The Yellow Affair Boards World Sales on Sundance Selected SHAME AND MONEY by Visar Morina
Sundance Title ‘Shame and Money’ Boarded by The Yellow Affair as First Look Clip Debuts (EXCLUSIVE)
Source: Leo Barraclough - Variety
“Shame and Money” marks Morina’s third feature-length film and his second Sundance premiere, following “Exile” (2020). The film is a co-production between Germany, Kosovo, Slovenia, Albania, North Macedonia and Belgium.
A couple in their 40s live with their extended family in rural Kosovo making a modest living on their farm. Following a familial dispute, their livelihood is lost. They are forced to move to Pristina where the pressure to provide for their family weighs heavily on the parents as they do their best to find work and a place to stay. A journey into a hyper-capitalist society begins.
Morina said, “Besides the attempt to come close to a reality that I at least see in Kosovo, and into which the family in the film is thrown, I found one aspect in it to be very important. I believe there is a link between money and depression. And I believe it is impossible to sustain a relatively healthy self – whatever that self may be – if I am constantly forced to prove my worth to others and, even worse, to myself. If I have to demonstrate again and again that I am capable, that I deserve to belong, that I am something, that I can do something…. For me, this feeling describes very much the time we are living in.”
Steven Bestwick, CEO of The Yellow Affair, said, “ ‘Shame and Money’ is the type of film that stays with you long after you’ve seen it. The central performances are so strong, and the portrayal of the family in their predicament is authentic and engaging throughout. It is exciting to see how North American audiences receive the film at Sundance.”
Born in Kosovo, Morina has garnered international acclaim with both his feature films and shorts, premiering at major festivals including Berlinale, Sundance, Locarno and Karlovy Vary. His accolades include the German Film Academy Award for best screenplay, best director at Karlovy Vary, and the Heart of Sarajevo Award. In 2020, he was named one of Variety’s “10 Europeans to Watch.”
“Shame and Money” is co-written by Morina and Doruntina Basha, an award-winning playwright from Kosovo. The film features powerful, stoic performances by Astrit Kabashi as Shaban and Flonja Kodheli as Hatixhe, alongside Kumrije Hoxha, Fiona Gllavica and Alban Ukaj.
The film is produced by Morina’s company Vicky Bane and Schuldenberg Films, the independent German production company behind critically acclaimed titles such as “Piaffe” (Locarno, 2022) and the upcoming “The Lights, They Fall,” set to premiere in the Generation 14plus section at Berlinale. Founded in 2016 by Kristof Gerega, Fabian Altenried and Sophie Ahrens, Schuldenberg Films champions bold and distinctive auteur voices.
The film is produced by Germany’s Vicky Bane and Schuldenberg Films, in co-production with Eagle Eye Films Kosova (Kosovo), Vertigo Ljubljana (Slovenia), On Film Production (Albania), List Production (North Macedonia) and Quetzalcoatl (Belgium).
The film is financed by Germany’s Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Kosovo Cinematography Center, Eurimages – Council of Europe, German Federal Film Fund, Film-und Medienstiftung NRW, Slovenian Film Centre, National Center of Cinematography Albania, North Macedonia Film Agency, Tax Shelter of the Federal Government of Belgium, the Tax Shelter Investors, WDR and Fondationa Suisa.
Recently, The Yellow Affair announced the acquisition of “Árru” by Elle Sofía Sara, set to premiere in the Panorama section of the Berlinale next month. The company’s slate also includes Joscha Bongard’s “Babystar” (Toronto International Film Festival, Discovery), Jonas Ulrich’s black metal drama “Wolves” (Zurich Film Festival), Helen Walsh’s “On the Sea” (Edinburgh International Film Festival), and the family title “Pixie: The New Beginning,” directed by Krzysztof Komander (Locarno Kids).