English – Manaki Brothers

Kiril Dzajkovski announced as recipient of this year’s “Great Star of Macedonian Cinema” Award presented by MFPA

Kiril Džajkovski is the recipient of this year’s “Great Star of Macedonian Cinema” Award as a testament to his outstanding contribution to Macedonian cinema, music and culture, the president of the Macedonian Film Professionals’ Association, Igor Ivanov – Izi announced earlier today. Ivanov also emphasized that finding a laureate for this award had been no easy feat, because the criteria are very high and rightfully so, and there is no room for blunders.

– Džajkovski is a film score composer, but above all a Skopje celebrity, an opinion-maker in the cultural scene and a figure behind the cultural profile of our city and our country. He started out as a member of the “Bastion” band, then he featured in the “Kao kakao” album by “Leb i sol” taking this Skopje band an exceptional step forward, he proceeded to work on theatre plays and film scores, not to mention his DJ career and solo projects. Synonymous with the contemporary Macedonian sound, Džajkovski is one of the most significant composers and producers, famous for his fusion of traditional Balkan motifs with contemporary electronic beats. His music is an integral part of the biggest Macedonian blockbusters, including “Bal-Can-Can” and the “Third Half” by Darko Mitrevski, “Dust”, “Willow” and “Shadows” by Milcho Manchevski, “The Great Water” and “Piargi” by Ivo Trajkov (“The Great Water” earned him the award for Best Music Score at the Valencia Film Festival), as well as the “Balkan Is Not Dead” by Aleksandar Popovski, said Ivanov.

By presenting him with this award, the Macedonian film guild pays its tribute and celebrates the unique artistic vision of Kiril Džajkovski, who has enhanced Macedonia’s cinematic and cultural memory with his music.

Previous winners of the MFPA Аward are Kiril Cenevski, film director and screenwriter (2013); Milcho Manchevski, film director and screenwriter (2014); Darko Markovic, cartoonist, satirist, film director (2015); Simon Perry, film producer (2016); “Vardar Film”, production company (2017); Milica Stojanova, actress (2018); Ljupco Konstantinov, composer (2019); Stole Popov, film director and screenwriter (2020), Severdzhan Bajram, actor (2021), Gorjan Tozija, film producer (2022), Labina Mitevska, actress and producer (2023) and Dimitar Grbevski, film and television editor (2024).

Kiril Džajkovski’s award will be presented at the closing ceremony of the 46th edition of the ICFF “Manaki Brothers”. The “Great Star of Macedonian Cinema” statuette is traditionally made by the “Božinovski” Company.

Semih Kaplanoğlu - recipient of the Special Camera 300 for Outstanding Contribution to World Cinematic Art

The winner of the “Golden Bear” at the Berlin Film Festival, Semih Kaplanoğlu, is this year’s laureate of the Special Camera 300 for Outstanding Contribution to World Cinematic Art.

Kaplanoğlu is one of the most successful and influential directors in Turkish cinema, having received 28 international awards and 10 nominations worldwide. He made his debut in 2001 with “Away from Home”, which earned him the Best Director Award at the Singapore Film Festival. In 2005, his second feature film, “Angel’s Fall”, had its world premiere at the Berlinale Forum and won the Best Film Award in Nantes, while his third feature film “Egg”, which premiered in 2007 at the Cannes Film Festival, won 30 awards. “Egg” was the first part of the “Yusuf Trilogy” that made Semih Kaplanoğlu into a world famous director. In 2008, the film “Milk” premiered in the Official Competition at the Venice Film Festival and proceeded to be screened at a number of other festivals around the world bringing him several international awards, including the FIPRESCI Prize at the Istanbul Film Festival.

For “Honey”, the third part of the “Yusuf Trilogy”, he received the “Golden Bear” at the 60 th edition of the Berlin Film Festival.
His films are characterized by metaphysical themes and a recognizable authorship in cinema art.

-Before I started making films, I was dedicated to poetry, and it was poetry that trained me. As you know, in poetry a lot needs to be said in very few words. This is the very the nature of the discipline, and this is the reason it also influenced my perception, or my actions, Kaplanoğlu said in an interview in 2017, during his visit to Skopje.

