– Dina Duma’s second film tells the story of two sisters in Skopje confronting gender expectations, which entail social restrictions and forced marriage
Efkjar Abaz in Skateboarding Is Not for Girls
Skateboarding Is Not for Girls world-premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, where it screened in the International Narrative Competition. Directed by Dina Duma, the film is set in Skopje and follows the lives of 11-year-old Adela (Efkjar Abaz) and her older sister Zara (Džefrina Jašari). When Zara is forced into marriage to save the family financially, after their father’s abandonment, Adela tries her best to find a way to prevent her sister from treading this path being forced on her.
The ensemble cast, mostly made up of non-professional women actors, work perfectly together and convey a sense that what we are watching is real. The injustice we feel simultaneously goes hand in hand with the empowerment that the movie exudes through the soundtrack and the performances. It will not only resonate with the communities it portrays, but will also shed light on a topic that is seldom discussed, raising awareness of the injustice that women still face to this day. Macedonian cinema remains underrepresented, and the issue the feature tackles feels especially poignant.
Using skateboarding as its central example, Duma’s second work explores the activities and spaces that are often considered inappropriate for girls – not necessarily forbidden outright, but ones they are discouraged from and which are viewed as socially unacceptable for them. Forced marriages are sadly still a reality around the world, yet many people forget that they can also take place in Europe.
The act of skateboarding symbolises a girl’s right to make her own choices, even in domains not traditionally associated with women. While skateboarding is far less serious an issue than forced marriage, both are linked to the same impulse to limit female autonomy. It should not be an exceptional activity in times like these, but the thing is that it is treated as exceptional as soon as a woman does it, and this means that there’s something wrong with the system.
Skateboarding Is Not for Girls’ technical aspects are solid, albeit not particularly remarkable. It does not seek to impress through technical flourishes, and an excessive emphasis on style would likely have detracted from its emotional and thematic core. At the end of the day, it feels like watching a documentary; nonetheless, it will not be easy to follow for audiences looking for a fast-paced story, because it takes time to build the characters, their motivations and its overall plot line. This is not a flaw, but rather a deliberate directorial choice that prioritises emotional depth over narrative urgency.
Duma demonstrates a confident directorial voice and a clear command of her material. This movie suggests there is still plenty of room for her to grow and experiment as a filmmaker, but it also marks her out as a talent worth watching. More importantly, her work contributes to a broader shift towards greater female representation behind the camera, while offering a thoughtful and timely perspective on issues that remain deeply relevant today.
Skateboarding Is Not for Girls is a joint effort between North Macedonia, Belgium, Slovenia and Croatia, with Entre Chien et Loup, Vertigo, Terminal 3 and Sisters and Brother Mitevski serving as producers. Kinology sells it worldwide.
