Oscar Contender ‘Shame and Money’ Acquired in North America by Oscilloscope (EXCLUSIVE)
Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired North American rights to Visar Morina’s “Shame and Money”, a family drama set in rural Kosovo. The deal matters because the film’s Grand Jury Prize at Sundance makes it eligible to compete for the international feature film Oscar under new Academy rules.
Starring Astrit Kabashi and Flonja Kodheli, the film follows a couple in their 40s who lose their farm livelihood after a family dispute and move to Pristina to find work and accommodation. Oscilloscope plans a North American theatrical release in early 2027; the film has also won awards at FilmFest Munich and Kosovo’s Prifest and ODA festivals, and has secured distribution deals in several other countries.
In short
- Oscilloscope acquired North American rights to “Shame and Money”.
- Its Sundance prize makes it eligible for Oscar consideration.
- A North American theatrical release is planned for early 2027.
Explained simply
Kosovo is a small country in south-eastern Europe, where many people live outside the capital, Pristina. The film follows a couple in their 40s whose family dispute costs them their farm livelihood, prompting them to seek work and somewhere to live in the city.
Visar Morina is the film’s director, and actors Astrit Kabashi and Flonja Kodheli play the couple. The story centres on how losing a source of income can reshape family life and force people to move.
The Sundance Film Festival is a major film festival in the United States, and its Grand Jury Prize is one of its awards. Under new Academy rules, that award makes the film eligible to compete for the international feature film Oscar; eligibility does not guarantee a nomination.