At the closing ceremony of the 46th edition of the Manaki Brothers International Film Festival, Wally Pfister was presented with the Special Golden Camera 300 Award for his Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema. The award was presented by the Festival Director Dimitrija Doksevski, who said that it was with great joy that he presented the award to a human being with a heart bigger than a mountain.

A genius cinematographer who creates brilliant works and is one of the greatest in the world. A friend of the Manaki Festival, our dear guest and esteemed laureate, Wally Pfister. Phister said it was a great honour to be a recipient of the award.

-We come here like aliens, we come from Hollywood to find this small town of Bitola that I knew nothing about. I came here and saw the magical celebration of the art of cinema and that for me was an incredible experience. From the moment I stepped out of the car I was met with a warm welcome and walked along the main street of the city and its beautiful architecture and I was warmly welcomed by everyone. This is a special place, thank you for everything and I hope to come back again, said Pfister.

The Macedonian Film Professionals’ Association celebrates its 75 th anniversary this year. They present the highest award in cinema art in our country – the Great Star of Macedonian Cinema, the recipient of which this year was Kiril Dzajkovski.

-75 years is an impressive number, so it got me wondering about where we stand 75 years later. This year, we opened the festival with a film by Macedonian authors, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival, we are closing the festival with a film by Macedonian authors, coming from the Sundance Festival where it had its world premiere. We have a third film, which was selected to be an Academy Award candidate.

And the recipient of the Great Star of Macedonian Cinema is Kiril Dzajkovski. Could it get any better?, said Igor Ivanov, president of the MFPA and added that the MFPA whole-heartedly commends the efforts to improve the situation of film professionals and all the announcements of good times that are yet to come.

Dzajkovski thanked the MFPA for the honour, especially, as he said, because it was coming from fellow filmmakers.

-As a musician and as an author, I have always found film scores fascinating and I have always wondered in what ways they can improve the film, heighten the emotions… I was lucky enough to work with exceptional authors who, with their achievements, put Macedonia on the world cinema map. I am proud to have been a part of the creative teams behind the films of Milcho Manchevski, Aleksandar Popovski, Ivo Trajkov, Darko Mitrevski and others, but I am also happy about the successes of the younger generation of new filmmakers such as Tamara Kotevska and Gjorgji Unkovski who take
the successful Macedonian film story further and are a case in point that Macedonia has filmmakers of global acclaim, said Dzajkovski.

-The “Manaki Brothers” Festival is not just a place to screen movies, it is a laboratory of light and shadow, a place where cinema does not sell illusions, but creates true alchemy, mixing equal parts of reality and dream, risk and vision. Here the camera is more than a tool, it stops time that breathes colour into the moment that narrates our history, but also our future. This is why the “Manaki Brothers” is more than a festival, it is proof that Macedonia is not on the margins, but a beat that the world has to hear, said the Minister of Culture Zoran Ljutkov and emphasized that he pledges to provide ongoing support, so as not to turn cinema into an “extra” in Macedonia, but a main character in Macedonia’s culture.

The decision about the recipients of the Golden 300, Silver 300 and Bronze Camera 300 was made by the Jury consisting of: Denis Lenoir, cinematographer and President of the Jury, Astrid Heubrandtner, a cinematographer, Valerio Caruso, director of the “Cineuropa” website, Asja Krsmanović, a Bosnian screenwriter, playwright and renowned festival programmer and Mitko Panov, a film director.

The Golden Camera 300 went to David Chambille for the film “New Wave”, for the not only beautifully but also convincingly filmed story and because the camera conveyed the energy and spirit of freedom of the legendary French New Wave.

“I’m happy to be given this award because it comes from a wonderful festival and from cinematographers,” said Chambille, pointing out that patience and energy are the most important.

“You have to believe in yourself and your vision,” said Chambille.

The Silver Camera 300 was presented to Olympia Mytilinaiou, cinematographer of the film “A Quiet Life”.” Mytilinaiou became very emotional when receiving the award, saying she was speechless and thanking the festival jury, the film director, and her parents.

The Bronze Camera 300 was awarded to the Spanish cinematographer Mauro Herce for the film “Sirat”.
Herce thanked the festival for the opportunity and the jury for the good taste in a video message and he promised that he would come to Bitola soon.

The Documentary Jury, consisting of Lara Vilanova, Karla Crnčević and Robert Jankuloski, decided to present the award to Luca Coassin for the film “L’Mina”.

“First of all, I would like to thank my entire team. We are nothing without our teams. I would also like to thank the members of the jury and the director for their trust,” said Coassin, and he urged young cinematographers to work with passion.

The films in the Short Film Competition were decided by the jury consisting of: Tudor Panduru, Marko Brdar and Marija Dzidzeva and awarded the Small Camera 300 to Michael Kong for the film “When the Geese Flew”.

The same-member Jury also made the decision about the awards in the Student Program and presented the Crystal Camera Award to Lisa Jilg for the film “The Swimsuit”, whereas the special mention went to the cinematographer Leon Hortrich for
the film “The Unicorn in Snow Pants Suddenly Ran Off”.

-We have reached the end of another edition, the 46 th in a row, of the ICFF “Manaki Brothers”. A festival that has represented cinema art in our country and in the region for more than four decades and which has proudly engraved Bitola’s name on the world film map. Over the seven festival days our city lived in a film, pulsated to the rhythm of the seventh art, Bitola hosted top notch cinematographers, directors, actors, filmmakers from all over the world. On our stages, in our cinemas and on our streets, ideas were exchanged, new friendships were born and future collaborations were created. That is
the essence of the “Manaki Brothers”. To unite, inspire and encourage creativity through the power of image, light and story. This festival is not just a cultural event, it is a tradition, an identity and a commitment. A tradition that rests on the visionary spirit of Janaki and Milton Manaki, the pioneers of the Balkan cinematography.

The festival is an identity that justifies Bitola’s image as a city of culture, art and cinema. It is our obligation to nurture and advance what they started in order to narrate an even more beautiful and richer cinema story to the future generations. The growth of the “Manaki Brothers” Festival is more than evident, but it must continue to develop and be a bridge between generations, cultures and arts. Every year this festival becomes an increasingly important part of the European and global cultural calendar, which is a credit to all the organizers, supporters, artists and the audiences attending, said Mayor Toni Konjanovski, who thanked the organizers of the festival, the Ministry of Culture and all the institutions that made this edition welcoming and beautiful with their support, and reaffirmed that the Municipality of Bitola will continue to support the festival like a good host that is well-aware of the festival’s value as a promoter of the city of Bitola.

Bitola was the city that was dreaming in lights and shadows on the silver screen overthese seven days. The festival director Dimitrija Doksevski thanked everyone who helped make the festival happen and backed him and his ideas, with the words: Long live the “Manaki Brothers!”

The 46th edition of the ICFF “Manaki Brothers” closed with the premiere of the Macedonian film “DJ Ahmet” directed by Gjorgji Unkovski, cinematography by Naum Doksevski.