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2019 was a banner year for rising star Luàna Bajrami: the Kosovo-born French actress and filmmaker was lauded for her scene-stealing turn as a young maid in Céline Sciamma’s luminous “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” was nominated for Most Promising Actress at the César Awards, and wrapped production on her directorial debut, the intimate coming-of-age drama “The Hill Where Lionesses Roar” — all by the time she was 18. Not too shabby.

Neither is “Lionesses,” which will likely inspire comparisons to everything from Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s “Mustang” to Sofia Coppola’s “The Virgin Suicides”, all of which Any first-time filmmaking tics are largely forgivable: Bajrami, who also wrote the script, tends to both obscure major events and bolster moments that needed more development. For better and worse, the most pleasurable moments in “Lionesses” are the unexpected ones.

Filmed in Bajrami’s native Kosovo and shot in the Albanian language,...

Fans of 2019 Palme d’Or contender Portrait Of A Lady On Fire will know Luàna Bajrami as the terrific young actress who portrayed the maid, Sophie. Now, the French-Kosovan returns to Cannes as a writer, director and star with Directors’ Fortnight drama The Hill Where Lionesses Roar (Luaneshat E Kodrës). Bajrami is only 20 years old, so unsurprisingly this is her debut, which she made when she was just 19.

The story takes place in Kosovo, where three friends Qe (Flaka Latifi), Li (Era Balaj) and Jeta (Uratë Shabani) live in a remote village. Bored and desperate for escape, they decide to form a gang and rob local businesses, gaining a sense of freedom and independence from their rebellious actions. What begins as a slow-burning drama about female friendship moves into Bling Ring territory, although the film is strongest in its quieter moments, when it explores the bond between girls who...

Kosovo-set tale revolves around a group of teenagers who embark on series of heists.

Le Pacte has taken French rights to Directors’ Fortnight selection The Hill Where Lionesses Roar by French-Kosovan director Luàna Bajrami from Loco Films in one of the first major deals for the film.

Set in a small provincial town in Kosovo, the first feature revolves around three teenage girls who embark on a series of heist-style robberies for the thrill of it.

Paris-based Loco Films acquired international sales to the film after it was presented at the Work in Progress event of the Les Arcs Film...

Kosovo-set tale revolves around a group of teenagers who embark on series of heists.

Le Pacte has taken French rights to Directors’ Fortnight selection The Hill Where Lionesses Roar by French-Kosovan director Luàna Bajrami from Loco Films in one of the first major deals for the film.

Set in a small provincial town in Kosovo, the first feature revolves three teenager girls who embark on a series of heist-style robberies for the thrill of it.

Paris-based Loco Films acquired international sales to the film after it was presented at the Work in Progress event of the Les Arcs Film Festival...

Drama is the debut feature of 18-year-old actress and director Luàna Bajrami.

Paris-based Loco Films has acquired international sales to Kosovan drama The Hill Where Lionesses Roar about three bored teenagers who set up a heist gang, targeting local traders.

The film generated strong buzz when it was showcased at the Works in Progress event of Les Arcs Film Festival this week, where it won the €5,000 Alphapanda audience engagement award.

It is the debut feature of 18-year-old French-Kosovan director Luàna Bajrami, who is best known in France as an actress. She has just been short-listed by France’s Cesar Academy...

“Day One” is a wartime drama the likes of which we have not seen before, with a marvelous Layla Alizada as an interpreter with U.S. forces in Afghanistan. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

It’s really tough for me to pick a single best film among the excellent crop of Oscar nominees for Best Live Action Short. They are all very personal, even when the backdrops of some are huge conflicts. That’s probably necessary when telling a story in a small space, but it helps to make all of them feel very intimate; even the ones most remote from my own experience instantly felt recognizable. If these five films — the longest of which is only 30 minutes, and most are much shorter — can be said to have a unifying theme, it’s this: We’re not alone.

Ahead of the Academy Awards, we’re reviewing each short category. See the Live Action section below and the other shorts sections here.

Ave Maria – Palestine/France/Germany – 15 minutes

Director Basil Khalil and co-writer Daniel Yáñez have come up with a cutely comic conceit for their short film Ave Maria. It’s the West Bank—miles from civilization—and a car carrying a Jewish man, his wife, and his mother crashes into a Catholic church run by five Arab nuns who have taken a vow of silence. If everyone follows the rites of their religion, the women able to help the family mustn’t talk and the family, who realize that it’s now the Shabbat, can’t operate any machinery necessary to move along. It’s quite the conundrum for the devout and a perfect recipe for discovering a common ground as human beings with enough laughs to keep us entertained for the duration.