He believes that “real time should be adjusted to cinematic time”.

“I want to convey the feeling of real time in cinema, because in everyday life we very rarely feel real time,” the author said in the same interview.

He has sat on the juries at the Cannes Film Festival, the European Film Academy, and the Asia-Pacific Screen Academy. In addition to cinema as his main preoccupation, Semih Kaplanoğlu was also writing articles between 1987 and 2003 that were published in periodicals dedicated to the arts, while between 1996 and 2000 he had a column in the daily newspaper “Radikal”.

He chose the 2017 film “Grain” to be screened in his honour at this year’s edition of the ICFF “Manaki Brothers”. The 35mm black-and-white film is a co-production between Turkey, Germany, France, Sweden and Qatar, with Jean-Marc Barr, Hermine Bravo, Grigoriy Dobrygin and Cristina Flutur, and was made over the course of five years. “Grain” won the Best Film Award at the 30 th Tokyo Film Festival.

In 2018, he began working on the “Commitment Trilogy”. 2019’s “Commitment Hasan” was nominated for an Oscar in Turkey, being the director’s first digital film. In 2020, he finished filming “Commitment Hasan” just before the outburst of the COVID pandemic, and is currently working on the final instalment of the trilogy, “Commitment Fikret,” which is an adaptation of the novel “A Mind at Peace” by the renowned Turkish author Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar.

Learning from the Best: Meet the Mentors of the `Her Frame` Project

Her Frame is a regional project that empowers young female artists and directors from the Western Balkans through knowledge, support, and inspiration from top experts in the film industry. Through a series of carefully designed workshops, participants of the Her Frame project will have the opportunity to learn from acclaimed mentors and take their first steps towards a career in media arts and the film industry. The open call targets young female artists and directors, more about the application process can be found following the link.

The mentoring program brings together prominent women from the region: Sanja Poštić, award-winning digital designer and winner of the UX GATE Grand Prize in South Korea; Dina Duma, award-winning director of the first Macedonian film available on Netflix; Bojana Andrić, vice president of SAS and IMAGO (International Federation of Cinematographers); and Dragana Tešić, former long-time regional director of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Each of them brings unique experience and knowledge, offering participants practical skills and insights into the real challenges of the industry.

Meet the Mentors

Dina Duma is an award-winning film director from North Macedonia, based in Skopje. Her debut feature Sisterhood premiered at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2021, where it won the Special Jury Prize. The film represented North Macedonia at the 2022 Oscars and became the first Macedonian film available on Netflix. Duma is currently working on her second feature Skateboarding Is Not for Girls, developed as part of the Cannes Residence Program. In May 2025, she became a member of the European Film Academy.

Bojana Andrić is an acclaimed cinematographer, specializing in both fiction and documentary
films as well as TV series. She made her debut on the big screen with Mali Budo, and her
portfolio includes films such as Jesen samuraja, Reži, Trag divljači, and Sunce mamino. She is
currently working on several projects in post-production, including Follow Me, Izlet, and
Sportsko srce, with the film Pepeo u boji in preparation.
In television production, she has worked as a cinematographer on series such as Andrija i
Anđelka, Ubice mog oca, and U klinču. Her work on the documentary series Bolji smo zajedno
earned her an award for best cinematography, and her films Slem and Sanjalice are particularly
notable. Bojana is the vice president of the Serbian Association of Cinematographers (SAS), a member of the Board, and co-vice president of the international federation of cinematographers IMAGO, where she leads the Gender Equality Committee and participates in the Technical Committee.

Sanja Poštić is a Master of Digital Design and Interface Design, with over 15 years of
experience in writing scripts for short animations and film production. Her extensive experience
includes 2D/3D/whiteboard animation, UX design, visual content mapping, and 3D pre-
visualization.

She won the top award at UX GATE 2009 in South Korea, and throughout her career, she has lived and worked in Serbia, South Korea, South Africa, Thailand, and China. Her works have been exhibited in South Korea, South Africa, Japan, and Serbia, establishing her as a
recognized expert in global creative industries.

