Beyond Our Mountains

How do you heal? In a Kosovo city cracked along the river, a young Serbian-Albanian couple must decide their future when she is accepted to study where he cannot follow.

  • Madeline Johnson
    Director
  • Madeline Johnson
    Writer
  • Alban Zogjani
    Producer
  • Gala Shalipur
    Key Cast
    "Milena"
  • Vali Krasniqi
    Key Cast
    "Etrit"
  • Isak Duraku
    Director of Photography
    Rooftop Story, Perqafimi, Leonardi
  • Shira Arad
    Editor
    Avinu, Room 514, The Apartment
  • Liburn Jupolli
    Composer
    Drums of Resistance
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 44 seconds
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Kosovo
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    ARRI Alexa
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:35
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Austin Revolution! Film Festival
    Austin, TX
    United States
    September 21, 2018
    World Premiere
    Official Selection. Won Best World Director award. Nominated for five other awards - Lukas Hassel writer/director of the year, Best Cinematography Short, World Short, World Actress, and World Actor.
  • Edmonton International Film Festival
    Edmonton, AB
    Canada
    September 29, 2018
    International Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Portland Film Festival
    Portland, OR
    United States
    October 26, 2018
    West Coast Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Crown Heights Film Festival
    Brooklyn, NY
    United States
    October 18, 2018
    Official Selection
  • Nevada International Film Festival
    Las Vegas, NV
    United States
    November 14, 2018
    Grand Jury Award
Director Biography - Madeline Johnson

Madeline Johnson is an award-winning screenwriter and director who has written three feature and ten short scripts. Her debut short film “Juneteenth” was an official selection of the Prague Independent Film Festival, the Budapest Short Film Festival, and the Crown Heights Film Festival – as well as winning a Platinum Reel Award at the Nevada International Film Festival in the student competition.

She holds two B.A. degrees from Yale University. In 2016, she graduated from FAMU International’s Academic Preparation Program in Directing.

Madeline is currently finishing final drafts of two feature scripts and developing an interactive web series.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

At the heart, "Beyond Our Mountains" explores a tense and mysterious emotional space of decision-making. Is it better to reconcile and heal? Or have we/I compromised too much of ourselves and should move on? Using film language – particularly a strong editing style – the film recreates that mental space about how we can simultaneously hold our hopes, dreams, and realities before making a fateful decision.