20/09/2024 - The third feature by Albanian director Robert Budina interrogates the struggles of a woman balancing the deep complexities and contradictions of career, family and morality

Aida (Gresa Pallaska), a tough businesswoman living in an Albanian town on the shores of Lake Ohrid, works a lucrative job as a city planner for the allocation of EU subsidies. While a large portion of these funds are pocketed by her corrupt boss, Aida isn’t above taking the occasional bribe herself to keep her place in this ultra-masculine, patriarchal world. Her comfortable life is shattered, however, when her teenage son Mark (Paolo Iancu) gets accused of sexual assault by a classmate. Convinced of her son’s innocence, Aida starts to investigate on her own, against the wishes of her husband and the police. During her search for the truth, she encounters a wall of silence, envy and deep-seated prejudice – and finally has to accept a heartbreaking reality.

This is the synopsis of Waterdrop [+see also:
trailer
film profile], the third feature by independent Albanian filmmaker and producer Robert Budina, which will have its international premiere at the 40th Warsaw Film Festival, taking place from 14-20 October. Inspired by a 2019 news story, Budina directs and pens a story of corruption, complicity and silence within a patriarchal system through the eyes of Aida. Embedded in this suspenseful thriller, Waterdrop asks a profound question: how much are you willing to sacrifice for justice?

Budina’s debut feature, Agon, screened at over 30 festivals and was Albania’s nominee for the Academy Awards in 2014. His second feature, A Shelter Among the Clouds [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Robert Budina
film profile], premiered at Tallinn Black Nights.

Speaking about the film’s relevance for viewers at the Warsaw Film Festival and globally, the director explains, “What I believe could captivate an international audience is the portrayal of a woman’s struggle for self-actualisation while simultaneously trying to maintain a spiritual equilibrium between her career, family, parenting and the power she seeks to wield. Each of these small battles carries a significant spiritual cost. The narrative explores universal themes: the cost of ambition, the complexities of motherhood and the moral compromises we make in pursuit of success. It delves into how our choices can have unforeseen consequences, not just for ourselves, but also for those around us.”

Waterdrop is a co-production between Albania’s Erafilm, Italy’s Redibis Film, Romania’s Avanpost, Kosovo’s Ilyria Film and North Macedonia’s Manufaktura Production.

Check out our exclusive trailer below: