BABAI

Kosovo in the nineties: father Gesim and his ten-year-old son Nori struggle to make ends meet by selling cigarettes on the street. Gesim wants to try his luck in Germany, be it with or without his son, the youngster however refuses to be parted from his father.

A father and son in a country that has little to offer by way of future prospects. They live with a domineering uncle who, though he feels obliged to provide them with a place to stay, does nothing more to ease the pair's sorry existence. Hoping to flee these antiquated family structures and try his luck elsewhere, Gesim sets his sights on Germany, where he'll be able to earn money for himself and his son; the latter needs to stay at home however, too young for such a difficult trip. Unwilling to let his father leave alone, Nori tries everything within his power to stop his father's escape and, when that fails, ends up undertaking the perilous journey himself. WMH