Storyline · entertainment · 2 reports from 2 newsrooms

Milcho Manchevski’s film returns to Tokyo competition

First reported Oct 30, 7:24 PM ET · Latest Oct 31, 6:21 PM ET · Explainer updated Oct 31, 7:30 PM ET

Where things stand

Milcho Manchevski’s dark comedy “Sister Brother Manhole Cover” is in the main competition at the Tokyo International Film Festival, Variety reports. The North Macedonian director, whose debut “Before the Rain” won Venice’s Golden Lion, discussed the film’s long delay after he accused his country’s film agency of corruption.

Continuum

Facts

Facts appear here as Relay matches them to the reports.

Timeline

What changed: The Variety story adds that the project was stalled for years following his whistleblowing and that he frames the film around themes of blacklisting, neo‑social realism and the “death of beauty” in cinema.

Every report, newest first

  1. ‘Before the Rain’ Director Milcho Manchevski on Tokyo Competition Title ‘Sister Brother Manhole Cover,’ Whistleblowing and the ‘Death of Beauty’ in Cinema — Variety

    Milcho Manchevski, the North Macedonian director whose 1994 debut “Before the Rain” won Venice’s Golden Lion and earned an Oscar nomination, is back in competition at the Tokyo International Film Festival with “Sister Brother Manhole Cover,” a project stalled…

  2. Tokyo: Milcho Manchevski on his Competition Film, Blacklisting and the Ills of Neo-Social Realism — The Hollywood Reporter

    The director, whose ‘Sister Brother Manhole Cover’ is in Tokyo International Film Festival’s main competition, holds forth on why mothers are such a presence in his stories and how he made his first full documentary despite his misgivings about the genre.

Questions

  • It remains unclear how the festival judges will respond to the film and whether the director’s allegations will impact its reception or future funding. Open

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More: background

Manchevski gained international acclaim in the mid‑1990s when “Before the Rain” earned top honors at Venice and an Oscar nomination. He later alleged corruption at Macedonia’s national film agency, which he says halted production on his new feature. The Tokyo International Film Festival is a major Asian film event that showcases new works in a competitive slate.

How this works: stories from different newsrooms are grouped by topic, then AI writes the explainer using only those reports. It may miss context the reports don't include.