Dragana Tešić is an expert with extensive experience in culture, the arts, film production and
distribution, as well as strategic communication in marketing and media. She graduated from
the Academy of Arts in Belgrade, specializing in Management in Culture and the Arts.
Her career began at the National Theater in Belgrade, where she worked as an organizer on numerous performances, co-productions, and festivals. She later shifted her focus to the film
industry, playing key roles in PR, marketing, production, and distribution of domestic and international films. Some of her most well-known projects include the films Zona Zamfirova,
Pljačka Trećeg Rajha, Slotera Nika za predsednika, and Nebeska tema – Vlada Divljan.
For ten years, she was the executive director of the regional distribution company Con Film,
leading the representation of Sony Pictures Entertainment for the Balkan region, in collaboration
with Cineplexx cinemas. She actively collaborates with domestic and international festivals,
embassies, and companies, contributing to the promotion of the film industry as a significant
segment of cultural heritage. She also worked in the first democratic Government of the
Republic of Serbia in the cabinet of Prime Minister Dr. Zoran Đinđić. She is a member of the
Creative Industries Group/Film Committee at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and a
member of the commissions at the Film Center Serbia.

The Her Frame project is implemented by the UNESCO Creative Cities of Novi Sad and Bitola, with the aim of inspiring a new generation of women in creative industries and contributing to gender equality in the Western Balkans.

The project is supported by the British Council within the “Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans” (CC4WBs) initiative, funded by the European Union. The programme aims to foster regional dialogue by strengthening the cultural and creative sectors for greater socio-economic impact.

The project is jointly implemented by the Novi Sad Film festival, organized by the Cultural Center of Novi Sad, and Manaki Brothers Film festival.

ICFF “Manaki Brothers” and the MCF distribution company organize two special screenings of the Oscar-winning “Flow”

The ICFF “Manaki Brothers” in cooperation with the MCF distribution company organize two special screenings of “Flow” – this year’s Academy Award winner for best animated feature, within the framework of the project activities of the Adriatic Festival Network.

The audience will have the chance to see the Oscar-winner at 6 pm on Thursday (29.05.2025) at the Manaki Cinema in Bitola and at 6 pm on Saturday (31.05.2025) at the Cinematheque of Macedonia in Skopje.

The film had two academy-award nominations (for Best International Feature and Best Animation), and won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, followed by the European Film Academy Award and the Golden Globe.

The award-winning streak continued with the Adriatic Festival Network, where Flow, directed by Gints Zilbalodis, won the Adriatic Audience Award for Best Film. It was voted winner by the viewers from all the member festivals of the network: the Sarajevo Film Festival (Bosnia and Herzegovina), the Herceg Novi Film Festival (Montenegro), the Ljubljana International Film Festival (Slovenia), the Auteur Film Festival (Belgrade, Serbia), the Zagreb Film Festival (Croatia) and Brakja Manaki (North Macedonia), which was a testament to its broad acclaim and influence in the region, while the award itself was formally presented at the 30th edition of the Belgrade Auteur Film Festival.

The world seems to be coming to an end, teeming with the vestiges of a human presence. Cat is a solitary animal, but as his home is devastated by a great flood, he finds refuge on a boat populated by various species, and will have to team up with them despite their differences. In the lonesome boat sailing through mystical overflowed landscapes, they navigate the challenges and dangers of adapting to this new world. This animation was entirely rendered in the free (open-source) software Blender and does not contain any dialogue.

The Adriatic Festival Network is an initiative that brings together leading film festivals from the region and focuses on promoting and showcasing high quality cinema to broader audiences. The network is supported by the MEDIA sub-programme of the Creative Europe Programme.

Spring edition of Ecoscope - Network of Festivals in the adriatic Region: Art is a powerful medium to raise environmental awareness

With a screening of the film TerraForma, the Spring Edition of Ecoscope – Network of Festivals in the Adriatic Region – was held at the Cinematheque of Macedonia as a joint project of the leading regional film festivals (Sarajevo Film Festival, Belgrade Auteur Film Festival, Ljubljana International Film Festival, Zagreb Film Festival, Herceg-Novi Film Festival and ICFF “Manaki Brothers”).

