Tribeca 2026: Skateboarding is Not for Girls Review

This will be one of several reviews from this year’s Tribeca film Festival. To follow our coverage, click here.

In 2021, North Macedonian director Dina Duma presented ‘Sisterhood,’ a film about two swimmers who suddenly clash in their relationship. It premiered at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic, and it was the country’s selection for their International Feature Film submission at that year’s Oscars. Five years later, she returns with Skateboarding is Not for Girls at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival. The story centers on three women; their family faces a financial crisis when the father moves to Switzerland to work. Adela (Abaz) is the youngest one who loves skateboarding throughout her community. Suddenly, she understands the financial problem with her mother, Esma (Selimovič), who decides to marry the eldest daughter, Zara (Jašari), to solve the monetary issues.

Firstly, Duma introduces this community, a religious, old-fashioned environment where girls ought to obey traditions and the social hierarchy. In a sense, their family is not well received by said community: one consisting of a mother and her daughters, rather than the traditional nuclear household. She exposes a religious community that punishes the single mother, which is the role Esma performs after her husband’s departure to Switzerland. Consequently, the tension rises over the death of an uncle, which makes the aunt suggest marriage as a solution for their financial issues.

Adela’s fascination with skateboarding is an aspect of her personality that feels shallow because of its narrative importance. The general consensus is that girls do not skateboard, and her presence at ceremonies, such as the funeral with the skateboard, illustrates the shameful imagery of that to her mother. Yet, her drama feels diminished compared to the change of Zara, who must marry to save the household. It is a burden that involves the shame of her not being a virgin, which would annul the marriage, and the hidden boyfriend the older sister has. It all combines to a complicated solution that abides by the morality still occurring in many civilizations, while different societies expect freedom of choice for women.

In this sense, Skateboarding is Not for Girls invests more time in the social change within the family’s community than the adventures of the central character. Factually, the dilemma of the subversion of the skateboarding practice is more an idea from the title than a reality in the universe of the film. It is one that thrives on the discussion of the problems of marriage as a form of solving financial troubles, which is not morally correct for most societies, but it is in that one. It is a film that the director stretches into a discussion of her reality, a possibility that might happen to the girls in her community. Even if the prohibition of skateboarding is merely in the film, that hobby might vanish with the possibility of an arranged marriage. It all shifts suddenly.

Anchored by the strong performance by Simonida Selimovič, Skateboarding is Not for Girls is a compelling drama about the reality of female youth in North Macedonia. As a sports film, it might not be the brightest, but as a familiar drama, it is as effective as ‘Sisterhood.’

still courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival

If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook.

Pedro Lima

Brazilian film writer. He is also a producer and executive producer for Zariah Filmes. Member of the International Film Society Critics Association (IFSCA), International Documentary Association (IDA), and Gotham and Media Film Institute.