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The Beauty of the Donkey (12A*) + ScreenTalk with director Dea Gjinovci

Kino Bloc

,Cinema 3

Documentary filmmaker Dea Gjinovci captures her father’s return to Kosova and the memories the journey evokes after sixty years of exile.

In the late 1960s, 19-year old Asllan was forced to flee his native Kosova to avoid persecution as a political activist, not to come back for over fifty years. When he finally returns with his daughter Dea, Asllan discovers a village transformed by time and war. As the places of Asllan’s childhood are no more, Dea decides to reconstruct her father’s childhood, creating a playful and, at times, painful, stage for his memories. 

The result is a poetic hybrid documentary in which Asllan’s recollections merge with those of the locals to revive their collective past through shared stories and traditions. But the idyllic childhood memories from the 1950s inevitably bring a more painful experience, and Asllan attempts to understand the circumstances around his mother’s mysterious disappearance during the Kosova war in 1998.

Tagged with: Cinema ScreenTalks Kino Bloc
Film information
  • Release year   2026
  • Country of origin   Switzerland, Kosova, France, USA
  • Director   Dea Gjinovci
  • Runtime   1 hr 17 min

Discover the season

Cinema 3

Location
Barbican Cinema 1 is located within the main Barbican building on Level -2. Head to Level G and walk towards the Lakeside Terrace where you’ll find stairs and lifts to take you down to the venue floor.   

Address
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London
EC2Y 8DS

Public transport
The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.