The Netherlands Embassy financially supported Manaki Script Corner activity, which was part of this year’s 30th Manaki Brothers International Cinematographers’ Film Festival ( www.manaki.com.mk), which took place from 26 September-3 October in Bitola ( www.bitola.gov.mk).

This was the first time that Manaki Script Corner was organised as part of the already traditional and internationally acclaimed film festival. The aim of this activity was to help, promote and train young filmmakers, at a two-day intensive script-developing workshop, with the renown script doctor from the Netherlands, Martin Rabarts, from Binger Film Lab ( www.binger.nl). Sebasten Delloye, a producer of one of the leading companies in Europe, Entre Chien Et Loup
( www.entrechienetloup.com), also provided some coaching at the workshop. Five projects were selected for the workshop via an open call for proposals, and two of them were granted the first and second award. 

On 1 October, the project Haloha of Bakhtyar Khudojnazrov and Zunwas Arbadu was granted the Manaki Script Corner First Award, while the young Macedonian filmmakers Ognen Georgievski and Ilija Piperkovski shared the second place with their projects Victim and Summer Secret, respectively. The awards were granted by H.E. Simone Filippini, the Netherlands Ambassador.

Apart from the Manaki Script Corner, there was also a presentation of the Hubert Bals Fund ( www.filmfund.nl/hubert_bals_fonds), which is closely related to the Film Festival Rotterdam ( www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com). At a joint press conference with the director of the Manaki Film Festival Ms. Labina Mitevska and H.E. Simone Filippini, Ms. Iwana Chronis, a representative of the Hubert Bals Fund, explained the possibilities that this fund has for support of feature films of innovative and talented filmmakers from developing countries.