Milcho Manchevski’s Sister Brother Manhole Cover has won the Tokyo Grand Prix at the 39th Tokyo International Film Festival. The comedy follows two siblings stealing scrap metal in Skopje. The award brings three million yen. Producer Jane Kortoshev and the lead actors accepted the prize after the director had left Japan. The main jury assessed 15 films.
Milcho Manchevski’s Sister Brother Manhole Cover received the Tokyo Grand Prix as the 39th Tokyo International Film Festival closed on 4 November.[1], [2]
The prize carries three million yen. The film follows Viktor and Malina, siblings who live by stealing manhole covers and copper busts from the streets of Skopje, North Macedonia’s capital.[1]
The film brings together producers from North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania, Italy and the United Kingdom. It is Manchevski’s first fiction feature since Kaymak. Producer Jane Kortoshev and lead actors Sara Klimoska and Filip Trajkovic accepted the award in Tokyo because the director had already left Japan. The main competition had 15 films, assessed by a jury chaired by filmmaker Rolf de Heer.[1]
The same ceremony awarded the special jury prize to Sun Xun’s animated Magic Atlas, which took a decade to make. Its prize is worth 500,000 yen. Lisandro Alonso received best director for Double Freedom, while Hu Ling and Narita Ryo won the acting prizes. Jelena Maksimovic’s Until the Day Ends received the artistic contribution award, and Heysel 85 took the audience prize.[1]
