Blerta Basholli’s Dua premieres in Critics’ Week as African films mark milestones at Cannes

Blerta Basholli’s “Dua” screened in Cannes Critics’ Week on Thursday, adding a new festival berth for the Kosovo-born filmmaker behind “Hive.” Critics’ Week lists the film in its 2026 selection and scheduled multiple screenings on May 13 and May 14 in Cannes. Variety reported on May 14 that the film follows 13-year-old Dua as she comes of age during the war in 1990s Kosovo. The 2026 Cannes program also includes two films cited as milestones for African cinema at this year’s festival. (festival-cannes.com) The Festival de Cannes’ official-selection announcement on April 9 placed Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo’s “Ben’Imana” and Rafiki Fariala’s “Congo Boy” in Un Certain Regard, one of the festival’s official sections. (festival-cannes.com) Variety reported those films represent the first Cannes official-selection appearances for Rwanda and the Central African Republic, respectively. ### Which Cannes section is showing “Dua”? Critics’ Week, known in French as La Semaine de la Critique, lists “Dua” in its 2026 edition under Basholli’s name. (semainedelacritique.com) Variety reported the film premiered in that sidebar on May 14, while the Critics’ Week site shows screenings at Miramar, Studio 13 and Alexandre III across May 13 and May 14. The April 13 Critics’ Week lineup announcement from Variety included “Dua” in competition. The section is a parallel Cannes selection dedicated to first and second features, according to that report. (festival-cannes.com) ### What is Basholli’s film about? Variety said “Dua” is set in late-1990s Kosovo during the war and centers on a 13-year-old girl dealing with both conflict and adolescence. The Critics’ Week page identifies Basholli and Nicole Borgeat as screenwriters and lists Pinea Matoshi, Vlera Bilalli, Kaona Matoshi, Yllka Gashi, Kushtrim Hoxha and Andi Bajgora in the cast. (semainedelacritique.com) Critics’ Week also lists IKONË STUDIO and ALVA FILM among the production companies, with The Party Film Sales handling sales. The running time shown on the screening schedule is 1 hour and 41 minutes, based on the listed start and end times for the Miramar screenings. (variety.com) ### Why is Basholli’s return to Cannes drawing attention? Blerta Basholli’s profile page on the Critics’ Week site says her debut feature “Hive” premiered at Sundance in 2021 and won the Grand Jury Prize, the Directing Award and the Audience Award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. Variety also framed “Dua” as the follow-up to that breakthrough film. (variety.com) The Critics’ Week site describes Basholli as a Kosova-born writer-director who studied at New York University Tisch School of the Arts and previously made the documentary “Mirror, Mirror…” and short films including “Gjakova 726” and “Lena & Me.” (semainedelacritique.com) ### Which African films are marking official-selection firsts? The Festival de Cannes’ official-selection communiqué lists “Ben’Imana” by Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo and “Congo Boy” by Rafiki Fariala in Un Certain Regard. Variety reported those entries amount to the first official-selection appearances at Cannes for Rwanda and the Central African Republic. (semainedelacritique.com) The Cannes page for “Congo Boy” says the film is set in Bangui and follows 17-year-old Robert, a Congolese refugee who dreams of a music career while caring for four younger siblings after his parents are jailed. (semainedelacritique.com) The Cinéma de Demain listing identifies Fariala as director and gives 2026 as the year of production. ### Where do these films sit in the wider 2026 Cannes lineup? The Festival de Cannes program page says the 79th edition’s films and events were unveiled in Paris on April 9. The same official-selection announcement places “Ben’Imana” and “Congo Boy” in Un Certain Regard, while Critics’ Week runs separately with its own 2026 lineup that includes “Dua.” (festival-cannes.com) Cannes’ main site says the 2026 festival runs through May 24. Critics’ Week’s “Dua” page lists one more May 14 screening at Alexandre III at 21:30 local time, after earlier showings at Miramar and Studio 13. (festival-cannes.com 1) (festival-cannes.com 2)