Blerta Ismaili is an actress and performance artist working between Prishtina and London. She began her artistic journey at a young age, joining a local artists’ collective at 12, where she co-created video works that sparked her interest in acting and performance. During her teens, she studied piano and regularly performed on stage, building an early foundation in live performance.

She is best known for her role in Hive, directed by Blerta Basholli, which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize, Audience Award, and Directing Award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The film was also Kosovo’s submission for the 94th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.

Her film work also includes Fjala e dhënë (Given Word) by Ujkan Hysaj, Anestezioni (Anesthesia) by Noar Sahiti, Unwanted by Edon Rizvanolli, and DRITA by Daniel Kruglikov. Alongside her screen work, she has also been involved in performance art, including collaborations with artist Astrit Ismaili on the piece LYNX.