In his home country, however, red carpets have been replaced by rocky roads.

Manchevski says he is being targeted for retaliation because he exposed financial irregularities and conflicts of interest within North Macedonia’s Film Agency. Ironically, this is very public agency that helped Manchevski produce his classic 1994 debut, Before the Rain, which made him a star overnight and gave Macedonia its first-ever Oscar nomination.

Manchevski says he has uncovered a network of public officials, political party leaders and film executives that relies on corruption and persecution to control and rig the public financing of films.

“I learned about the structure of what happens inside the government and the film mafia: major kickbacks for every single project, fixed competitions, and state funds going to projects that do not deserve it by any criteria,” says Manchevski. “The kickbacks are usually 30 percent. They share the money with high-up people in political parties.”

Finally, after many years of collecting and broadcasting evidence of perpetual misconduct, Manchevski’s efforts are starting to pay off. His reports have been substantiated by the Ministry of Culture, State Audit Office, and State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (SCPC), as well as by prominent Berlin-based NGO Transparency International (TI). The “illegality and conflict of interest still persist,” TI has concluded. 

According to Sloboden Pecat (Free Press), the Ministry of Culture discovered the Film Agency gave its cronies €800,000 for 39 movies that were never made. And, the cronies kept the money with the help of falsified documents. The Ministry also found contract awards were rigged by people with conflicts of interest, and that the Agency was making illegal payments to the Society of Filmmakers of Macedonia for years. 

In November 2023 the SCPC called for the dismissal of Film Agency Director Bojan Lazarevski and filed criminal charges against him. Lazarevski and the Agency’s were the driving force behind the persecution of Manchevski. Lazarevski was dismissed soon after. 

The Ministry’s findings prove what Manchevski has been saying for years about corruption at the Film Agency. It also proves the legal action against Manchevski is retaliatory because he successfully exposed what he calls the country’s “film mafia.” The Southeast Europe Coalition on Whistleblower Protection has alerted embassies, EU officials and the media about these scandals. 

As further evidence of retaliation, the SCPC and other public institutions found no misconduct by Manchevski’s company Banana Film. Former Film Agency officials falsely accused the company of financial irregularities from many years ago, which is classic whistleblower retaliation tactic. Yet, the criminal complaint filed against Manchevski by former agency officials is frozen in time. The Whistleblower Coalition has received no response from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, despite several requests for information on why complaint has not been thrown out. 

National Icon Treated as Common Criminal

Manchevski is a household name in North Macedonia and prominent internationally. His films have won 90 awards, and have been distributed in more than 100 countries and screened at more than 350 festivals. He holds an honorary doctorate and has taught at film schools in Europe, Asia and the US. He has published essays, exhibited his photography and directed music videos. He’s been good for the Macedonian economy, bringing in €17 million in foreign investment to the country’s film industry.

Despite his stature, Manchevski says he is being treated like a common criminal. The Film Agency convinced the Culture Ministry to investigate his finances, going back many years to probe long-finished films. Even though no problems were found, the agency filed a criminal complaint against him. The Southeast Europe Coalition on Whistleblower Protection attempted to reach agency officials for an interview, but they have not responded.

This was just the beginning. Manchevski said the Film Agency is refusing to sign a contract for an ongoing film production that it already approved. And he said the agency is refusing to provide agreed-upon €140,000 in funding for the completed Kaymak, which the Culture Ministry said is illegal. Following its own investigation, TI determined the agency’s actions to be “vengeful.” The Southeast Europe Coalition has been advocating for all actions against Manchevski to stop and the funds he is owed to be paid in full.

Manchevski says his recent films have received less funding than those made by first-time directors, he says. “All my films receive less money from the Macedonian government than the sons of Macedonian directors, police chiefs and former government spokesmen.”

Media outlets controlled by the former ruling Social Democratic Union party (SDSM) have orchestrated a months-long smear campaign that he says is “brimming with lies and slander.”

“This has been disappointing but not surprising. I knew they would try things but I didn’t think they would be so unscrupulous,” he said. “Filmmakers are scared. If this sort of persecution can happen to me, who has significant international credentials, what should the younger or less prominent filmmakers expect? They fear for their careers and livelihoods.”

Portions of this article previously were published by the Southeast Europe Coalition for Whistleblower Protection, with support from the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington, DC. 

The post Out of the Shadows: Milcho Manchevski. Exposes Macedonia’s ‘Film Mafia’ first appeared on Film Industry Watch.

The chart below is taken from the company registration records in Israel. On the left is the original, on right an automatic translation. It lists Lodi Boken as 51% owner in ‘Balshir International LTD’, with the other 49% of the stocks being owned by Naomi Schory, Kathriel Schory’s wife. The information below connects the three – Katriel Schory, Naomi Schory and Lodi Boken, as business partners.

The table below, also taken from the company registration records in Israel, lists Kathriel Schory as CEO and Naomi Schory as a manager at Balshir International LTD. The screenshots above and below connect the three as business partners and owners.

An automatic translation of the relevant part. Due to the quality of the screenshot, the translation isn’t perfect. We’ve been told that Schory’s means black, which is why the translated name says Kathard Black. The original reads Kathriel Schory.

The following is the film’s poster, listing the Israeli Film Fund as the financier of the film.

The following is a recent screenshot from the Israeli Film Fund website, listing the film with the 1,000,000 NIS awarded for the production of the film.

