Hive (2021)
92%RT Audience Score: 83%
Awards & Nominations: 19 wins & 11 nominations
Anchored by Yllka Gashi’s outstanding performance, Hive leads viewers on one woman’s fact-based quest for self-determination in a patriarchal society.
Hive is a movie that will make you laugh, cry, and feel all the emotions in between. It’s a story about women who come together to fight for their rights and independence, all while cooking up some delicious food. The performances are outstanding, especially Yllka Gashi as Fahrije, who brings a quiet strength to her role. Blerta Basholli’s direction is precise and every shot counts, making for a richly intelligent drama. Hive is a feel-good movie that’s well-earned, and it’s a must-watch for anyone who loves a good underdog story.
Production Company(ies)
2.4.7. Films, France 3 Cinéma The Kennedy Marshall Company,
Distributor
Zeitgeist Films
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2021
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.66 : 1
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Runtime:1h 24m
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Language(s):Albanian
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Country of origin:Albania, Kosovo, Switzerland
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 5, 2021 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 1, 2022
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
Hive, drama, Albanian, Blerta Basholli, directed by Blerta Basholli, written by Blerta Basholli, Yllka Gashi, Fahrije, Çun Lajçi, Haxhi, Aurita Agushi, Zamira, Kumrije Hoxha, Nazmije, Adriana Matoshi, Lume, Molikë Maxhuni, Emine, Valon Bajgora, Agon Uka, Yll Uka, produced by Valon Bajgora, Agon Uka, Yll Uka, Zeitgeist Films, box office gross $13.8K, MPAA rating, drama, women empowerment, Kosovo war, widows, local food product, patriarchal society, self-determination, financial future, feud, Eastern Europe, civil unrest, misogyny, loss, freedom, critic reviews, reviewed by Simran Hans, Tara Brady, Jake Cunningham, Peter Bradshaw, Philip De Semlyen, Fatima Sheriff, Sarah Ward, Ema Sasic, Elsa Fernández-Santos, Loren King, Louie Fecou, Rich Cline, produced by, directed by, written by, starring
Worldwide gross: $64,301
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $69,934
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,060
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 7,626
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Çun Lajçi – Haxhi
Aurita Agushi – Zamira
Kumrije Hoxha – Nazmije
Adriana Matoshi – Lume
Molikë Maxhuni – Emine
Blerta Basholli – Director, Writer
Valon Bajgora – Producer
Agon Uka – Producer
Yll Uka – Producer
Director(s)
Blerta Basholli
Writer(s)
Blerta Basholli
Producer(s)
Valon Bajgora, Agon Uka, Yll Uka
Film Festivals
Sundance
Awards & Nominations
19 wins & 11 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (73) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (73)
Basholli understands that healing is possible, even if closure isn’t.
March 19, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Simran Hans
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The feel-good finale is well-earned and the glimpse of the women on whom the film is based is, for once, not merely a watermark of authenticity, but a genuinely moving vista.
March 18, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Tara Brady
Irish Times
TOP CRITIC
Hive cooks up a beautifully delicate rally for independence and justice, brought out through precise processes of the communal culinary experience.
March 18, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Jake Cunningham
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
This is a richly intelligent drama, in which every word and every shot counts.
March 16, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Hive is never quite a feelgood film, but there is a tangible sense of joy as Fahrije begins to lead her fellow widows to a place of healing and the promise of better times ahead.
March 11, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Philip De Semlyen
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
A succinct drama with limited scope, but respectful of its subjects’ intimacies.
March 10, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
Fatima Sheriff
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
A powerhouse of a true tale that’s brought to the screen with a devastatingly potent lead performance, Hive is simply unshakeable.
June 25, 2022
Sarah Ward
Concrete Playground
Films from the Balkans often connect back to the war in the 1990s … While Basholli honors that past in her film, the focus on women in an area where misogyny still lingers takes the film in a whole new emotional direction.
June 21, 2022 | Rating: 7/10
Ema Sasic
Next Best Picture
Blerta Basholli successfully depicts, with clear and simple language, the hostility that surrounds her: that exclusive place where women are not allowed to enter. [Full review in Spanish]
June 14, 2022
Elsa Fernández-Santos
El Pais (Spain)
The film is anchored by Gashi’s quietly commanding performance as a resilient woman who wants only to survive with dignity which, in the end, honors her husband more than suffering in silence.
May 31, 2022
Loren King
Newport This Week (RI)
This is basically an underdog story, and Basholli handles the job expertly, making sure we are on board with Fahrije, and never allowing us to forget the backstory that motivates the characters.
April 4, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Louie Fecou
Ready Steady Cut
Basholli maintains a superbly understated approach, allowing big feelings to gurgle strongly under the surface. She captures the textures of this culture beautifully, finding powerfully warm expressions of humanity in between the darker ones.
March 24, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall…
Plot
Hive is a drama based on the true story of Fahrije, who leads a group of widows in her patriarchal village to launch a business selling a local food product, but their will to begin living independently is met with hostility from the men in the village.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Yllka Gashi’s performance in Hive is described as “outstanding” by critics.
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