HISTORY OF MACEDONIAN FILM
Did you know that filmmaking has been alive and well in Macedonia for over 100 years? Ever since the Manaki Brothers produced
their first film in 1895 the film industry has been flourishing in Macedonia. From this time until the present, Macedonian
filmmakers, in Macedonia and from around the world have been producing films in abundance.
Throughout the past century, the medium of film depicts the history, the struggles and everyday life experiences of the
Macedonian people.
Over the years many Macedonian films have been presented at film festivals around the world and several of these films have
won prestigious awards. Below is a very brief outline of the evolution of Macedonian filmmaking from 1895 to the present.
Chronology of the History of Macedonian Filmmaking from 1895-2006
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1895
1896
1903
1910
1911
1912-1913
1914-1918
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927
1928
1929
1932
1935
1937
1939
1946
1947
1952
1953
1954
1958
1959
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1968
1969
1970
1971
1974
1980
1988
1993
1994
1996
1997
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
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The first public film screening of the Manaki Brothers’ film was presented on December 28, 1895.
Film screenings arrived in the Balkans. The strange "living pictures" of the Lumiere brothers were screened by traveling
theaters in Belgrade and Bucharest.
The oldest film about Macedonia that is known until now is The Massacres in Macedonia (Massacres de Macedoine) filmed
by the Pathe Brother Company from France.
The frames of the Manakis’ films were filled with Macedonian traditional customs, celebrations, dances and scenes of
everyday life.
The Manaki brothers filmed three film stories with which they came close to the documentary film expression. These are the
films about the visit of the last Turkish Sultan Mehamed Reshad V to Thessalonika and Bitola, and afterwards the visit of the
Romanian delegation to Bitola, Gopesh and Resen, and the funeral of the Metropolitan Emilianos.
The Balkan Wars which tragically tore apart Macedonia entered the film frame. The war was a focus of interest for cameramen.
Immediately after the end of the second Balkan war, Macedonia was drawn into the whirlwind of the World War I, especially with
the opening of the Macedonian front. This war was filmed both by cinematographers of the Powers of the Entente and the Axis Powers.
Besides the war operations of the Macedonian front, a great number of sequences were filmed showing the life of the civilians.
Janaki and Milton Manaki made their first film screening in Bitola, in the garden of their own "Manaki Theater".
The first Yugoslav film school for educating actors was opened in Zagreb.
The script written by Arsenij Jovkov was used for producing the film Macedonia.
Regular film projections started at the cinema "Ohrid Lake" (in the building specifically built for film screening).
In Skopje, on January 14th, the first modern cinema "Apollo" was opened.
In Skopje, on January 18th, the "Zrinski Cafe" and its cinema were destroyed in a fire.
Risto Zerdeski-Zerde from Prilep, went to Zagreb to act in the film
The Both of Them (Тие двајцата).
The first steady cinema "Balkans" owned by Gjulap Sulejmanov was opened in Strumica.
In Skopje, the construction of the modern film theater "Vardar" was started, while in Bitola, in the theater of Mihail Pema,
the first 20% sound film The Wings (Крила) was shown.
The year started the film screening activity of Ilija Dzonov from Bogdanci, near Gevgelija. First he opened a regular cinema in
Gevgelia, and one year later he started film screenings in Strumica. Soon he provided a small, portable projector which was used
in 1935 and 1936 for two large traveling tours (the projector was carried on a donkey).
A large number of film-making crews from all over the world stayed in Macedonia and produced numerous documentaries.
Blagoja Drnkov filmed in Skopje with his 9.5 mm. camera the film
The Catholic Procession (Католичка процесија).
Blagoja Pop-Stefanija from Ohrid filmed a short film named
The Monument (Споменик) by use of an 8mm camera "Movex AGFA".
Blagoja Drnkov made two important film records on a 9.5 mm. film
The Gliders Parade (Едриличарски митинг) and
Bombed Bitola (Бомбардирана Битола).
The Committee for cinematography in the Government of Federal People Republic of Yugoslavia founded the central film company for
production of newsreels "Zvezda Film" in Belgrade. They produced 19 different newsreels for "Zvezda Film" concerning Macedonia.
The first Macedonian documentary films were produced after the liberation of the country.
"Vardar Film" produced the first Macedonian feature film
Frosina (Фросина).
An extremely rich production year for "Vardar Film". Twenty documentary films were produced, among those being:
Prespa (Преспа), directed by
K. Bilbilovski,
Who is Guilty? (Кој е крив?), directed by
K. Nedkov,
Miravci's Wedding (Миравска свадба), directed by
J. Kamberski,
A Story For the Man and the Sheep (Приказна за човекот и овците), directed by
T. Popov,
Conversation in Our Way (Нашински разговори), directed by
B. Drnkov,
Dawns in the Fields (Мугри во полињата), directed by
Branko Gapo.
"Vardar Film" started producing the second Macedonian feature film
Wolves' Night (Волчја ноќ) took place in Skopje.
The first colour feature film in “totalscope” was filmed. The film was
Miss Stone (Мис Стон), directed by
Zhika Mitrovic.
"Vardar Film" produced two feature films:
Visa of Evil (Виза на злото),
directed by France Shtiglic and
Three Girls Named Ana (Три Ани).
