DXHESVA Collective Presents Other Daughters: A New Wave of Balkan-Diasporic Cinema at Millennium Film Workshop
BROOKLYN, NY — April 19, 2026 — The DXHESVA Collective is proud to announce Other Daughters, a curated program of short films exploring the intersections of heritage, gender, and the immigrant experience. The screening will take place on April 19, 2026, at 7:00 PM at the historic Millennium Film Workshop in Brooklyn.
Other Daughters features a cohort of Balkan-American filmmakers who utilize archival intervention, analog experimentation, and performance art to navigate the complexities of identity across generations. From the mountainous border towns of the former Yugoslavia to the basement corridors of New York City, these works interrogate how memory is preserved, how bodies rebel, and how “home” is reconstructed in the diaspora.
Featured Works & Filmmakers:
“Women in Gusinje” and “Koprive” by Anisa Hodzic: Hodzic’s work spans archival re-editing and visceral performance. Women in Gusinje deconstructs 1970s documentary footage to reclaim female narratives from the male gaze, while Koprive uses the stinging nettle as a tactile metaphor for the painful yet nurturing nature of maternal healing.
“Axilia” by Bimbi Mafia: A defiant act of self-adoration, this film challenges cultural taboos surrounding the female body, transforming “indecent” hair into a symbol of rebellion against societal expectations in Albania and beyond.
“Gjurma” (Traces) by Dora Nano: A poetic archival short that connects Nano to the origins of the Kinostudio, Albania’s first film studio. By weaving together documentary footage shot by their grandfather, audio interview with their father, and archival images, Nano explores the fluidity of diasporic and collective memory through cinema.
“Si Të Lashë” by Alissa Xhixhabesi: Documented on analog formats (16mm and Super 8), Xhixhabesi captures her grandparents’ home on the eve of demolition, offering a haunting meditation on the loss of physical space amidst Albania’s rapid modernization.
“Returning, Leaving” by Mirela Musić: An observational study of Balkan immigrant superintendents in NYC. The film documents the “disordered integration” of family life, focusing on the quiet gestures that define the space between a daughter’s arrival and a father’s departure.
“Scattered” by Edina Hoti: An ongoing series that explores the complex intersections of identity and displacement following the 1990s Balkan conflicts. Utilizing archival recordings of a return to Montenegro for the first time since the war, Hoti captures the reality of a “scattered family”—individuals bound by heart and ancestral stories despite being separated by borders and oceans. Her work examines the nuanced space between everyday life and past memories through a distinct feminist lens.
Support: This program is made possible with support from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
About DXHESVA Collective:
Founded by Anisa Hodzic, DXHESVA Collective is a multidisciplinary initiative dedicated to fostering community spaces that honor resilience and voice. The collective serves as a bridge between personal experience and collective remembrance, inviting dialogue across culture, time, and place.
Contact:
Dxhesvacollective@gmail.com
IG @dxhesva