The following is a screenshot from the Israeli Film Fund website, listing a film from 1987 in which both Katriel Schory and Lodi Boken are listed as producers

The following is from the film’s poster, listing Boaz Schory as the composer. Boaz Schory is Katriel Schory and Naomi Schory’s son.

The film was produced by Tazfilm. Tazfilm produced three films, in 2012, 2014 and 2020. All three were funded by the Israeli Film Fund.

The film’s poster.

SOURCES:

https://intl.filmfund.org.il/

https://ica.justice.gov.il/GenericCorporarionInfo/SearchCorporation?unit=8

https://www.edb.co.il/company/297/

https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A0%D7%A2%D7%9E%D7%99_%D7%91%D7%9F_%D7%A0%D7%AA%D7%9F_%D7%A9%D7%97%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%99

The post Former Head of the Israeli Film Fund Allegedly Awarded Funding to a Project Directed by his Wife’s Business Partner first appeared on Film Industry Watch.

According to Israeli press, Nadav Lpaid, an Israeli citizen, had moved his permanent residency to Paris (source). One of the reasons for this move might be that him and his producers are seeking funding from the CNC for his next feature, as a French resident. Legally, however, a person cannot be a permanent resident of two countries.

Despite this, and despite the fact that according to the mandate of the Israeli Film Funds, allowing funding only for Israeli full time residents, Lapid has recently received full production (not co-production) funding for his next feature.

The funding was awarded to only five projects, one of which as reported elsewhere on our site, to Yona Rozenkier, thanks to his connection between the head of the fund and his Cannes Producer, Dominique Welinski. In the highly competitive scene of the Israeli film industry, when so many talented filmmakers are competing for funding, this is another example for the problematic ways in which the Israeli scene operates, in a fashion resembling that of a revolving door, or a syndicate, with the head of the Producers Association Adar Shafran receiving funding as a director, and other such cases proving the validity of every claim made on this website.

To be clear, while we have no confirmation (yet) that Lapid received funding from the CNC, it is likely the case. The Israeli funding in question is NOT co-production funding but rather a “full” 2,000,000 NIS “production grant” reserved for Israeli residents. If Lapid is not a resident of Israel and does not spend more than 180 days in the country – awarding a full production grant for his next feature is completely against the rules. If he receives this type of funding twice, once in Israel and once in France, this is doubly problematic.

For context, keep in mind that these grants are worth millions of Euros in total, of public money, that ends up in the hands of the same people, over and over again and again. Also keep in mind the number of young filmmakers that don’t get a chance to make a feature, or even a short, just because they are not part of the “syndicate.”

We would like to highlight another interesting observation regarding the selection of films chosen to be funded. Among the five films that received funding, two are being produced by the same person, Kobi Mizrahi. Mr. Mizrahi is notably the producer for Yona Rozenkier, working alongside Dominique Welinski. Given the extensive pool of talented producers and diverse projects in Israel, it is quite remarkable that Kobi Mizrahi (who has a noted connection with Dominique Welinski, a figure well-recognized in the industry as per the information on this site) has been granted funding for two separate projects simultaneously.

Furthermore, we are curious about the specifics of the fund’s guidelines in this context. It raises a question as to whether the fund’s rules permit the submission, and subsequent awarding, of two films by the same producer concurrently. This observation is particularly interesting in light of the discussions on this website, which frequently touch upon the dynamics of industry networks and the applicability of favoritism to different groups within the industry, with the same people being selected or funded over and over.

This further strengthens our argument that the European Film Industry, and the Israeli one being a prime example, is structured like a syndicate more than a healthy thriving industry.

On a side note, our readers might not be aware that Lapid’s late mother was a famous Israeli film editor and his father, a respected author. In other words, part of his success can be attributed to his family contacts. These biographical facts match our reporting about the reasons for how and why filmmakers make it in this industry as demonstrated in our pyramid of considerations.

In an unrelated but very similar case, we will soon publish a report detailing how a father and daughter, Avi Nesher and his daughter Tom Nesher, received funding for feature films from the Rabinovitz fund, at the same time. Avi Nesher is said to have a carte blanche from the fund which is plagued with gossip of decades long conflict of interests. More to come on this subject in an upcoming expose. This is again a clear case of shameless nepotism and alleged corruption.

We once again remind our readers that the European film industry is financed by public funding worth hundreds of millions of Euros per year, all circulating to the same people (syndicate members), year after year.

Film Industry Watch has asked the Israeli Film Fund to comment, the request has been ignored.

SOURCES:

https://www.screendaily.com/news/nadav-lapid-project-yes-among-five-israel-film-fund-winners-exclusive/5182483.article

https://presspectiva.org.il/%D7%9C%D7%90-%D7%91%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%96-%D7%94%D7%99%D7%99%D7%90%D7%95%D7%A9-%D7%9C%D7%90-%D7%99%D7%95%D7%AA%D7%A8-%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%97/

https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/panim/2021-08-12/ty-article-face/.highlight/0000017f-e84a-dc91-a17f-fccf165f0000

https://mo.ralc.co.il/%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%9E%D7%A8-2139,1933-%D7%94%D7%97%D7%95%D7%A7-%D7%9C%D7%A2%D7%99%D7%93%D7%95%D7%93-%D7%94%D7%A4%D7%A7-%D7%A1%D7%A8%D7%98%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%9C.aspx

The post Is Nadav Lapid Receiving Full Production Funding from two Countries, Against the Rules? first appeared on Film Industry Watch.