The 23rd edition of CINEDAYS, the international festival of European film, kicks off Thursday in Skopje. Running until July 17, the festival will showcase over 40 films at various venues in the capital, including the park behind the Youth Cultural Center (MKC), Frosina movie theater, and the open-air cinema at the Cinematheque.

A variety of Macedonian and international films and co-productions will compete for awards within the festival’s official selection, gala program, SEE Program, and MK Shorts categories.

The festival will feature a retrospective of the works of late Montenegrin director Veljko Bulajić, as well as screenings of short films by European auteur Wim Wenders.

The CINEDAYS Gala Program will include films that premiered at this year’s Cannes festival, featuring the latest works by renowned directors David Cronenberg, Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, among others.

This year’s festival will open with a performance by the bands Efterklang and the Makedonium Band, a Macedonian-Danish collaboration. Their concert premiered outside the Makedonium monument in Krushevo in April 2023, with the film’s premiere following at a Copenhagen festival in March 2024.

“The film chronicles the journey of the Danish band in a wonderful, spontaneous, and charming way through a tour across Macedonia,” said MKC, one of the film’s producers.

Throughout the festival, the international project “Living Music,” led by music professor Darija Andovska, will bring together students and recent graduates from Europe to compose film scores.

Live performances will feature Efterklang: Makedonium Band, Turbo Trans Turisti, SIZ, and Cyril-Cyril.

CINEDAYS is funded by the City of Skopje, the EU Delegation through the EU Film Festivals program, and the Film Agency in partnership with Publicis and the Cinematheque of the Republic of North Macedonia.