AGP Executive Report

Film Awards: North Macedonian-Czech-Serbian-Croatian co-production DJ Ahmet won the Rising Star award for Arif Jakup at the Adriatic Film and TV Awards. Teona Strugar Mitevska’s Mother, a North Macedonian-led co-production, earned Noomi Rapace the Best Leading Actress prize. Festival Circuit: Skopje director Georgi Unkovski served on CinEast’s international jury, while Stefan Đorđević’s Wind, Talk to Me took the festival’s top film, director and debut awards. Opera: North Macedonia’s National Opera will co-produce Verdi’s Nabucco in Heraklion, Greece, with 150 performers and four performances scheduled for November. Skopje Cinema: Bulgarian debut My Father’s Shoes won Best Screenplay at Skopje’s Kinenova International Film Festival.

Regional Film Awards: North Macedonian films and talent featured prominently at the Adriatic Film and TV Awards: DJ Ahmet earned Arif Jakup the Rising Star prize, while Noomi Rapace won Best Leading Actress for Mother, a North Macedonia-led co-production. CinEast: Macedonian director Georgi Unkovski joined the festival’s international jury, which selected winners across its competition; the festival presented more than 120 screenings of feature and short films. Opera: North Macedonia’s National Opera will co-produce Verdi’s Nabucco in Heraklion, Greece, with 150 performers and four performances scheduled for November. Skopje Art: Artist and activist Nikola Pisarev explores how public art can spark social change, including works that draw attention to prescription-drug overuse and slow mail. Kinenova: Bulgarian debut film My Father’s Shoes won Best Screenplay at the Skopje festival, with the jury praising its nuanced family story and dark humor.

Creative Activism: Skopje artist and activist Nikola Pisarev highlights how public art can spark conversations and press for social change, from a post-office installation to a “Monument to Diazepam.” Opera Abroad: North Macedonia’s National Opera joins a 150-person cast for Verdi’s Nabucco, opening Heraklion’s new season in Greece on November 12. KineNova: Palestinian director Rakan Mayasi’s Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep won best feature at Skopje’s 11th KineNova festival; Bulgarian film My Father’s Shoes took best screenplay.

Opera: North Macedonia’s National Opera joins a 150-performer co-production of Verdi’s Nabucco, opening Heraklion’s new season with performances November 12–15. Public Art: Skopje artist and activist Nikola Pisarev explores how art can spark social change, including his work outside the city’s main post office. Film: Palestinian director Rakan Mayasi’s Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep won Best Feature at Skopje’s KineNova festival; My Father’s Shoes took Best Screenplay.

Opera: North Macedonia’s National Opera joins a 150-performer co-production of Verdi’s Nabucco, opening Heraklion’s season Nov. 12–15, with Myron Michailidis conducting and Dejan Proshev adapting the staging. Kinenova Film Festival: Skopje’s 11th Kinenova named Palestinian director Rakan Mayasi’s Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep best feature. Miroslav Terzić won best director, while Hristo Simeonov and Petar Krumov took screenplay honors for My Father’s Shoes. The festival closed with Fantasy, a Slovenian–North Macedonian co-production. Art and activism: Skopje-based artist Nikola Pisarev says public art can make civic issues felt and prompt action, drawing on works including a “Monument to Diazepam” and an installation outside the city’s main post office.

Art in Public Life: Skopje-based artist and activist Nikola Pisarev says art can give social campaigns emotional force and spark new conversations. His examples include a public artwork outside Skopje’s main post office and a “Monument to Diazepam” highlighting prescription-drug overuse. KineNova: The 11th International Film Festival in Skopje named Palestinian director Rakan Mayasi’s Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep best feature. Serbian film 3 Weeks After won best director, while Bulgaria’s My Father’s Shoes took best screenplay. The festival screened 39 films and offered workshops, including a filmmaking session for children in Skopje.

Art and Activism: Skopje art historian Nikola Pisarev says creative work in public spaces can move people and spark change. His examples include installations addressing slow postal service and prescription-drug overuse. KineNova Festival: Palestinian director Rakan Mayasi’s Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep won best feature at Skopje’s 11th KineNova festival. Serbian filmmaker Miroslav Terzić won best director, while Bulgarian film My Father’s Shoes took best screenplay. The festival also featured a children’s filmmaking workshop and closed with Slovenian-Macedonian coproduction Fantasy.

Macedonian Folk Culture: Adelaide’s Sloboda ensemble will share Macedonian dance, language and traditions at the city’s Multicultural Festival on Nov. 1. Kratovo-born Jasmina Georgievski hopes audiences leave seeing the culture as vibrant and alive. Gaming: A study released from Skopje by gaming site RageQuit.gg found players finish only a third of popular story games on average; horror games had higher completion rates than RPGs. KineNova: Palestinian director Rakan Mayasi’s Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep won best feature at Skopje’s 11th KineNova festival. Serbia’s 3 Weeks After took best director, while My Father’s Shoes, a Bulgarian-French co-production, won best screenplay. The festival screened 39 films and closed with Slovenian-Macedonian co-production Fantasy.

