Dina Duma’s ‘Skateboarding Is Not for Girls’ Is About Much More Than Just Skateboarding
Macedonian filmmaker Dina Duma's feature centres on a young girl in Skopje who enters a skateboarding competition hoping to win prize money capable of saving her older sister from forced marriage. The director's project reached fruition following a development grant at the 2022 Sarajevo Film Festival and recently completed its debut circuit with a world premiere at Tribeca before returning to the Sarajevo festival's feature selection.
Beyond its skateboarding narrative, the film examines gender inequality and the systemic constraints patriarchal structures place on female agency within Balkan communities. Duma positions skateboarding arenas as rare spaces where her protagonist experiences genuine autonomy, whilst the broader narrative addresses child marriage as a documented regional issue and explores themes of liberation and self-determination that the director anticipates will resonate strongly with audiences familiar with these social dynamics.
- Macedonian director Dina Duma's feature follows an 11-year-old girl entering a skateboarding competition to raise money preventing her sister's forced marriage
- The film addresses patriarchal constraints and female autonomy in the Balkans, using skateboarding spaces as metaphor for freedom and independence
- Project evolved from 2022 script award at Sarajevo Festival through Tribeca premiere to feature competition return in 2026