'SUCCEEDING DESPITE - THE CHALLENGES OF YOUNG EUROPEANS' PANEL

The head of DokuFest's educational department DokuLab, Eroll Bilibani participated in a panel discussion 'Succeeding despite – The challenges of young Europeans', organized by WB2EU network. The panel discussed the participation of youth in creating policies and culture that plays a significant role in the Europeanization and democratization of Kosovo. After the screening of a clip of the short film 'DISPLACED' by Samir Karahoda he highlighted the fact that year 2021 was undeniably the most successful year of Kosovar cinematography. Six films by, what we like to refer to, a new wave of Kosovo filmmakers, had remarkable presence at world’s most important film festivals, from Sundance to Cannes, Rotterdam to Toronto, Locarno and Venice. In his remarks he underlined that in these 20 years, culture was primarily financed through subsidies once in a year, both through central and local level. The inevitable role that culture has on the overall social and economic developments, or the economic and social potential and the undisputed values that culture carries in a large number of crosscutting policies was never recognized, but it was rather perceived as a myriad of activities that serve as a form of entertainment for both those that create it as well as those that experience it. He illustrated that studies, such as ‘Economic Impact of DokuFest’ show that the festival itself has increased the economic activity (GDP) in the amount of over 2.4 million euro and if consumption expenses are included, the annual impact is estimated to be over 4.7 million euros”, impacting predominantly local businesses and nationwide companies. Basically, the study confirms that culture is beyond just an entertainment for both those that create it as well as those that experience it. The panel was organized within the WB2EU network, a long-term project gathering 17 think tanks and academic institutions from the Western Balkans and the EU until 2023. The other panel members included Mimoza Kusari Lila, Member of the Parliament of the Republic of Kosovo, Besa Luci, Editor-in-chief Kosovo 2.0. and Jehona Gjurgjela, Executive Director of Youth Development Foundation – TOKA.