Symphony of Seasons
Symphony of Seasons follows director Sami Mustafa, a Roma born in Kosovo, as he reflects on the turbulent history that shaped him and the uncertain Europe his daughters are now growing up in. His childhood was marked by the collapse of Yugoslavia, the Bosnian war in which his brother fought, the ethnic cleansing and NATO bombings in Kosovo, and the trauma of displacement.
Now living in France with his partner Charlotte and their two daughters, he observes the fragile beauty of family life – everyday moments on a Corsican beach, a child’s first steps, the joy and chaos of play. These intimate scenes are interwoven with personal letters to his late mother, in which Mustafa expresses both gratitude and doubt: how to transmit memory, dignity, and resilience to his daughters in a continent once again shaken by war in Ukraine, by the rise of the far right, and by hostility towards minorities? Through the personal letters Sami travels to Germany in search older video tapes that was once sent in Germany.
The film unfolds across the four seasons: spring as the birth of children, summer as the vitality of play, autumn as decline and memory, and winter as death and legacy. It blends observational family scenes with archival footage from the Balkan wars, and poetic images of nature that mark the passing of time.
Now living in France with his partner Charlotte and their two daughters, he observes the fragile beauty of family life – everyday moments on a Corsican beach, a child’s first steps, the joy and chaos of play. These intimate scenes are interwoven with personal letters to his late mother, in which Mustafa expresses both gratitude and doubt: how to transmit memory, dignity, and resilience to his daughters in a continent once again shaken by war in Ukraine, by the rise of the far right, and by hostility towards minorities? Through the personal letters Sami travels to Germany in search older video tapes that was once sent in Germany.
The film unfolds across the four seasons: spring as the birth of children, summer as the vitality of play, autumn as decline and memory, and winter as death and legacy. It blends observational family scenes with archival footage from the Balkan wars, and poetic images of nature that mark the passing of time.