MILCHO MANCHEVSKI'S MOVIE "WILLOW" - MACEDONIAN CANDIDATE FOR OSCAR

In one year since the world premiere at the Rome Film Festival, "Willow" has won a total of 5 awards, set records in cinema and TV screenings at home, received excellent reviews in the world media, went on over 20 festivals on four continents.

The film "Willow" by the most awarded Macedonian director Milcho Manchevski is a Macedonian candidate for an Oscar for foreign film, said the Association of Film Workers of Macedonia. His film "Before the Rain" in 1995 brought Macedonia its first Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, and his Macedonian nominees were "Shadows" and "Mothers".

(L-R) Sara Klimoska, Kamka Tocinovski, Milcho Manchevski and Natalija Teodosieva attend the "Willow" red carpet during the 14th Rome Film Festival on October 19, 2019 in Rome, Italy. (Oct. 18, 2019 - Source: Getty Images Europe)

The DFRM says that the films "The Effect of Happiness" by Borjan Zafirovski, "The Missing" by Arben Thaci, "Keif" by Blaze Dulev and "Nezo" by Merita Chocholi were also competing for the candidacy, and a decision was made by a Commission composed of: Igor Ivanov - director and chairman of the Commission, Dejan Lilic - actor, Tamara Kotevska - director, Samir Ljuma - cinematographer, Martin Ivanov - editor, Ivan Gjorshev - master of light and Sanja Arsovska - actress.

The 93rd Academy Awards, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, have been moved from the usual date in February to April 25, 2021 in Los Angeles, and the nominations will be announced on March 15.

After the world premiere of "Willow" in October 2019 on the red carpet at the Rome Film Festival, where it was received with a five-minute standing ovation, the film had its Macedonian premiere on November 1, 2019. In the months that followed, Manchevski's sixth feature film exceeded 30,000 spectators, which is a record in Macedonia. This is the most watched movie in the country for 2019, surpassing the Hollywood blockbusters in the cinemas in Skopje and across the country.

"Willow" has won a total of 5 international awards so far, and last month won 3 - at the Spanish and American premieres won the prestigious Silver Palm in Valencia, Spain and the Best Film Award at the Cinequest Festival in the US, and Manchevski was awarded Best Director at Raindance in London.

"In one year since the world premiere of the Rome Film Festival, 'Willow' has won a total of 5 awards, set records in cinema and TV screenings at home, received excellent reviews in the world media, over 20 festivals on four continents, and the film continues its festival campaign with "an unabated pace that was temporarily halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic," said the production.