Basketball: MZT Skopje Aerodrom lost 87–73 to Würzburg in the FIBA Europe Cup, despite Noah Ali Farrakhan’s 14 points. KineNova: Palestinian director Rakan Mayasi’s Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep won best feature at Skopje’s international festival. Serbia’s Miroslav Terzić took best director, while Bulgarian-French film My Father’s Shoes won best screenplay. The festival screened 39 films and closed with Slovenian-Macedonian co-production Fantasy. Regional Cinema: Kosara Mitić is among the filmmakers selected for Zagreb Film Festival’s feature competition, highlighting North Macedonian talent on the regional circuit.

Kinenova Film Festival: Palestinian director Rakan Mayasi’s debut, Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep, won best feature at Skopje’s 11th Kinenova festival. Serbia’s 3 Weeks After took best director, while Bulgarian film My Father’s Shoes won best screenplay. Macedonian Heritage: Adelaide’s Sloboda folkloric ensemble will share Macedonian dances, language and traditions at South Australia’s Multicultural Festival on November 1, helping keep the culture alive for a new generation.

KineNova Film Awards: Palestinian director Rakan Mayasi’s Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep won best feature at Skopje’s 11th KineNova International Film Festival. Serbian film 3 Weeks After took best director, while Bulgarian-French coproduction My Father’s Shoes won best screenplay. Regional Cinema: Iranian thriller The Gambler, screened at a festival in Tajikistan, previously won a special jury prize at North Macedonia’s Across the Lake International Film Festival. Macedonian Folk Dance: Adelaide’s Sloboda ensemble will share Macedonian language, stories and traditions at South Australia’s Multicultural Festival on November 1, with founder Jasmina Georgievski hoping audiences leave seeing the culture as vibrant and alive.

KineNova: Palestinian director Rakan Mayasi’s Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep won best feature at Skopje’s 11th KineNova International Film Festival. Serbian filmmaker Miroslav Terzić took best director, while Bulgarian debut My Father’s Shoes won best screenplay. The festival closed with Fantasy, a Slovenian-Macedonian coproduction. Macedonian Dance: Adelaide’s Sloboda Macedonian Folkloric Ensemble will bring traditional dance, music and culture to the city’s Multicultural Festival on November 1, sharing Macedonian heritage with a new generation. Regional Cinema: Iranian thriller The Gambler, which received a special jury prize at North Macedonia’s Across the Lake festival, is screening at a film festival in Tajikistan.

Fashion & Cultural Exchange: North Macedonian designers joined Azerbaijani designer Gulnara Khalilova and others at Bursa Fashion Week, where national traditions and contemporary design took the runway. Skopje Cinema: Palestinian director Rakan Mayasi’s Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep won best feature at Kinenova; Serbia’s 3 Weeks After took best director, while Bulgaria’s My Father’s Shoes won best screenplay. The festival closed with Fantasy, a Slovenian-Macedonian co-production. Macedonian Heritage Abroad: Adelaide’s Sloboda folkloric ensemble is keeping Macedonian language, dance and traditions alive for a new generation, with a performance planned for the city’s Multicultural Festival.

Kinenova Awards: Palestinian director Rakan Mayasi’s Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep won Best Feature at Skopje’s 11th Kinenova International Film Festival. The jury also named Serbian film 3 Weeks After best director, while My Father’s Shoes took Best Screenplay. Macedonian Dance: Adelaide’s Sloboda folkloric ensemble will bring Macedonian songs and dances to Australia’s Multicultural Festival on Nov. 1, sharing the traditions with a new generation. Regional Cinema: Iranian thriller The Gambler, about a cyberattack during the 2025 Iran-Israel war, is screening in Tajikistan after winning a special jury prize at North Macedonia’s Across the Lake film festival.

Kinenova Film Festival: Palestinian director Rakan Mayasi’s Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep won best feature at Skopje’s 11th Kinenova. Serbian filmmaker Miroslav Terzić took best director for 3 Weeks After, while Hristo Simeonov and Petar Krumov won best screenplay for My Father’s Shoes. The festival screened 39 films and closed with Slovenian-Macedonian coproduction Fantasy. Touring Music: Portuguese metal band Moonspell will bring its 35th-anniversary European tour to North Macedonia in 2027, joined by Iotunn and Todomal. Macedonian Culture Abroad: Adelaide’s Sloboda folkloric ensemble will showcase Macedonian dance, language and traditions at the city’s Multicultural Festival on November 1.

Film: Palestinian director Rakan Mayasi’s debut, Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep, won Best Feature at Skopje’s KineNova festival. The four-day event screened 39 films and included filmmaking workshops, including one for children. Leisure Access: Eurostat says 15.9% of people in North Macedonia couldn’t afford regular leisure activities in 2025, above the EU average of 12.1%. Music: Portuguese metal band Moonspell has included North Macedonia on its 2027 European tour, marking 35 years together. Macedonian Culture Abroad: Adelaide’s Sloboda folkloric ensemble will share Macedonian dances, language and traditions at Australia’s Multicultural Festival on November 1.