Life for the children in the aftermath of the Kosovo war in 1999 was tough and bleak. However, years later, with the rebuilding of Kosovo, these children-turned-adults find their lives in constant struggles as they look to adapt in the documentary Afterwar.

The documentary by filmmaker Birgitte Stærmose took more than 15 years to complete this project, which used narrative storytelling of the subjects’ real lives from childhood to adulthood.

Here is the official synopsis of Afterwar:

Burning buildings in a dense fog, a dead horst on a dusty road, people fleeing through harsh mountain landscapes. Aftwar opens with images from war-torn Kosovo, 1999, as a dark chapter in the history of modern Europe draws to a close. After the war, children sell peanuts and cigarettes on the streets of Pristina in order to survive. They speak to us: ‘There’s only one reason I’m talking to you. It is my hunger! I’m so hungry, I could eat your money!’ In a cinematic testament co-created over 15 years, they transform into adults before our eyes. Yet the child still stares back at us from behind the adult gaze, as the struggle to survive becomes a struggle for a future at all. They confront us with their innermost secrets and desires, while stuck in limbo and haunted by their past. Through a close artistic collaboration with the lead cast—Xhevahire, Gëzim, Shpresim, and Besnik—the film moves between raw realism, staged performances, and an existential meditation on the long-term repercussions of war. Any war, anywhere.

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LRM Online’s Gig Patta spoke with director Birgitte Stærmose on finding her subjects after the war in Kosovo as an initial short film. She then discussed extending the story into their adulthood years later with a unique surreal storytelling experience with their stories and staged narration.

Birgitte Stærmose is a filmmaker with award-winning short films showcased worldwide, including Sundance, New Directors/New Films, Berlin, and Rotterdam.  She co-wrote the feature film with director Christina Rosendahl with The Idealist. In 2015, she directed three episodes of the Danish TV2 drama series Norskov. Her second feature film was with Darling, a drama set in the Royal Danish Ballet written by Kim Fupz.  Stærmose is the first block director on the Starz series The Spanish Princess and the Netflix Original series The English Game.

Afterwar plays nationwide through DOC NYC’s virtual screen experience through December 1, 2024.

Watch the exclusive interview with Birgitte Stærmose below. Let us know what you think of the interview.

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Source: LRM Online Exclusive, Magic Hour Films