– We did not choose the 22 nd of April for this screening by accident, we chose it because today is Earth Day and we wanted to commemorate the day accordingly, said the Director of the ICFF “Manaki Brothers”, Dimitrija Doksevski, who addressed
the audience before the screening and invited them to stay for the panel discussion held after the film with the environmental expert Hannes Jaeckl and the coordinator of the river protection program at “Eco-awareness” Gjorgji Mitrevski.

It was a full house at the Cinematheque and the audience had the chance to see “TerraForma” which tells the story of the remote volcanic island of Ascension, which had been mostly barren for millions of years until it was radically transformed into a tropical paradise through the process of “terraforming”. It is a story about what this transformation could mean for our planet in a future where human-engineered, terraformed landscapes could become commonplace, redefining our understanding of “nature” itself. There’s much more than meets the eye on this island… The new environment, seemingly a paradise, is actually a mirage – an image mirroring their ambition, their empire and their understanding of the world…

Filmmaking duo Kevin Brennan and Laurence Durkin are friends and long standing collaborators. Kevin is an artist and filmmaker from Ireland, while Laurence is a documentary filmmaker from London. In their work, they explore the themes of
identity, landscape, and the human relationships with the natural world.

The screening was followed by a panel discussion with Hannes Jaeckl and Gjorgji Mitrevski as guests.

Hannes Jaeckl is the CEO and co-founder of “Man and Mountain”, a Skopje-based company, which develops projects for environmental awareness – WEEKEND (CLEANING) MAKEOVER – SONCHEVA GORA, green cities, development of National
Parks and natural sites, green economy, organic agriculture, rural development – economic, cultural and social development, tourism, green energy…

– We started with 10 municipalities and 1,000 volunteers, but in five years “Weekend Makeover” has grown into a huge action that now involves 81 municipalities and 45,000 volunteers, said Hannes Jaeckl.

He emphasized that he believes that Macedonia can be free of litter by 2031, and that he was happy that this was not only his own wishful thinking, but a guiding though that all the participants in the cleaning actions shared. He said that the
following action was going to be organized to clean the Skopje Aqueduct on the 9 th May and urged the volunteers to join in large numbers.

“I believe it is our obligation to clean this country up, because this is the place where we live and it is full of talented, creative and kind people, so if we genuinely want to, we can solve all of our problems since this is quite a small country”, Jaeckl said.

He has heard the numerous stories of the people joining him in the cleaning actions, and he is under the impression that they no longer recognize their country.

-This is primarily because in the film we saw the reality that those people were trying to recreate, that they found to be fitting. Right now the people in Macedonia don’t recognize their own country. 20 years ago there wasn’t so much waste, there was no air pollution, but this process of terraforming does not only apply to the environment, it also applies to society. I believe that cinema and the art scene, including this project by the ICFF “Manaki Brothers” are extremely important, because art can have tremendous impact, which is the reason why I want us to do everything in our power to make Macedonia a country where we all want to live, said Jaeckl.

Gjorgji Mitrevski is the coordinator of the river protection program at Eco-awareness. As a producer, he engages in collaboration with independent cultural collectives and artists, creating films, theatre performances, exhibitions and installations in order to spread the environmental message and garner broader public support. In his work, he promotes the principles of citizen science and works on developing tools and methodologies that enable active citizen engagement in river monitoring. With this interdisciplinary approach, he brings science, art and community together in a joint commitment toward nature protection and wildlife conservation.

– I believe that the collaboration with artists and cultural centres is the best thing. It is related to tonight’s topic, but also to the film we just watched, simply because this is how we communicate the messages, the ideas we want to spread, said Mitrevski.

He pointed out that five years ago they decided to communicate directly with independent cultural centres, festivals, artists, etc. in order to raise awareness about nature and environment protection.

“Art, or culture in a broader sense is perhaps the most powerful medium to promote the ideas related to raising environmental awareness”, said Mitrevski, who as a producer actively collaborates with independent cultural collectives and artists, by making films, theatre plays, exhibitions and installations in order to spread the environmental message and garner broader public support.

