Synopsis

 As Long As There’s Sea follows the story of Sa’dete, Burim and their son Lum. Sa’dete and Burim were a happy couple, she a teacher, he a photographer, with a modest life. With the break of the war in Kosovo, Burim joins the armed resistance, to never return home.

Left behind alone with a child in a patriarchal society destroyed by war, Sa’dete creates her own survival mechanisms. With Burim’s corpse that never returned, without a grave where to cry her missing husband, her life is filled with waiting. She lives in between two parallel realities, the existing present and the past filled with memories of her missing husband, Burim, who shows himself in the present in the form of a vision.

The memories of his father, transmitted to him by his mother, drag Lum down. A young man who is trying to find his path in the chaotic afterwar society. As Long As There is Sea is a film for a violent abduction of beloved persons, memories, hopes and dreams from the war and of just as violent escapes from a suffocating reality, of those who are left behind.

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

As Long As There Is Sea embarks on a multi-layered exploration of a family’s existential odyssey over two decades. Through deft narrative techniques and parallel editing, the film intricately juxtaposes two distinct periods, all within the confines of a small house that serves as a silent witness to the family’s evolving dynamics.

At the core of the narrative lies a character whose journey echoes the metaphysical depth of introspective heroines. As she grapples with the departure of both her husband and son from the house, the film delves into the profound connection individuals have with their homes and the complex emotions that accompany such departures.

Through a woman’s point of view, the film sheds light on the pivotal role women play in shaping societal identity, not only in Kosovo but also globally. She becomes the voice of countless women and mothers, expressing the common sentiment that their perspectives often go unheard.

Deriving from my short film Sea by the River and River by the Sea, this story holds a deep personal connection for me, as it draws inspiration from my own family experiences, and it has been a long-standing dream to bring it to life on the big screen.

Sovran Nrecaj (b. 1998, Ferizaj, Kosovo) is a filmmaker and graduate of the Sarajevo Film Academy, where he studied film directing. He has worked as a writer, director and producer across a range of film projects, and has created several short films. His graduation film, Sea by the River and River by the Sea, has been successfully touring the festival circuit and has received multiple awards. His short documentary Fran and Verka, or a Usual Day in an Abandoned Village premiered at the Sarajevo Film Festival and has since screened at numerous international festivals.

Nrecaj is currently developing his debut feature film, As Long as There Is Sea.