In his home country, however, red carpets have been replaced by rocky roads.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

Scroll down for the Venice Letter
and the Statement of Macedonian Critics

Acclaimed Macedonian director Milcho Manchevski won the Golden Lion for best film in Venice for his debut Before the Rain (1994) and his Dust opened the Festival in 2001. He also directed the award-winning films Shadows (2007), Mothers (2010), Thursday (2013), Bikini Moon (2017), The End of Time (2017), Willow (2019) and Kaymak which premiered in Tokyo Film Festival in 2022.

Manchevski lives in New York and in Skopje, North Macedonia.

The problems started when Manchevski reported the Macedonian Film Agency and the Association of Filmmakers for corruption. The State Audit Office, the Anti-Corruption Commission and Transparency International concurred with what Manchevski was saying. As retribution, the political system blocked his projects (the already completed Kaymak and the new one which already won support from the governments of three countries, Leaving Copacabana), pushed a smear campaign in the pro-government media (“Pedophile”, “Criminal”) and made-up criminal charges (refuted by the Ministry of Culture’s own inspection)…

This is a case study of political persecution of a prominent whistleblower who has reported corruption at the highest levels of government.

The Venice Film Festival, in a letter from the festival director Alberto Barbera and the presidents of the two Italian filmmakers’ associations, expressed their support for Manchevski and opposition to the political repression he has been suffering in North Macedonia because he blew the whistle on corruption.

The letter (https://www.labiennale.org/en/news/letter-milcho-manchevski ), signed by Barbera and the presidents of ANAC – Autori, Francesco Ranieri Martinotti, and of 100 Autori, Francesca Comencini, reads as follows:

Letter in Favor of Milcho Manchevski

“Dear Mr. Manchevski,

We are extremely sorry to hear that you are facing a massive political defamation campaign, personal threats, and political and professional blacklisting.

The signatories of this letter – that shows the concerns shared by the Venice Film Festival and the two Italian associations that group the authors and filmmakers of our country: ANAC-Autori and Cento Autori – wish to express to you our unconditional solidarity.

We know and appreciate your work as an artist, always marked by criteria of absolute ethical and moral correctness, of expressive consistency fuelled by a strong sense of social responsibility and intellectual honesty. Since your first film “Before the Rain” that won the Golden Lion for Best Film at the 1994 Venice Film Festival, which helped to make the whole world aware of the existence and quality of cinema in North Macedonia. And then, through your later works, including those made outside your home country, with the constant aim of returning there one day (as you did), to help strengthen a film industry still in need of support to continue growing.

Even more reason, then, to be astonished that your courageous denunciation of the irregularities committed by the agency responsible for supporting Macedonian cinema was followed by an unbelievable ostracism campaign and the continued hostility of the agency whose misbehaviour has, moreover, been acknowledged.

We strongly hope that the imminent publication of the results of the new investigation conducted by The State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (SCPS), will finally shed light on the whole situation and put an end to the ostracism you have suffered so far.

Sincerely,
Alberto Barbera, Director, Venice Film Festival
Francesco Ranieri Martinotti, President, ANAC – Autori
Francesca Comencini, President, 100 Autori

Forwarded by FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics
info@fipresci.org, www.fipresci.org

Statement of Macedonian Critics

The Macedonian section of the International Federation of Film Critics – FIPRESCI joins the reaction and support for the Macedonian director Milcho Manchevski from the Venice Film Festival and from the FIPRESCI Headquarters.

We want to express our support for Manchevski as a prominent whistleblower on corruption at the highest level. We condemn the persecution against Manchevski aimed to silence him and prevent him from working in North Macedonia.

We point out that this is an example of an institution captured by a political party that is being instrumentalized to persecute authors, causing far-reaching damage not only to the film industry, but also to the entire culture in general. We believe that it is unacceptable to compromise Macedonian culture internationally in this way.

In the future, the Macedonian section will continue to condemn when an author or other professionals in the film industry are institutionally persecuted or stigmatized.

Macedonian Section of FIPRESCI
August 22, 2023

Response from MFPA – The Macedonian Film Professionals Association

Skopje, August 21, 2024

To: Film Industry Watch

Reaction of the Macedonian Film Professionals Association

Dear representatives of the International organization “Film Industry
Watch”, we address you on behalf of the Macedonian Film Professionals
Association, the leading and oldest organized association of the film industry in
North Macedonia, regarding your announcement/article describing the case of
Macedonian director Milcho Manchevski and calling for stopping the political
persecution against him.

MFPA, as an association of film professionals, extremely respects your
efforts to protect active filmmakers from all kinds of abuse by using journalistic
and academic means. But this time, unfortunately, you are misled. Therefore, we
feel called to respond to your announcement and clarify things for you. Without
doubt, your article mentions only the assertions and arguments of Milcho
Manchevski, which is a subjective, and in this case untrue, interpretation.
For the sake of truth, you have to consider the facts: there is no political
persecution against Milcho Manchevski. There is an ongoing investigation and
proceedings for the legal entity “Banana Film”, owned by Manchevski. These
legal proceedings are initiated due to indications of financial abuse. These
proceedings are conducted by the investigative bodies of the Republic of North
Macedonia, the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Financial Police Office,
and are initiated upon a criminal complaint filed by the Macedonian Film Agency.
According to the law, until there is a legal resolution to these proceedings, Banana
Film is unable to dispose of state funds. The appeals of Manchevski and
his production company were dismissed by the Higher Administrative Court.

We are confident that you will understand that your reaction was rushed as
a result of manipulation by Manchevski, who presents himself as a victim of
political persecution. And, in fact, like any other citizen of our country who would
be suspected of financial crime, he would be held accountable under the laws to
the competent institutions. Manchevski’s explanation, used earlier to mislead the
first people at the Venice Film Festival, stating that he was a “whistleblower” and
that he “disclosed corruption”, is actually also a manipulation. The Macedonian
Film Agency also reacted to the announcement published by the Venice Film
Festival, explaining that there is no political persecution, but merely legal
investigations.

We are sure that you deeply respect the ethical, moral and legal principles
serving as the basis for the work of producers everywhere in the world, especially
when it comes to money for the film art earmarked by the state treasury.
As film professionals, who also cooperate and are in partnership with
numerous European associations and societies, most of all we adhere to the
principles of the European film world, which are collegiality and solidarity.
Therefore, we would like to ask you to withdraw the announcement as it is untrue
and unfounded.

We assure you that the Macedonian Film Professionals Association stands
for the protection of film and filmmakers and if there is any kind of stigmatization
or political persecution against any film professional in our country, we will react
fiercely.

Respectfully,
Macedonian Film Professionals Association

President
Igor Ivanov

***

In response to the above letter, we’ve been contacted by individuals with further knowledge about the case:

Out of the Shadows: Milcho Manchevski Exposes Macedonia’s ‘Film Mafia’

The post North Macedonia: Milcho Manchevski’s case against the National Film Agency and the Filmmakers Guild first appeared on Film Industry Watch.