HATIXHE AND SHABAN

Shaban and Hatixhe, a couple in their 40s, live a modest life with their three daughters in a village in Kosovo, relying on their small farm and cows for survival. When Shaban’s younger brother steals their cows to fund another failed attempt to emigrate, the family is forced to move to Pristina, the capital. There, they struggle to adjust to city life, low-paying jobs, and an unfamiliar environment. As they settle into a makeshift home in their brother-in-law’s garden shed, Hatixhe gradually becomes an unpaid caretaker for his paralyzed father, while Shaban joins a street labor line in search of work. Humiliated by dependency and class differences, Shaban silently endures emotional strain. After a breakdown during a gardening job, he’s unexpectedly offered a security guard position in a gated community. On his first night shift, his family surprises him with a birthday cake—a quiet moment of love and resilience in the face of hardship. The film is a tender exploration of dignity, displacement, and survival within a changing society.