Palace of Youth portrays post-war youth striving to be heard beyond the lingering reverberations of conflict, as they grapple with isolation in a half-recognised nation. Director Maddie Gwinn envisioned a look that balanced nostalgia with the vibrant energy of the young musicians portrayed. She described her impressions of Kosovo as feeling like a postcard, bright with memory and sentiment, yet marked by the quiet mundanity of daily life.

We leaned into this tension by using magenta-pink tones to evoke the aesthetic of an old Polaroid, layered with deep greens, blues, and golden yellows to reflect the atmosphere she recalled so vividly. Texture played a central role in shaping a sense of density and visual depth, giving the images a thick, almost tactile quality. As the protagonists play music, the colors gradually shift, becoming more vivid and expressive, reflecting the bursts of joy and self-expression that emerge despite the stagnation of their surroundings.