The festival features its traditional Golden Camera 300 competition for best cinematographic work as well as the Documentary Programme, the Student and Short Film Competitions, the Mac Point Programme of Macedonian films, as well as open-air screenings and workshops, panels, and industry events. Additional features include the EcoScope section, the Adriatic Audience Award, and book promotions.
The opening film of the Orizzonti Competition in Venice this year, Mother / Majka by Teona Strugar Mitevska opened the festival on 20 September 2025. Georgi M. Unkovski’s debut feature DJ Ahmet will close the festival. DJ Ahmet is a coproduction between Cinema Futura and Sektor Film from North Macedonia, Alter Vision from the Czech Republic, and Serbia’s Backroom Productions and BašČelik Film House.
Iranian-French cinematographer Darius Khondji will be presented with the Golden Camera 300 Lifetime Achievement Award, while the American Oscar winner Wally Pfister and award-winning Turkish director Semih Kaplanoglu received the Special Golden Camera 300 for Outstanding Contribution to the World Film Art.
The Big Star of Macedonian Cinema Award, which is awarded by the Association of Film Professionals for exceptional contribution to Macedonian cinema, will be handed to composer Kiril Dzajkovski.
The festival is organised by the Macedonian Film Professionals Association and supported by the North Macedonia Film Agency and the Muncipality of Bitola.
Lineup Competition Camera 300:
Mother / Majka (North Macedonia, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, India)
Directed by Teona Strugar Mitevska
Lensed by Virginie Saint-Martin
Produced by Sisters and Brother Mitevski
Coproduced by Entre Chien et Loup, Rainy Days, Frau Film, Raging Film
Supported by the North Macedonia Film Agency, the Swedish Film Institute, the Danish Film Institute, Fédération Wallonie Bruxelles, Film i Väst
The Visitor / Svečias (Lithuania, Norway, Sweden)
Directed by Vytautas Katkus
Lensed by Vytautas Katkus
Produced by M-Films
Coproduced by Staer, Garagefilm International
Supported by the Lithuanian Film Centre, Creative Europe – MEDIA, the Lithuanian National Radio and Television, Film Fond Nord, the Swedish Film Institute
The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box) / El diablo fuma (y guarda las cabezas de los cerillos quemadosen la mismacaja) (Mexico)
Directed by Ernesto Martínez Bucio
Lensed by Odei Zabaleta
Dreams (Sex Love) / Drømmer (Norway)
Directed by Dag Johan Haugerud
Lensed by Cecilie Semec
On Falling (UK, Portugal)
Directed by Laura Carreira
Lensed by Karl Kürten
Vindicta (USA)
Directed by Dominik Sedlar
Lensed by David McFarland
Sirât (France, Spain)
Directed by Olivier Laxe
Lensed by Mauro Herce
I’m Still Here / Ainda estou aqui (Brazil, France)
Directed by Walter Salles
Lensed by Adrian Teijido
Quiet Life (France, Germany, Sweden, Estonia, Greece, Finland)
Directed by Alexandros Avranas
Lensed by Olympia Mytilinaiou
Produced by Les Films du Worso
Coproduced by Elle Driver, Senator Film Produktion, Fox in the Snow, Amrion, Playground, Asterisk*, MakingMovies, ARTE France Cinema, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Film i Väst, Ert, Faliro House, Exile Content, Sezzfilm, Fink Film, Three Brothers
