Skopje, 16 October 2024 (MIA) – Austrian film director, writer and producer Ulrich Seidl, this year’s recipient of the lifetime achievement award, delivered a speech at the opening night of the ninth Kinenova International Film Festival, running from October 15 until October 20 in Skopje.

In times like these, he said, when the freedom of art and the freedom of film art are threatened, the next generation of female and male directors should resist.

“They should resist against limitations, against regulations and against the spirit of the time. European cinema needs persistence and individuality, we need true stories rather than embellished reality,” Seidl said noting the award was a great honor.

His 2012 film Paradise: Love competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. The sequel Paradise: Faith won the Special Jury Prize at the 69th Venice International Film Festival. The final part of the trilogy, Paradise: Hope, premiered in competition at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival.

This year’s festival was also opened with the premiere of Goce Cvetanovski’s “John Vardar against the Galaxy”, the first feature animated film in North Macedonia. The film is in the main competition program vying with five other films for the top prize. 

Photo: Kinenova film festival