Curatorial Statement by Nikolaj Nikitin<\/p>\n
It is a tremendous pleasure and honor to join the 26th edition of the Skopje Film Festival as its curator. After a period of absence, the festival returns thanks to the extraordinary commitment and determination of Tomi Salkovski and his team. Its revival marks not merely the return of an established cultural event, but the beginning of an exciting new chapter for international cinema in Skopje.<\/p>\n
At the heart of this year's programme is DIALOGES, our international competition bringing together eight outstanding films from across the world. Emerging from different cinematic cultures, artistic traditions and social realities, these films share a willingness to challenge expectations, confront uncomfortable truths and explore the complexities of our contemporary world. Many have already made their mark at leading international festivals, from Cannes and Venice to Berlin and Toronto. Their presence in Skopje reflects our ambition to connect the city with the most vital currents of contemporary filmmaking.<\/p>\n
The selection ranges from Lawrence Fajardo's Silenced Nights and Gabe Klinger's Isabel to Susanne Heinrich's wonderfully unconventional The Miserable Mother, alongside G\u00e1bor Holtai's Feels Like Home, Halkawt Mustafa's No Paradise If You Are Killed by a Woman - all those amazing directors will join us in celebrating their work and discuss their films with our dedicated audience, Paolo Strippoli's The Spiral, Jane Schoenbrun's Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma and Vincent Garenq's Forsaken. Together, they demonstrate that compelling cinema cannot be confined to a single genre, geography or aesthetic. From intimate personal struggles to urgent political questions, from dark humor to bold genre experimentation, these works reveal the extraordinary diversity of contemporary filmmaking. DIALOGES is founded on the belief that cinema can open minds, provoke debate and create connections across borders and generations.<\/p>\n
A particular highlight of this edition is the presentation of our Award for Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema to Ma\u0142gorzata Szumowska and Micha\u0142 Englert. Their long-standing creative partnership has produced a distinctive body of work that combines artistic courage with an unflinching examination of human relationships and social realities. From 33 Scenes from Life to Body and Mug, their films have received international recognition while consistently resisting easy categorisation. Presenting The Idiots as our opening film and welcoming both artists to Skopje is a personal pleasure, reflecting a collaboration and mutual appreciation that extends over many years. We are particularly proud to honour them together, recognising not only their individual achievements but also the exceptional artistic dialogue at the heart of their work.<\/p>\n
Beyond the competition, the program offers further opportunities for discovery. Kosara Miti\u0107's 17, which premiered in the Berlinale's Perspectives section, stands out as a deeply moving contribution to contemporary Macedonian cinema. Its inclusion also reflects the importance of nurturing and celebrating filmmaking from the region. The program is complemented by a special focus featuring among others, Frost by Serbian filmmaker Pavle Vu\u010dkovi\u0107, a selection of short films from the European Film Academy, and a series of masterclasses and conversations with leading filmmakers, including Ma\u0142gorzata Szumowska, Micha\u0142 Englert, and Dragan Bjelogrli\u0107. These encounters are an essential part of the festival's mission: cinema becomes even more meaningful when the experience of watching a film is enriched by the opportunity to engage directly with those who created it.<\/p>\n
We will screen Fjord by Cristian Mungiu, a two-time Palme d'Or winner and one of the defining voices of contemporary European cinema, whose work continues to challenge audiences through its moral complexity and precise observation of human behavior. Together with the many other films and guests joining us in Skopje, these encounters make the festival a space not only for showcasing cinema, but also for exchanging ideas and discovering new perspectives.<\/p>\n
For me, however, the significance of this return extends beyond any individual selection. Skopje deserves an international film festival worthy of its cultural richness, its energy and its place at the crossroads of different histories and identities. Re-establishing such a meeting place is both a privilege and a responsibility. It requires an ambitious program, a genuine commitment to artistic excellence and the creation of lasting relationships between filmmakers, audiences and the international film community.<\/p>\n
With Skopje set to become a European Capital of Culture in 2028, the coming years offer an exceptional opportunity to build on this renewed momentum. Our ambition is to strengthen the festival's international profile, expand its dialogue with the region and the world, and establish Skopje as an essential destination on the European festival map.<\/p>\n
The foundations have already been laid. In a remarkably short time, an international program of considerable breadth and ambition has come together, bringing filmmakers and audiences into a shared space of curiosity, reflection and exchange. The task ahead is to develop this momentum into a sustainable future.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, a film festival is measured not only by the films it presents or the awards it bestows, but by the conversations it inspires, the discoveries it enables and the connections it leaves behind.<\/p>\n
With DIALOGES, we invite audiences to encounter cinema as an art form without borders and Skopje as a place where the world comes together through film.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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