He promotes the principles of citizen science in his work by developing tools and methodologies that enable active citizen engagement in river monitoring. Through this interdisciplinary approach, he brings science, art, and community together in a shared commitment towards nature protection and wildlife conservation.– What left the biggest impression on me while we were watching the film was one of the speakers who said that nature is a social construct and that we constantly reconstruct the notion of nature in public communications. That is to a large

extent true. For example, when we talk about rivers in Switzerland, more than 3,600 small hydroelectric power plants have been built there and there is not a single free-flowing river and not a single natural native system. In contrast,
several countries in the Balkans – Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and part of Kosovo are the only places on the European continent which have rivers that are free-flowing from their source to their estuary, completely pristine…, said Mitrevski, pointing out that Macedonia is perhaps the last stronghold of pristine river ecosystems on the European continent and that preserving this status is what they are fighting for.

For those who were unable to attend the free screening at the Cinematheque, over the next week the film will be available online at the on-demand platform: https://ondemand.kinomeetingpoint.ba/.

Open call: HER FRAME –regional program for empowering women in film

What is HER FRAME project?
The Her Frame project is an initiative that aims to address gender inequalities in the media arts and film sector in the Western Balkans, with a special focus on Serbia and North Macedonia, specifically the two UNESCO Creative Cities Novi Sad (media art) and Bitola (film). The project is designed as a comprehensive program that will empower young talented women to pursue careers in the creative industries and advocate for gender mainstreaming in media arts and filmmaking.

Gender inequalities have been identified at all levels of the audiovisual industry, whether it’s wages, barriers to personal advancement, (sexual) harassment, lack of content written by women or something else. One of the biggest obstacles to gender equality in the audiovisual sector is the lack of women in decision-making positions. In the creative industry, women are often underrepresented or treated and promoted in ways that are contrary to respect and dignity. The media arts and film industries in the Western Balkans face significant gender gaps, which limit women’s participation and advancement. Despite the region’s rich cultural history and talent, women in these fields face systemic barriers, including gender bias, lack of access to funding and mentorship, and limited representation in leadership roles. These issues hinder the development of a dynamic, inclusive and equitable creative industry.

This program is intended for new and young female artists, filmmakers who want to improve their knowledge and skills, with the support of eminent experts from the world of film, through online workshops and an intensive mentoring program.

The Her Frame project is supported by the British Council as a part of the “Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans” (CC4WBs) project, which is funded by the European Union and aims to foster dialogue in the Western Balkans by enhancing the cultural and creative sectors for increased socio-economic impact. Novi Sad Film Festival and the Manaki Brothers Film Festival are jointly implementing Her Frame project

Who can apply?
We are looking for interested women from the Western Balkans preferably aged 18 – 35 who are in their early career stages, as well as students and women who have recently graduated from faculties preferably in the field of film. It is desirable that the participants have a film project in preparation. It is possible to apply also with a completely new project.

Criteria for selection

How to apply?

The aplication deadline has been extended until 20 june 2025. To apply, please fill out the application form available here. Only selected participants will be contacted via email.

Sign-up Link

What do the participants get?
5 online workshops – from 20/08/2025 to 15/09/2025

4 online workshops with experts from the world of film on the following topics:
- Screenwriting for animated movie – Sanja Poštić (Serbia)
- Directing – Dina Duma (MKD)
- Cinematography – Bojana Andrić (SRB, USA)
- Distribution – Dragana Tešić (Serbia)
1 joint online workshop with all mentors to prepare the project for pitch and define all the obstacles that women face in the world of cinema
- Each workshop lasts for 2 hours
2 conferences 19.9.2025. (Novi Sad) & date to be announced (Bitola)
- Access to a major conference on the position of women in the world of film during the Novi Sad Film Festival (SRB) and Manaki brothers film festival (NDR Macedonia)
3 masterclass programs – 17.09.2025 – 30.09.2025.
- 1st Masterclass program – During this masterclass, all participants present their projects in duration of 5-7 minutes (so-called pitching)
- 2nd Masterclass program – During this Masterclass, the mentors, together with the organizers of the festival, select 4 participants who will enter the mentoring program
- 3rd Masterclass program – During this masterclass, 4 finalists work with 4 mentors on the project and prepare it for the final phase of the showcase
Mentorship program – 1.10.2025 – 5.12.2025.
- Online work 1:1 mentor and participant and preparation of the projects for showcase
Showcase – 10.12.2025.
- Presentation of the most successful projects

Working language of the complete program is: English language

How long does the project last?
With the application phase, projects last 8 months. In December, the last phase is the showcase event in Novi Sad, where the most successful projects will be shown.

