11/9/17 This week, the Zana team pitched to a crowd of European film industry professionals at Connecting Cottbus, the East West Co-Production Market at the Film Festival Cottbus in Germany. The Zana project was presented at “CoCo” as part of the MIDPOINT Selection 2017, and was one of four projects from MIDPOINT Feature Launch 2017 […]
Urban Nightmares Web-Series Released on blackpills Channel
10/31/17 Urban Nightmares is a new crime investigation/horror series that Crossing Bridges filmmakers Casey Cooper Johnson and Sevdije Kastrati both worked on. Created and Written by Martin Wichmann Andersen and Rod Peyton, Directed and Executive Produced by Martin Wichmann Andersen and Casey Cooper Johnson, Produced by modern day master of horror, Alexandre Aja, and Alix Taylor. Sevdije Kastrati was the Director of Photography. Through a series […]
Crossing Bridges Films / AFI Shorts Available on Vimeo On Demand
The Crossing Bridges Films team all studied at the American Film Institute between 2009 – 2012. Their two thesis short films are available on demand at Vimeo. She Comes in Spring (2012) Written and Directed by Antoneta Kastrati (AFI Directing Workshop for Women 2012) Cinematography by Sevdije Kastrati (AFI Cinematography 2011) Logline: A mysterious young woman […]
ZANA Receives Co-Production Financing from Albania
We are happy to announce that our feature film “Zana” with Co-Producer Dritan Huqi of On Film Productions was selected to receive a grant from the Albanian National Center of Cinematography, We thank ANCC and Jury members for their support and trust.
ZANA Participating in Rotterdam Lab and Berlinale/EFM
We will be participating in the Rotterdam Lab during International Film Festival Rotterdam (Jan. 28 – Feb. 1) and then will join the Kosova Cinematography Center to pitch the project at Berlinale and the European Film Market (Feb. 9 – 14). Please contact us if you’ll be at either of these festivals and would like […]
Crossing Bridges Films Partners with Dream Factory Macedonia on ZANA
We are pleased to announce we’ve partnered with Dream Factory Macedonia and producer Ognen Antov in co-production on the ZANA project. Looking forward to working with Antov and his talented team from Skopje. Dream Factory Macednoia.
Adriana Matoshi to Play Lead Role in ZANA
Adriana is a rising star actress who first found acclaim with her lead role in The Return, directed by Blerta Zeqiri, which won the Best International Short Film at Sundance Film Festival 2012. She has since gone on to play unforgettable roles in Babai (2015) by director Visar Morina, which was nominated for consideration in […]
ZANA Wins Production Grant From Kosova Cinematography Center
We are proud to announce we have received 130,000 Euros production funding from Kosova Cinematography Center for the shooting of ZANA in 2017.
Award Winning Actor Astrit Kabashi Attached to ZANA
Astrit Kabashi is an established and critically acclaimed Kosovar actor, best known for his award winning lead role in Babai (2015) for which Kabashi won Best Actor at the Munich Film Festival. He also played a supporting role in the Oscar nominated short film Shok (2015). He will play the role of “Ilir” in Zana. […]
ZANA Receives Panavision New Filmmaker Grant
The Zana movie project has just received a Panavision New Filmmaker Grant, which provides the production with a full camera and lens package for the shoot, at a value of $60,000.
SHE COMES IN SPRING at AFI Theater
The American Film Institute has just launched their new AFI Conservatory Online Theater. SHE COMES IN SPRING is among the very first short film to be featured. You can now purchase and watch the short HERE.
