“TRAIN OF FREEDOM an award winning documentary about post-war reconciliation in Kosovo presented through a journey in the country’s railways”
Train of Freedom, is an open forum for the voices of all communities alike, seeking to explain the realities that deal with division, reconciliation and economic consequences.
As a director/producer, I look for answers to basic human questions. Human expression, tolerance, compassion, consciousness, and learning make my work field. I invite you to discover stories of people and places that might not be familiar but can bring us closer by using storytelling as a means of understanding.
TRAIN OF FREEDOM | DOCUMENTARY | 50MIN | 2007 | KOSOVO
Director: Karina Palmer, Cinematographer: Regjep Ahmetaj, Producer: Petrit Pula
The "Movement of Freedom Train" began running through the north and south of Kosovo after the Balkan war.
Hasan, who is Albanian is the oldest conductor of the train. While Milos, who is Serbian is the youngest in the company. Together, they work day in and day out, learning to make peace by riding through ethnically divided lines.
The film portrays passengers, conductors, ticket takers and workers who ride the train daily. These are the people that set an example of the hopes and challenges for the future Kosovar society.
Since 1874, the train has traveled amazing journeys. At its peak, it transported passengers in luxury cabins in trips that stretched from Greece to Germany. During the war, dark times made their mark when nearly one million Albanians were driven away by Serbian forces who ran a campaign of ethnic cleansing, many of which were forced into packed train cars and taken to the border with Macedonia.
Today, the train aims to reconcile and integrate the different ethnic groups that were affected by the war. It is one of the very few places in Kosovo where Albanians, Serbs, Gypsie Romas and Ashkalis share a common place. Meet the people, hear their stories and learn first hand the hopes and challenges of this new nation.