Freiburg Film Festival brings North Macedonia to the big screen
Published: Monday, Jan 29th 2024, 10:40
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The 38th Fribourg International Film Festival (FIFF) is showing a selection of North Macedonian films. In the New Territory section, FIFF is presenting the world's first overview of North Macedonian films. The curator is Samet Sulejmanoski, a North Macedonian and Swiss national living in Fribourg.
The Balkan country of North Macedonia is "a melting pot of different cultures, ethnicities and religions", curator Sulejmanoski was quoted as saying in a press release on Monday. Ten feature films, two documentaries and seven short films focus on a country "that has suffered under occupations and wars".
In terms of content, the films deal with the search for identity in a fragmented world and the balancing act between traditionalism and the urge for modernity. North Macedonian filmmakers are expected at the FIFF.
The New Territory section opens with "Before the Rain" (1994) by Milcho Manchevski. The film is the first major production after the country's independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. "Before the Rain" won the Golden Lion in Venice in 1994 and was nominated for the Oscars the following year.
Also on the program is "Housekeeping for Beginners" (2023) by Goran Stolevski, this year's Oscar nominee from North Macedonia. The film tells the humorous story of Dita, who has to raise her partner's children in a society characterized by homophobia and disdain for its Roma communities. The feature film was awarded the Queer Lion in Venice.
The 38th FIFF runs from March 15 to 24. The program will be announced on 28 February.
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