Each year, the International Cinematographer`s Film Festival "Manaki Brothers" is held in Bitola, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, under the auspices of the President of the country and is supported by the Ministry of Culture. This year the festival is launcing its 34th edition from 14 to 20 of September. The Festival΄s remarkable profile, whose mandate is enriched from year to year, is attractive to both film professionals and film aficionados from all over the world.

The main part of the Festival΄s program belongs to Camera 300 – the Official Competition of Long Feature Films from the most recent European and world production. The cinematographers of these films contend for the Golden, Silver and Bronze Camera 300, awarded by the Festival΄s International Jury, composed of Jose Luis Alcaine, Dejan Dukovski, Elma Tataragic, Bojidar Manov and Amnon Zalait.

Beside the Official Competition, the Festival shows a Short Film Program that is non-competitive and presents outstanding films from the latest production year. In addition, the Student Program "Manaki Brothers" is dedicated to young, talented filmmakers. Within the frame of the festival program are also workshops, seminars, and roundtables.

The Festival is renown for its Life Achievement Award – a Golden Camera 300 awarded to outstanding and leading world cinematographers. This year the prize will be awarded   to the Spanish cinematographer Jose Luis Alcaine. Up to now the, the laureates in the "Club Of Greats" are the following: Vittorio Storaro, Vadim Yusov, Raoul Coutard, Tonino Delli Colli, Miroslav Ondricek, Henry Alekan, Freddie Francis, Jerzy Wojcik, Sven Nykvist, Branko Mihajlovski, Ljube Petkovski and Milton Manaki.

This year in the Main Competition among many films from all over the world we meet the local film The Piano Room by Igor Ivanov. In the section called New Visions audiences will have the chance to watch Adria Blues, a co-production from Slovenia, Croatia and Boznia and Herzegovina by director Miroslav Mandic. The film had its world premiere at this year`s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

The film Black Seed, a drama from 1971 by Kiril Cenevski will be screened at the Documentary program. The film tells the story of some exiled prisoners during the Greek civil war. In the same program will be screened the Serbian Second Meeting by Zeljko Mirkovic and the local The Pursuit Of Luck by Marija Dzidzeva.

In the Macedonian Panorama will be screened the documentary Mother Europe by Petra Seliskar. Mother Europe is a humoristic creative documentary that depicts European borders issues.

One of the Special Guests of the festival this year will be the famous and multi-awarded French actress Isabelle Huppert that will attend the Closing Ceremony.

Additional information about the festival as well as the full program can be found here.