Feature Documentary
“Palace of Youth” Wins Audience Award at Dokufest 2025 Following World Premiere
Prizren, Kosovo — August 7, 2025 — The open-air cinema of DokuKino Plato at Dokufest, one of Europe’s most respected documentary festivals, was packed for the World Premiere of Palace of Youth, a documentary already making waves far beyond Prishtina, Kosovo. The film tackles one of the most urgent and tender questions of the region: what does it mean to grow up in a country that still feels like it's waiting?
Directed by first-time American filmmaker Maddie Gwinn, produced by Gwinn herself, Mitch Dickman, Bettina Morlock, Igor Dovgal & Leart Rama, executive produced by Academy Award winners Shane Boris & Odessa Rae and global music star Rita Ora, Palace of Youth won the Audience Award at Dokufest 2025. Rita Ora’s support drew attention across Kosovo, with herpublic endorsement making local headlines.
Featuring Music by: Suada Abazi (Zwada), Lekë Morina & Donat Vatoci (Milk Snatchers), Edona Vatoci
Director: Maddie Gwinn
Writer: Donat Vatoci
Produced by: Maddie Gwinn & Mitch Dickman (TRAGICOMEDIA USA), Bettina Morlock & Igor Dovgal (Essence Films DE), Leart Rama (Katarze Films RKS)
Executive Produced by: Shane Boris, Odessa Rae, Rita Ora
Cinematography by: Samir Ljuma & Maddie Gwinn
Editing by: Enis Saraçi & Maddie Gwinn
Supported by: SWR & MFG Baden-Württemberg, Creative Visions (Fiscal Sponsor), Denver Film (Fiscal Sponsor)
Set in the heart of Prishtina, the film follows three young musicians navigating ambition, isolation, and creativity in a half-recognized nation. Against the backdrop of Kosovo’s complex political reality, Palace of Youth offers a vibrant portrait of a post-war generation striving to make their voices heard.
Six years after first visiting Kosovo and nearly three years living in Prishtina and learning the local dialect of Albanian, director Maddie Gwinn stood quietly to the side, visibly moved. Speaking after the sold-out open-air screening, Gwinn told the audience:
“For me, this was the test. Was it an authentic portrayal? That’s something only this audience can judge. But I had to build trust and I did, and that leads the path to authenticity.”
The film draws its name from Prishtina’s iconic Palace of Youth, a hulking cultural complex that once served as a hub for Yugoslav arts, sports, and music. Gwinn expands:
“Everyone thinks Kosovo’s youth are full of hope and potential, but they’re also stuck. Looking out of the palace, they want freedom. They don’t want to be trapped in some perfect image.”
Beyond being a snapshot of Prishtina’s underground scene, Palace of Youth is also a global reflection on a generation in transition. DOKUDAILY contributor Blerina Kanxha writes:
“It’s a meditation on a generation stuck between post-war reconstruction and digital globalization, between analog dreams and algorithmic futures.”
Palace of Youth will continue its festival run into 2025 and 2026, with upcoming screenings to be announced. The film is an international co-production between TRAGICOMEDIA (USA) and Essence Film (DE) with support from Südwestrundfunk and MFG.