News 02/11/2026 4 min read

THE IDIOT(S) to Open the 26th Skopje Film Festival

The film by directing duo Szumowska–Englert brings Dostoevsky’s scandalous love story to the big screen for the opening of the Skopje Film Festival.

Skopje, 2 November 2026 – On Wednesday, 4 November, the 26th Skopje Film Festival will officially open at the Macedonian National Theatre (MNT) with the premiere screening of THE IDIOT(S), the latest feature by acclaimed directing duo Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert. The evening will begin with the red carpet at 19:30, followed by the official opening ceremony at 20:00. The festival screening of THE IDIOT(S) is scheduled for 20:30.

The film follows newlyweds Fyodor and Anna, whose honeymoon in Baden turns into an unexpected, years-long stay filled with trials as he writes his masterpiece The Idiot. Drawing on Andrew D. Kaufman’s book The Gambler’s Wife and the private diaries, memoirs and letters of the young Anna Dostoyevskaya, Szumowska and Englert create a complex, intimate portrait of a great love and a marriage marked by humour, fear and intimacy.

“There is something in Fyodor and Anna’s life story that reminds us of our own filmmaking journey. Just as the two of us did in the past, they travel west and also feel a little lost there. And just like them – although we are no longer married, but as artists – despite all the difficulties and differences in character, we continue walking together, sharing the same artistic path after so many years. Aimee Lou Wood and Johnny Flynn, who mysteriously captured the characters of Anna and Fyodor, admitted that they quickly realised our directing duo would be their main inspiration… they did not even know which of us was Fedya and which was Anna,” the directing duo says.

With outstanding performances by Johnny Flynn and Aimee Lou Wood, THE IDIOT(S) sets a high artistic and emotional tone for this year’s festival. It raises the curtain on another rich edition filled with world film premieres, encounters with filmmakers and post-screening discussions.

As part of the festival programme, young filmmakers will also have a unique opportunity to meet the Polish directing duo. Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert will hold an exclusive masterclass on Thursday, 5 November, at the Festival Centre in the Youth Cultural Centre (MKC), beginning at 14:30. They will share three decades of experience and their distinctive creative process.

The 26th Skopje Film Festival takes place from 4 to 9 November 2026. The full programme is available on the official website, sff.mk, while screening tickets are available through MK Tickets.

About the Skopje Film Festival

Founded in 1998, the Skopje Film Festival has spent decades developing film culture and connecting local audiences with contemporary world cinema. As an established brand and an important platform for auteur cinema and new artistic expression, the festival attracts between 6,000 and 10,000 visitors annually, as well as numerous local and international film professionals.

This year, the festival enters a phase of transformation and modernisation of its programme structure and visual identity. With a new international festival council and a team of distinguished professionals from Europe and around the world, the Skopje Film Festival is positioning itself as a leading cultural force in the region and one of the key pillars of the Skopje – European Capital of Culture 2028 project.

The festival is held under the patronage of the City of Skopje, with A1 Macedonia as its partner. SFF2026 is supported by Titan USJE, Dalekovod, EVN, Gemak, Schweppes, Alchemist, Peyrassol, Valdo, AGNA Skopje, Gorska Voda, Vertigo, AVC Group, DVD Plus, Nestlé, DoubleTree by Hilton Skopje, Marriott Skopje, Delfino Group and Sixt.

This year, the festival takes place at two venues: the Macedonian National Theatre (MNT) and the Youth Cultural Centre (MKC).

Official website: www.sff.mk

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