More than 100 films will be screened in 11 categories, including the competition programmes: Official Competition, CineBalkan, Macedonian Short Film Programme and Student Programme, and the noncompetitive Gala Programme, Music Documentaries Programme, Eye on Films Programme, MK in EU Programme, Cinematography in focus, Children’s Programme, Youth Programme and special screenings. The latest films by Jim Jarmusch, Woody Allen, Bong Joon-ho, Ken Loach, Francois Ozon, Fatih Akin, Pedro Almodovar, Roman Polanski are some of the titles in the attractive gala-programme. This year the festival is introducing a new award in order to emphasise the importance of the work of some film authors, who are less represented in the award-winners list at other festivals. A three-member jury will hand out an award for best music in an auteur film.
Cinedays joins the global celebration of 50 years since the first broadcast of Monty Python's Flying Circus, screening five films made by the comedy troupe. Producer Steve Abbott, a longtime associate of the Monty Python group, will be special guest of the festival and will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award and hold a masterclass. The festival's additional programme includes ten workshops, lectures, masterclasses and seven concerts, as well as dj-sets as part of the CinEmusic programme.
The world premiere of The Macedonian/Albanian/Kosovan debut film The Happiness Effect / Efektot na srekjata by Borjan Zafirovski will open the festival. The Swiss/Belgian/French coproduction Beyond the Horizon / Le Milieu de l'horizon, shot in North Macedonia, will close the festival.
The Official programme jury is composed of Vladimir Angelov, director of Cinemathèque of North Macedonia, film editor and programmer Mariana Gaivao, and cinematographer/director/writer Chiara Caterina. The CineBalkan jury is composed of Albanian film director and screenwriter Kujtim Çashku, Macedonian actress Natasha Petrovic, and actress, casting director and CEO of Duart European Actors Platform, Sanja Drakulić.
The festival is supported by the North Macedonia Film Agency, City of Skopje and Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of North Macedonia.
Official competition:
Cutting Close / Reži (Serbia, Croatia)
Directed by Kosta Đorđević
Produced by Kinematografska kuća (Serbia)
Coproduced by Marinis media (Croatia), Platforma (Serbia)
Supported by Film Center Serbia
Sons of Denmark (Denmark)
Directed by Ulaa Salim
Papicha (Algieria, France, Belgium, Katar)
Directed by Mounia Meddour
Deva (Hungary)
Directed by Petra Szöcs
Oray (Germany)
Directed by Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay
By a Sharp Knife / Ostrým nožom (Slovakia, Czech Republic)
Directed by Teodor Kuhn
Produced by nutprodukcia (Slovakia)
Coproduced by Madness Productions, RTVS and nutprodukce (Czech Republic) in cooperation with Home Media Production
Supported by the Slovak Audiovisual Fund, the Slovak Literary Fund and the Czech Cinematography Fund
Lillian (Austria)
Directed by Andreas Horvath
The Orphanage (Denmark, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Afghanistan, Qatar)
Directed by Shahrbanoo Sadat
CineBalkan Programme:
Aga’s House (Kosovo, Croatia, France, Albania)
Directed by Lendita Zeqiraj
Produced by n’Art Films
Coproduced by Woof Films, Sacrebleu Productions, SKA-NDAL Production, SY13
Supported by Kosovo Cinematography Centre, Albanian Center of Cinematography, City of Vrgorac, MEDIA
Cold November (Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia)
Directed by Ismet Sijarina
Produced by Buka Film (Kosovo)
Coproduced by Thumbs Up (Kosovo), AlbaSky (Albania), Audiohouse (Macedonia)
Sister (Bulgaria, Qatar)
Directed by Svetla Tsotsorkova
Produced by Omega Films
Coproduced by Audiovideo Orpheus, the Doha Film Institute
The Diary of Diana B. (Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia)
Directed by Dana Budisavljević
Produced by Hulahop (Croatia)
Coproduced by This & That Productions (Serbia), December (Slovenia)
Supported by the Slovenian Film Centre
Full Moon / Pun mjesec (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Directed by Nermin Hamzagić
Produced by SCCA/pro.ba
Coproduced by BHRT
Supported by Ministry of Culture and Sport of Kanton Sarajevo and the Film Fund of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Last Serb in Croatia (Croatia, Serbia)
Directed by Predrag Ličina
Produced by Kinorama
Coproduced by Art&Popcorn
Supported the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Film Center Serbia
