Last Friday, Kosova Film Days in Lisbon opened at the National Museum of Ethnology, bringing together filmmakers, cultural professionals, diplomats, and audiences from Kosovo and Portugal around a shared belief in the power of cinema to create dialogue across borders.

The evening opened with remarks from Ambassador Edona Maloku Berdyna, Lum Çitaku, Director of Programs at the Kosovo Cinematography Center (QKK), Vítor Pinheiro on behalf of the Portuguese Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual (ICA), and Gonçalo de Carvalho Amaro on behalf of the National Museum of Ethnology.

Ambassador Edona Maloku Berdyna reflected on the role of culture in bringing people closer together:

“Through film, Kosovo shares stories of resilience, identity, memory, and hope. Though rooted in specific places and experiences, these stories remind us of what connects us across cultures and societies.”

Lum Çitaku highlighted cinema’s capacity to create encounters and deepen understanding:

“We live in a time when we are constantly connected, yet often know very little about one another’s lives. Cinema allows us to encounter people, places, and experiences beyond our own, not only as stories to watch, but as opportunities to reflect, to attend to, and to better understand ourselves and one another.”