SHE COMES IN SPRING Wins at two NYC festivals
She Comes in Spring Wins at two NYC Film Festivals: Best Short & Best Actress award at Albanian Film Week in New York and Best Student Audience award at the Williamsburg Film Festival in NYC. http://www.willifest.com/2014/awards http://albanianfilmweek.net
Sloan Film Summit
…At the Summit, it was apparent that indeed Sloan was creative with incorporating science in art. On Saturday night at The Grammy Museum, they hosted the “Science & Entertainment Exchange,” where industry professionals were paired with top scientists and engineers to create three original works. Highlights included a short film by Casey Cooper Johnson that […]
IMPLANT Premieres at Sloan Film Summit
The IMPLANT short film, directed by Casey Cooper Johnson and produced by Crossing Bridges Films with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Film Independent and the Science and Entertainment Exchange, premiered November 15th, 2014 at the Grammy Museum as part of the Sloan Film Summit. Hosted by Ira Flatow, the ART OF SCIENCE event […]
Albanian American Success Stories Features Antoneta
Antoneta Kastrati Featured in Albanian American Success Stories Magazine. http://albaniansuccessstories.com/antoneta-kastrati/
Antoneta Kastrati featured in Bulgaria
Antoneta featured in ISSUU Publication “The Art of Short Filmmaking: Insights spotlighting directors in competition at the IN THE PALACE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Bulgaria http://issuu.com/inthepalace/docs/interviews page 11
SHE COMES IN SPRING wins at Cellu L’art Film Festival
She Comes in Spring directed by Antoneta Kastrati, wins Jena Tolerance Award at Cellu L’art Film Festival in Germany. “The drama deals with the conflict in Kosovo in a significant way, a conflict which dates back only 15 years, and it is told primarily from the perpetrator perspective. This makes this film very appealing” […]
Indie Source Magazine Focus on Women Directors
Antoneta Kastrati featured as part of the American Film Institute Directing Workshop For Women Round-Table in Indie Source Magazine:
Kosovo Diaspora Spotlights Kastrati’s Filmmaking
Antoneta Kastrati featured in Kosovo Diaspora When Passion and Dedication Speak through Documentary Film-making. Read about Antoneta’s story and Q & A on her filmmaking journey. http://www.kosovodiaspora.org/antoneta-kastrati-when-passion-and-dedication-speak-through-documentary-film-making/
UNMANNED Available on iTunes
The UNMANNED AFI short thesis film is now available for download and viewing on iTunes. Watch the trailer, read customer and critic reviews, and download Unmanned directed by Casey Cooper Johnson for $2.99. VIEW IN iTUNES
NINULLA featured on Kosovo 2.0
Kosovo 2.0 pulses with voices unfettered and unafraid. Interactive blogs, articles and multimedia bring the untold stories and views of your world. They feature Ninulla (Lullaby).
Review: SHE COMES IN SPRING
Dokufest International Film Festival review’s SHE COMES IN SPRING …Beset by her own experience, Ms. Kastrati doesn’t hide behind the veil of political correctness with her film, as the story throws upon viewer in all its purity the pain and memories from the war. This film carries no message, nor is it intentionally melodramatic in […]
Antoneta Kastrati featured in Indiewire
The American Film Institute will introduce eight new female filmmakers at its Directing Workshop for Women on May 6, where new short films by each director will screen. The keynote address comes from “Middle of Nowhere” director Ava DuVernay, who won Best Director at Sundance in 2012 and recently nabbed a prize at Tribeca. Her […]
Exclusive: UNMANNED Update
The use of an unmanned military drones is ethically complicated, to say the least. As of now, the US Air Force has about 7,000 of them, all capable of launching missiles at the push of a button thousands of miles away from the target. Read the full article HERE
WIRED features UNMANNED
Lou Fancher’s article “Military Drama Unmanned Unmasks Drone Pilot’s Life” featured in Wired Magazine discusses UNMANNED. View the full article: HERE
THE GUARDIAN: Zagreb Dox
THE GUARDIAN is an official selection at Zagreb Dox. ‘The Guardian’ is a story about a mountain man, Fatos Lajci, and his struggle to save the forests of the Rugova Mountain from over-logging and environmental destruction. VIEW ZAGREB DOX