Siljanovska‑Davkova urges continuation of the Manaki legacy at 47th festival

At the opening of the 47th Manaki Brothers International Film Camera Festival in Skopje, President Gordana Siljanovska‑Davkova urged filmmakers to carry forward the legacy left by the pioneering Manaki brothers and to keep weaving new artistic stories.

In her address the president cast the festival as more than an event: "The 'Manaki Brothers' long ago ceased to be just a festival. It is a cultural institution with recognised international authority, a proven cultural identity and a long spiritual and emotional bridge that links Macedonian and Balkan cinematography with the world."

The festival's slogan and a call to younger authors

Siljanovska‑Davkova highlighted this year’s slogan, "Weavers of Film," and expanded on its metaphor: "Film is woven from light and shadow, from colour and movement, from sound and silence, from volcanic emotions, from original ideas, from visions. It is woven in the present, but also from the past and the future, from tradition and innovation, from the experience of great masters and from the courage of new generations. It is precisely this kind of weaving that is the history of the 'Manaki Brothers'. From the pioneering feat of Yanaki and Milton Manaki to today’s peak achievements of world cinematography, this festival story is woven as a precious cultural heritage on the cinematic loom," she said.

Addressing the new Macedonian authorial generation, the president singled out five female directors and urged them to nurture fresh voices and talents. "Let Teona, Tamara, Dina, Kosara and Marija encourage other authorial talents and voices in the film-weaving factory, let experience and wisdom meet youth and disobedience, let the bright side of the Balkans, Europe and the world shine and help in banishing the dark!" she told the audience.

Siljanovska‑Davkova closed by stressing that, despite rapid technological change, the essential truth remains: people and their emotions are the primary weavers of film stories.

This year’s official selection includes Dina Duma’s "Skating Is Not for Girls" and Tamara Kotevska’s "The Story of Siljan," underlining the festival’s continuing focus on new authorial voices from the region.

Photo: Pretsedatelski kabinet