Supported by Eurimages, Film Estonia, the Finnish Film Foundation, the Swedish Film Institute, Région Île-De-France, Creative Europe – MEDIA, the Estonian Film Institute, the Greek Film Center, Ekome, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia
Nouvelle Vague / New Wave (France)
Directed by Richard Linklater
Lensed by David Chambille
Adriatic Audience Award:
Renovation / Renovacija (Lithuania, Latvia, Belgium)
Directed by Gabrielė Urbonaitė
Lensed by Vytautas Katkus
Produced by Studio Uljana Kim
Coproduced by Mima Films, Harald House
Supported by the Lithuanian Film Centre, the National Film Centre of Latvia
Adam’s Sake / L’intérêt d’Adam (Belgium, France)
Directed by Laura Wandel
Lensed by Frédéric Noirhomme
Maldoror (Belgium, France)
Directed by Fabrice du Welz
Lensed by Manuel Dacosse
Christy (Ireland, UK)
Directed by Brendan Canty
Lensed by Colm Hogan
Perla (Austria, Slovakia)
Directed by Alexandra Makarová
Lensed by Georg Weiss
Produced by Golden Girls Filmproduktion & Filmservices
Coproduced by Hailstone, Ruth Beckermann Filmproduction
Supported by the Slovak Audiovisual Fund, the Austrian Film Institute, ORF Film/Fernsehabkommen
Documentary Programme:
Say Goodbye (Mexico)
Directed by Paloma López Carrillo
Lensed by J. Daniel Zúñiga
When the Phone Rang / Kada je zazvonio telefon (Serbia, USA)
Directed by Iva Radivojević
Lensed by Martin DiCicco
Produced by Set Sail Films, Ivaasks Films
Coproduced by Picture Palace Pictures
Supported by Film Center Serbia, The Princess Grace Foundation, Chicken and Egg Pictures, the Hungarian Film Incentive
The Ground beneath Our Feet (Iceland, Poland)
Directed by Yrsa Roca Fannberg
Lensed by Wojciech Staron
Produced by Akkeri Films
Coproduced by Staron Film
Supported by the Icelandic Film Center, the Polish Film Institute, RÚV, YLE, Nordisk Film & TV Fund, Eurimages, Iceland tax incentive
Gymnasts / Gymnastes (France)
Directed by Frédérique Menant
Lensed by Guillaume Mazloum
Slet 1988 (Germany, France)
Directed by Marta Popivoda
Lensed by Ivan Marković
What We Ask of a Statue Is That It Doesn’t Move / Aftopouzitame apo ena agalma einaina min kineitai (Greece, France)
Directed by Daphné Hérétakis
Lensed by Daphne Heretakis, Robin Fresson
L’Mina (France, Morocco, Italy, Qatar)
Directed by Randa Maroufi
Lensed by Luca Coassin
Control Anatomy (Palestine)
Directed by Mahmoud Alhaj
Lensed by Mahmoud Alhaj
Mac Point Programme:
Christmas Lights / Badnikovi svetilki (North Macedonia)
Directed by Gjorgji Lazov
Lensed by Nikola Markovski
Everybody Calls Redjo / Site go vikaat Redjo (North Macedonia)
Directed by Ibër Deari
Lensed by Dario Sekulovski
Produced by Manufaktura Production
Supported by the North Macedonia Film Agency
Chipan’s Way / Nacinotna Chipan (North Macedonia)
Directed by Antonio Veljanoski
Lensed by Ema Veljanoska, Antonio Veljanoski
Iron Castle / Zelezen zamok (Switzerland, North Macedonia)
Directed by Mitko Panov
Lensed by Mitko Panov
Produced by Kamera300, Pirej Film dooel
Lotus (North Macedonia)
Directed by Tadea Pavlovska, Pavel Kardalevski
Lensed by Pavel Kardalevski
The Last Balkan Cowboy / Posledniot kauboj na Balkanot (North Macedonia)
Directed by Sabidin Aliu
Lensed by Robert Jankulovski
For Eva / Za Eva (North Macedonia)
Directed by Bojan Vasilev
Lensed bySasho Vasilev
Promised Land / Vetena zemja (North Macedonia)
Directed by Qendrim Rijani
Lensed by Robert Jankulovski
17′ (North Macedonia)
Directed by Аleksandar Nestorovski
Lensed by Аleksandar Nestorovski, Ana Pavlovska