Contact information
For any additional information and/or clarification reach out to marketing@nsff.rs

The call is open until 9 June.
More info and application link: nsff.rs and manaki.com.mk

Alice Brooks: I was a mentor to a high school student who became a wonderful cinematographer

Seth Emmons, director of communications at Leitz, moderated the mentoring panel at the Manaki Cinema today, which was attended by cinematographers Fabian Wagner, Agnieszka Szeliga, Alice Brooks and Teresa Medina. Wagner noted that he had mentored young people many times before, for the needs of various organizations.

“I want to be there for them as long as they need me. It`s not just about being a mentor, but also a friend. I mentor beginners with different backgrounds and ambitions. Anyone can apply, whether they have experience or not. The first question I ask the candidate is, what does he want to gain from this, so some say they want to be directors of photography, others to be producers or something else. I work with each individual, so I can focus on each of them“, Wagner said.

Cinematographer Medina said she mentors women cinematographers in Spain. She has built a team with them and she constantly supports them while studying.

„I have to say that sometimes people think that their mentor should get them a job. But as a mentor, I am not obliged to do that. Another important thing is that it is not our obligation to find them, but they should find us if they need us as mentors. We are here for them“, Medina said.

Alice Brooks shared an interesting example, stating that she mentored a 17-year-old high school boy, and his parents knew that he was very creative.

„I talked to the boy, he asked me if I wanted to see his music video. I was shocked by what he had done, it was extraordinary. At that time I was working on small projects and he was coming with me, helping me. Now he`s shooting himself, we shot a lot of commercials this summer, he worked with me. That relationship with that young man is very dear to me, I am proud of him. It is a beautiful story about how a high school student grew into a wonderful cinematographer. That`s why I think mentoring is very important“, Brooks noted.

Cinematographer Agnieszka Szeliga said that in her mentoring, she strives to create a connection with the people she mentors, to be as a family so that they can build success together.

„There is no single formula. We need to understand the needs of different young people. Everyone has different affinities, desires. Our applicants must have at least some filming experience, because they are immediately given duties. It is a program that lasts three weeks, a period in which they build their self-confidence and learn many new things“, Szeliga stressed on the panel.

Kardalevski: The situation with the Macedonian film is probably the most difficult ever

Yoshio Kitagawa, a Japanese cinematographer, whose film „Evil Does Not Exist“ was screened on „Manaki Brothers“ yesterday within the Official Camera 300 selection, spoke at today`s press conference about his experiences with director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, with whom he had already filmed „Happy Hour3.

Kitagawa noted that they had collaborated making short films and that he was happy to have the opportunity to work with him after the great success of the film „Drive My Car“.

“With this film he became very popular in Japan, but also abroad, but for the film „Evil does not exist“ he did not have a very large budget. The composer with whom they collaborated on the film „Drive My Car“ offered to visualize her music at the film festival in Ghent, Ryusuke accepted it, and then I also joined and we began the collaboration”, Kitagawa said.

Takumi and his daughter Hana live in a village near Tokyo. Like their ancestors, they live modest lives that follow the cycles and order of nature. One day, when representatives of a company arrive from Tokyo to present a plan to build a glamorous camp ("glamp") that will offer the residents of the city the opportunity for a luxurious „escape to nature“, it becomes clear that the project will harm the local water supply.

„Actors are not professionals and they perfectly present the idea that not everything is black and white, and that evil sometimes exists and sometimes does not. The film makes the audience thinks about what nature means to us and also makes them come to the cinemas”, Kitagawa said, thanking for the wonderful experience of being part of the „Manaki Brothers“ program.

