Skateboarding Is Not for Girls

Directed by

Dina Duma

Adela (11), a Romani girl from Skopje, lives in a ghetto with her mother and older sister, Zara. When her family faces a financial crisis, Adela’s mother is sure that the only solution is to sell Zara at the bridal market. Adela can’t accept this destiny for her older sister and takes matters into her own hands. After a few unsuccessful attempts to find a job, she decides to join a skateboarding contest even though, in her culture, skateboarding is frowned upon for girls. The only way she can learn how to skate and have a chance to win the contest is if she befriends the gang of skater girls from her school. Adela starts navigating between the two different cultures, where she finds herself caught between two very different models of femininity.