Tokyo: Milcho Manchevski on his Competition Film, Blacklisting and the Ills of Neo-Social Realism
Milcho Manchevski has returned to the Tokyo International Film Festival with *Sister Brother Manhole Cover*, a dark comedy about a sister and brother whose bond sits alongside themes of motherhood and economic inequality. He says the film grew from Macedonian folk songs about sibling devotion and his concern that the widening wealth gap will increasingly shape society.
Manchevski argues that “neo-social realism” can reduce filmmaking to delivering a message, while film funds and festivals may encourage that approach. Drawing on his experience of growing up in Yugoslavia, where films could be censored or banned as power and opinions shifted, he also criticises judging films by a filmmaker’s identity or political context rather than by the work itself. The article notes that his earlier film *Before the Rain* won Venice’s Golden Lion and received an Oscar nomination.
In short
- Manchevski’s new film explores sibling love and inequality.
- He warns that message-led filmmaking can narrow artistic possibilities.
- His views reflect an early awareness of censorship in Yugoslavia.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Manchevski’s criticism has force if pressure to deliver an approved social message narrows a film’s artistic possibilities. His experience of censorship also supports judging films on their craft and ideas rather than treating a director’s identity or political context as a substitute for engaging with the work.
The case against
Films do not emerge outside society: a filmmaker’s background and the conditions represented in a film can illuminate whose experiences are heard and how power operates. Public funds and festival attention may reasonably favour work that engages with inequality, and social themes need not reduce a film to a message if they are integrated with artistic ambition.
Explained simply
Milcho Manchevski is a filmmaker from North Macedonia, which was part of Yugoslavia until the country broke up in the 1990s. His film *Before the Rain* brought him international recognition, winning the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and earning an Oscar nomination.
The Tokyo International Film Festival is an international showcase where filmmakers present new work. Manchevski’s *Sister Brother Manhole Cover* draws on Macedonian folk songs about siblings and explores family ties alongside motherhood and economic inequality.
“Neo-social realism” refers to films that focus on social conditions and inequality. Manchevski questions whether pressure from film funds and festivals can lead filmmakers to prioritise a message, and he has described how shifting political views in Yugoslavia could result in films being censored or banned.