In the European Lo-Sap program, yesterday the audience could see the film „Run“ by Kazakh cinematographer Azamat Dulatov.

The film depicts Kazakhstan during the Soviet Union, in the 1930s, a time marked by the rapid collectivization of farms by Stalin and by the most brutal famine the modern world has ever seen. Local undertaker Isatai must face a difficult choice.

„Before shooting the film, I had already worked on music videos and commercials with the director and we constantly talked about making a film and this time we decided to do it. We made preparations with the script, the actors, we searched for locations and after we were ready the filming began. Because of the good preparation, the shooting went very smoothly”, Dulatov said at today`s press conference, and stressed that his education helped him a lot in mastering the presentation of the scenes filmed in the steppes, because, as he said, he graduated in fine arts.

Cinematographer Yoshiko Takano, through the camera, told an interesting story with the documentary film „Gama“.

In Okinawa, the place where intense land battles took place towards the end of World War II, there are many natural caves called „GAMA“. Mitsuo Matsunaga collects remnants of the Battle of Okinawa and describes how the civilians who took part in the war took refuge in GAMA.

„We tried to tell the history of GAMA in Okinawa. GAMA caves are not known to many in Japan, but in this way through the film people will learn more about these shelters. We brought visual poetry into the documentary, and the viewer follows the events through the eyes of the girl”, said Takano, who pointed out that they were filming in November which is the most favorable period for filming because it is very warm in that area.

Several films were screened in the short program yesterday. At today`s press conference, the cinematographers Dushan Kardalevski, Kinan Massarani and Peter Kalonji spoke about their experiences from cooperating with the directors.

“On the one hand, it is difficult to work with a director, in my case it is my sister, but on the other hand, it is easier for some things. She is very precise, and when she prepares the film she comes with a book and immediately says what she wants the shooting to look like, so it is simple to work this way”, said Kardalevski, who is the cinematographer of the film „State of Mind“ directed by Aleksandra Kardalevska. The film talks about a chance encounter between a photographer and a mysterious girl, which leads to a night of shared intimacy and connection. But the new day reveals a hidden truth that casts a shadow over their romance.

„This was the first time I shot with a Sony camera, and I used light from nearby outlets. I also bought filters, but due to the high air pollution while we were filming, there was no need to use them“, said Kardalevski, who underlined that they filmed one afternoon and one night.

Answering a journalist`s question, Kardalevski pointed out that the situation in the Macedonian film is perhaps the most difficult than ever, but that they hope that better times will come. Also difficult is the situation with co-productions for both feature-length and short films, but if you have a good project, a good script, it is still possible to realize it.

Kinan Massarani, the cinematographer of the film „Good Boy“, which is actually the first film by director Paul Vincent de Lestrade, said that there was no need to guide Paul as more experienced, because Paul was very sure in himself, had already made a film as a student and there was no need for help.

The film tells the story of Maxim who is sixteen. As a hopeful swimmer, he is on his way to enroll in a sports study program. One afternoon, police interrupted the training to talk to his coach, who has been accused of sexual abuse by one of the club`s young swimmers.

Peter Kalonji, on the other hand knows the director Rebeka Rummel from their school days and had no difficulties in cooperation.

The movie „Drifting Apart“ tells the story of Vera who goes to the Soviet resort to join her astronaut husband, Alexei. But the summer idyll is disturbed by her suspecting her husband, which secretly embitters her soul.

The Powerful Women of „Manaki“: I was raised by a single mother who taught me not to give up on my dreams

“Whenever we talk about female cinematographers or directors, we can’t avoid the question of motherhood, as well as how we as women manage to take care of the home, the family. But where are the men in this story, they are also responsible for all this”. This was noted at today`s event „The Powerful Women of ‘Manaki’“ held in the Bitola cinema, where women cinematographers from different countries spoke. Inspiring life stories were shared by Alice Brooks, Nancy Schreiber, Agnieska Szeliga, Clarie Pijman, Brigit Gudjonsdottir, Christina Noak, Teresa Medina and Oona Menges.

