam-film To Guard a Mountain dubbed him one of ten Nordic directors to watch. He has been nominated for the Student Academy Award and won several high-end, both national and international awards.