Two new Macedonian feature films were shown for the first time. The first Macedonian film comedy
A Quiet Summer (Мирно лето) was the first Macedonian
feature film directed by Macedonian director,
Dimitrie Osmanli. The second feature film was
The Assassins from Salonika (Солунските атентатори), directed by
Zhika Mitrovic.
An extremely rich year for documentary film production. "Vardar Film" produced 14 documentary films.
Fifteen documentary films were shot.
Despite the difficult circumstances, "Vardar Film" did not stop production. A feature film
Under the Same Sky (Под исто небо) was produced.
The feature film
Days of Temptation (Денови на искушение) was produced.
"Vardar Film" produced the feature film
The Mountain of Wrath (Планината на гневот), directed by
Ljubisha Georgievski.
The feature film
Time Without War (Време без војна), directed by
Branko Gapo was produced by the newly founded “Community of Film”.
"Vardar Film" produced the feature film
The Price of a Town (Цената на градот), directed by
Ljubisha Georgievski.
This was one of the most productive years for the Macedonian cinema. "Vardar Film" produced the feature films
Black Seed (Црно семе), directed by
Kiril Cenevski, which won many awards such as "Golden Arena"
at the Pula Film Festival, 1971, for the best direction.
After the sudden disintegration of the Community of Film Makers, "Vardar Film" achieved a new production boom.
"Vardar Film" produced two feature films:
Times, Waters (Време, води), directed by Branko Gapo and
The Lead Brigade (Оловна бригада), directed by
Kiril Cenevski (the director of photography of the last film
Misho Samoilovski won "The Golden Arena" at Pula Film Festival) and the film
itself was awarded with the prize "First of May" for the best film with contemporary theme.
"Vardar Film" in co-production with Television Skopje produced the second comedy in the Macedonian cinematography
A Weekend of Deceased Persons (Викенд на мртовци) directed by
Kole Angelovski.
Two feature films, produced by Pegasus were released for the first time. They were
Macedonian Saga (Македонска сага) and Light Grey (Светло сиво), with three stories:
The Urubu Bird and the Virgin (Птицата Урубу и девицата),
Wonderful World (Прекрасен свет) and
Devil in the Hearth (Ѓавол во срцето).
The Yugoslav Festival of film Camera "Manaki's Meetings", after a year of pause, revived into international film Camera Festival "Manaki Brothers"
with quite a changed program. The official competition comprised feature films produced in Turkey, France, USA, Austria, Russia, U.K., Czech
Republic, Bulgaria, Israel, Denmark, Albania, Germany, FR Yugoslavia and Macedonia. The organizer of this event was the
Cinematheque of Macedonia.
This was the year of the greatest success for Macedonian cinematography. The feature film
Before the Rain (Пред дождот), directed by
Milcho Manchevski, and co-produced by U.K., France and Macedonia,
won the highest prize at Venice Film Festival, the “Golden Lion". The film achieved international success and participated at a great number
of international film festivals such as Sao Paolo, Sandens, Getebourg etc. Also, this film, as a special event, opened this year’s
Film Camera Festival "Manaki Brothers" in Bitola.
The private production company "New Production" realized a Macedonian and Turkish co-production, the feature film
Suicide Guide (Самоуништување), directed by
Erbil Altanaj, a Turkish director from the screenplay by the Macedonian author
Sashko Nasev.
Two feature films were realized:
Gipsy Magic (Џипси меџик), directed by
Stole Popov from the screenplay by
Vladimir Blazhevski, in co-production with the private producer
Triangle. The film was awarded the Grand Prix at the Mediterranean Film
Festival in Montpellier, France; and
Across the Lake (Преку езерото), directed by
Antonio Mitriceski, from the screenplay by
Tashko Georgievski, a Macedonian and Polish co-production in
cooperation with the Polish producer "Logos". The feature film Night (Ноќ), directed by Esad Musliu was realized through a Macedonian and
Albanian co-production.
Milcho Manchevski's film
Dust (Прашина) opened film festival in Venice. This movie was also
shown at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2001. Due to the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center, the festival
came to an abrupt end.
The experimental feature film
The Judge (Судијата), in independent production was written and directed by
Zhaneta Vangeli.
Few feature films appeared.
Like a Bad Dream (Како лош сон) directed by
Antonio Mitriceski.
Dust was screened in Toronto to the Macedonian community with
the director in attendance.
Another very productive year for Macedonian filmmaking.
The Great Water (Големата вода), by
Ivo Trajkov,
How I Killed a Saint (Како убив светец), by
Teona Mitevska Strugar and
Mirage (Илузија), by
Svetozar Ristovski were produced. The documentary Just Arrived (Само
што пристигнале), by Canadian Macedonian filmmaker Sandra Danilovic was screened in Toronto and shown many times on OMNI television in Canada.
Suzana Dinevski’s The Children of 1948 (Децата од 1948) (Kodak Imaging Award winner at Montreal Film Festival) plays to an audience in Toronto.
The first Macedonian Film Festival was held in North America, in Toronto.
* Sources: Macedonian Cinema Information Center and Cinemateque of Macedonia. |
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