„My family was very poor. When I was young, I had two dreams, one – to become a cinematographer and it came true for me, I grew up on a set. My other dream was to have a child, I wanted to be a mother. I have a daughter who is the joy of my life and who now comes with me everywhere. So work to make your dreams come true“, said Alice Brooks.

Nancy Schreiber said she was a graduate psychologist, but that she didn`t want to do this job.

“I started working as an electrician on a set, working with the director, and I didn`t know anything about it. It`s not easy for women in this world. But I am grateful that I started as an electrician, and later I went to film school, and here I am after many decades, and today I am very happy when I am making a film“, Schreiber said.

Agnieska Szeliga and Teresa Medina stressed that they had to be creative in the face of difficulties in their professional lives, which were filled with men. They sent a message to young people to always believe in themselves and not to stop dreaming.

Clarie Pijman said that she chose to go to film school even though her parents were doctors.

„I first started assisting on sets. I wondered how I could start recording when this is a male profession. I made my first film with borrowed money. I don't regret anything and I still want to work cinematography“, she said.

For Christina Novak`s parents, film school was a joke, given the fact that their profession was completely different.

„We all have different stories, but we have the same energy with which we respect each other. We are like a family“, Novak said.

Cinematographer Brigit Gudjonsdottir shared that she was raised by a single mother.

„My mother worked from dawn to dusk. She was an example for me and a person whose values I followed through life. Later I became a mother as well, so I took my daughter to sets. I started working as an assistant in this industry. When I saw that Nancy Schreiber was a cinematographer, a and then Alice, I thought, when these women can do this and make wonderful films, so can I“, Brigit said.

Onna Menges wanted to work initially as a veterinarian, but later had the opportunity to work on a film, where her professional story began.

“You know, when you have to survive and take care of your child, you`re going to work bloody hard to succeed. Whenever I have difficult moments in my life or on a set, I am reminded that this is what makes me grow and mature and that is why I am grateful for it“, Menges said.

Some of the cinematographers also talked about mental health, and several of them do additional back up work, in case they do not work on film projects. Thus, Brigit said that she is a freelance teacher who teaches when she is not working on a film.

„The most stressful time for me is when I am not working between films. You know, we have to eat and pay bills every day. I go to a mental health support group, I do yoga and find other ways to cope with stress”, Medina said.

Pablo Lozano and Dušan Husár on „Manaki Brothers“: Miracles can happen anywhere

Pablo Lozano and Dušan Husár, are the cinematographers of the films „Chronicles of a Wandering Saint“ from the official selection Camera 300 and „Solitude“, which was screened last night in the European Lo-Cap program. In one Argentinian town, a pious but ambitious woman, realizes that if she invents a miracle, she can be proclaimed to be a saint. But before announcing that the miracle

had happened, a shocking event showed her the hidden magic of her world, forcing her to reconsider everything she had taken for granted.

„I`m happy that I came across such a script, it was very interesting to think and process all that“, said Lozano, who said that he and the director had known each other since school days and that they had also made short films together. Everyone in the village was excited while the film was being shot, the church was very interesting and there were not many churches like that.

„Miracles can happen anywhere, also in very small villages not only in Argentina, but anywhere in the world. We were lucky to find that abandoned train station to shoot there, and the statue that disappears in the film is really gone for a long time, it`s not fiction“, Lozano said and added that the film is already being screened for six weeks in cinemas in Argentina.

Within the new selection of European films from countries with low production capacity, which will compete for the Golden European Camera Award at 45th ICFF „Manaki Brothers“ today Dusan Husar, the cinematographer of the film „Solitude“ talked about his experience while filming the film.

„Iceland was a wonderful location, we could shoot everywhere around us, which was fascinating for us, and for them it was something usual, so it was a challenge for me to find calm and peaceful places that would be real for them and for us, without

focusing only on the most beautiful places“, Husar said.

The film „Solitude“ tells the story of how the state forces a farmer living a peaceful life in the countryside to sell his home, leave everything behind and move to the capital, where he befriends a 10-year-old newspaper delivery boy.