At today’s press conference for the 44th ICFF “Manaki Brothers” which took place at the Army Hall in Bitola, the details for this year’s Festival Program, as well as the Off Program, were presented.

 

 

– Right here, with this press conference, the first one to be held in Bitola this year, the festival has come back home, where it belongs, and this is where the festival will stay – in its true home, which was also the home of the Manaki Brothers. The 44th ICFF “Manaki Brothers” truly is great. The first year we had 150 guests, 20 films, two winners and a modest budget, we organized this edition during the pandemic. The following year we had 250 guests, 65 movies and 37 parties, and this year we have between 350 and 400 guests, including about 160 foreign guests – which is a huge number – and 50 VIPs; we have 79 films in the cinemas and open-air screenings. We have outstanding films in the main selection from Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Karlovy Vary, San Sebastian. These are films where the knowledge and artistry of the cinematographers come to the fore. In this selection we have top-notch cinematographers who work with top-notch directors, said the Festival Director, Simeon Moni Damevski.

 

 

The director further informed us that there are Macedonian films for the Opening and Closing Festival Ceremonies, and he also presented the rest of the festival program, starting with the short film selection, documentaries, student films, as well as the films that the audience will be able to watch outdoors, from their vehicles, in the drive-in cinema.

 

 

– During the Festival we will host a round table with six exceptional women cinematographers who will talk about the challenges in their line of work; the Balkan Conference of Cinematographers which will result in a Manifesto; all the cinemas will sign a Memorandum to expand the cinema network in Macedonia and to bring the audiences back to the cinemas. Then we have the “Manaki Heirs” Project, introducing the world of cinema to young children, where they make films and dip their toes in this form of art. This year, the Embassies of Germany, France and Italy also organize evenings of their respective cultures, paired with the films that will be shown at the festival and the authors (their nationals) who will be our guests, Damevski emphasized.

 

 

The Off Program starts one day earlier, before the official Festival Opening with the Film Cabaret, while Maja Angelovska, who is the program-coordinator, told what it includes.

 

 

Under the motto: “Chill Out at the cinema with Manaki Off” you will have the chance to attend:

 

The Manaki Heirs | A Cinematic Journey through Manaki’s Films ǀ a filmmaking workshop with the director Marija Dzidzeva | Narratives in Literature and Film | Rumena Bužarovska in conversation with Ana Vasileva | Audio presentation ǀ film scores in the listening corner | The Manaki Heirs | Following in Manaki’s Footsteps ǀ a filmmaking workshop with the director Marija Dzidzeva | Photo Exhibition of “Down by the River Vardar – Sessions”, Božinovski watches and jewelry and Audiokultura in the Teoharov’s audio corner | Audio presentation ǀ reference sound in the listening corner | Audio presentation ǀ reference sound in the listening corner | Film Cabaret- Official opening of the “Chillout Cinema with Manaki OFF” | Board Bames from Goblin ǀ with Ivo Baru | Say Cheese! with the Brothers ǀ photo corner| photo exhibition “From Bitola with Love”, Center of European Development and Integrations – Bitola | Screening of the “Manaki” documentary by OHO Production | Feminist Stand-up Afternoon with Sofia Risteska Petrusheva and Nikola Projchevski | TIME.SOUND.VISION Joint presentation of Božinovski watches and jewelry and Audiokultura’s Teoharov’s Audio System | Premiere audio presentation of the new vinyl “Down by the River Vardar Sessions in Audiokultura” | Release party of the albums “THE BACK OF BEYOND” by Kokan Dimushevski and “GRIŽA NA SOVESTA” (A Guilty Conscience) by Parketi. Promoter – Tosho Filipovski | Launching of “Songs of Cinema” a poetry collection. Author: Dejan Trajkoski. Music: Brasnislav Nikolov and Goce Jovanoski | Linguistic Memory – Exhibition of a visual display of Macedonian words, author: Staša Božinovska, and many other events, Angelovska informed.

 

 

This year, the CC Magaza will become the main communication hub between the people from Bitola and the “Manaki Brothers” Film Festival.

 

 

The 44th edition of the ICFF “Manaki Brothers” will take place form 23-29 September in Bitola.