Welcome to the 26th edition of the Skopje Film Festival

This year marks a new chapter for the festival. With a new team, a renewed programme, new partnerships and a clear sense of purpose, we are shaping a festival with a distinctive, authentic and contemporary identity. 

At the heart of that vision is a commitment to discovering and presenting outstanding films from across Europe and the world. Each work in our programme has been chosen for its artistic merit, its distinctive voice and the questions it invites us to consider. 

Our selection brings together bold auteur cinema, emerging filmmakers and acclaimed directors. Through these different stories and perspectives, we hope to offer audiences a programme that surprises, challenges and inspires. 

The festival is also a place for conversation and connection. Audiences will have the opportunity to meet filmmakers from our programme, alongside special guests from the region and beyond. Education is another important part of our new direction: we want to give young people space to learn, explore cinema and engage directly with film professionals.

Under the patronage of the Mayor of the City of Skopje and in partnership with A1 Macedonia, our ambition is for the Skopje Film Festival to grow into a significant cultural event for the region. 

We also hope it will become one of the leading projects of Skopje – European Capital of Culture 2028, connecting our city with contemporary cinema and strengthening its place as a welcoming home for film, culture and new ideas.

I look forward to welcoming you from 4 to 9 November to celebrate cinema together. 

Tomi Salkovski
Director, Skopje Film Festival