The actress and producer Labina Mitevska is this year’s recipient of the “Great Star of Macedonian Cinema” Award, presented by the Macedonian Film Professionals Association, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to Macedonian cinema.
Starting with little Zamira, her debut in “Before the Rain” (1994), when she entranced the audiences with her presence on the big screen, all the way to her present achievements, Labina Mitevska has played about thirty roles and produced a large number of films, thus soundly securing her place among the greatest stars of Macedonian cinema.
Her potential as an actress, as well as her undeniable skills in film production, were quickly recognized by the European film industry, which paved her way to collaborations with Simon Perry, Michael Winterbottom, Cristi Puiu, Pjer Žalica, etc. In addition to this, her production company “Sisters and Brother Mitevski” produces all the films by Teona Mitevska, where Labina also plays both main and supporting roles.
With her accomplishments as an actress, producer and co-producer, she has participated in some of the world’s most prestigious cinema events, including the festivals in Berlin, Venice, Cannes, Toronto. In 1998, she received the Shooting Star Sward in Berlin. Later on, she was awarded the prestigious European “Lux” Prize forher role in the film “God Exists, Her Name is Petrunuya” (2019), presented to her in Strasbourg, the seat of the European Parliament. This film was deemed as particularly significant for the feminist cause due to its depiction of women’s struggle for their place in society.
Mitevska also stood at the helm of the ICFF “Manaki Brothers” for six years, from 2009 to 2015, selflessly pledging her European reputation and doing her bestto enhance the festival, which during this timewas host to a slew of famous actors and directors of photography, such as Juliette Binoche, Isabelle Huppert, Vilmos Zsigmond, Miki Manojlović and many others.
Labina was born in 1975 in Skopje, Macedonia. She completed her primary and secondary education in Skopje and went on to graduate from the Faculty of Art and Archeology at the University “Ss. Cyril and Methodius”, the European Film College in Denmark, and continued her education at the University of Art History in Arizona, USA.
“The Great Start of Macedonian Cinema” is an award presentedby the Macedonian Film Professionals Association, introduced in 2013, which is traditionally awarded within the “Manaki Brothers” International Cinematographers Film Festival. Previous recipients of this highest recognition for their contribution to cinema include: Kiril Cenevski, Milco Manchevski, Darko Markovic, Simon Perry, Milica Stojanova, Ljupcho Konstantinov, Stole Popov, Bajram Severdzan and Gorjan Tozija.