Skateboarding Is Not for Girls
by Dina Duma
Skejtanje ni za punce, orig. Skejtanjeto ne e za devojcinja, 2026, fiction, co-production, digital DCP, c, 79 min
MK, BE, SI, HR
Finished
In Skopje, Northern Macedonia, 11-year-old Adela and her older sister Zara share a deep bond shaped by navigating two contradictory worlds. At school, they are typical, rebellious teens with skateboards, social media, crop tops, and boyfriends. After school, in a quiet and disciplined mode, they help their mother with cleaning jobs to make ends meet. Already barely scraping by in their Romani neighborhood, the family is pushed even further when it becomes clear their father has abandoned them. With options dwindling, their mother turns to her older, more traditionally minded sister-in-law, who proposes they take Zara to the Bulgarian Bridal Market and marry her off for a fee. Refusing to ac…
It all started with an image I witnessed one day by the riverbank in Skopje, my home town. I saw a young girl skateboarding, dressed in a traditional shalwar. She was 12, a child. But in her eyes and presence I saw something else, I saw a mature woman. There was something special about her, she had this wisdom in her eyes. That image stayed with me and kept returning. I became obsessed with it, and it slowly turned into the impulse to make this film. But I was also aware that it touches on a ve…
| Festival | Award | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 25th Tribeca Festival |
Nora Ephron Award (Jury Award), best film (Female Perspective)
|
2026 |
| 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival |
Special Prize (Jury Award), best film (youth perspectives)
|
2026 |
| 39th Montenegro Film Festival |
Special Recognition Award (Jury Award), -------
|
2026 |
Vertigo Ljubljana is a production company based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, established in 1994. The company has extensive experience in international co-productions and has (co)-produced over 50 feature films. A selection of recent titles includes: Pero by Damjan Kozole (documentary, 2023; IFF Rotterdam), The Happiest Man in the World by Teona Mitevska (2022; Venice FF – Orizzonti), Wake Me by Marko Šantić (2022; Black Nights FF - Critic’s Pick), and Small Body by Laura Samani (2021; Cannes FF Cri…