Directed by Jakov Sedlar
Documentary
Kosovo Croatia USA | 2020 | 68 min
In English
Preliminary estimates indicate that the first wave of Jews who settled in Albania were survivors of a shipwreck containing Jewish slaves on their way to Rome as early as 70 CE. Based on original documents and eyewitnesses, HUG OF DESTINY is an illuminating documentary about the history of Jewish people in Albania and Kosovo, including the largely unknown story of Jewish lives saved by Muslims during the Holocaust. Special appearances are made by Edi Rama (Albania’s Prime Minister), Kadri Veseli (President of Kosovo’s Parliament), and Benjamin Netanyahu (Israel’s Prime Minister).
Q&A w/ Director
Jakov Sedlar
Jakov Sedlar is a Croatian film director and producer. Sedlar was born in Split, Croatia, Yugoslavia in 1952. In 1972, he moved to Zagreb, where he studied Yugoslav languages, literature, and philosophy at the University of Zagreb. After his graduation in 1977, he enrolled in the Academy of Dramatic Arts and studied theater and film directing, graduating in 1981. He has directed numerous films and theater plays over the years in Europe, the United States, Canada, South America, Australia, and New Zealand.