The Forgiveness of Blood

Joshua Marston - whose directorial debut Maria Full of Grace (SFF 2004) was set between Colombia and New York - sinks his incisive allegorist's teeth into the pulsating veins of another culture in this suspenseful twist on the cautionary tale. Buoyed by life and its possibilities, 17-year-old Nik is a carefree teenager in small-town northern Albania with a crush on the school beauty and ambitions to start his own internet café. His world is suddenly up-ended when his father and uncle become entangled in a land dispute that leaves a fellow villager murdered. According to the Kanun, a 15th-century code of law, this entitles the dead man's family to take the life of a male from Nik's family as retribution. His uncle in jail and his father in hiding, Nik is the prime target and confined to the home while his studious 15-year-old sister Rudina is forced to leave school and take on their father's bread delivery rounds. Working with non-professional actors, Marston's achieves a resounding authenticity, boldly contrasting antiquated traditions with the lives of the young people whose future is put at risk by them.

Australian Premiere

Filmmaker Guest Joshua Marston

• Awards Best Screenplay, Berlin Film Festival
• Director's Bio Joshua Marston earned an MFA in film from New York University. His debut feature, Maria Full of Grace, won awards at both the Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals and received a nomination for an Academy Award®. The Forgiveness of Blood is his second feature film.