Make Dox
Creative Documentary Film Festival 3rd Edition, Day 2
16 June 2012
HERE WE GO!
About half a year ago, while trying to define the timing for the third edition of the festival, the MakeDox team came up against one not at all naïve problem – the European Football Championship which is also held in June. The team had to make a wise decision: reschedule the festival or ? After all, the football is the most important of all unimportant things. But the filmmakers think differently. If you ask them, the
film and MakeDox have serious advantage over football, especially because they have never been among the unimportant things for the residents of Skopje. MakeDox began yesterday. It began with great films in a positive welcoming ambience at the crowded Kurshumli an. And we know that it won’t be any different in the following six days.
This Friday the Old Bazaar in Skopje smelled differently. Apart from the smell of barbecue, baklava and other delicious pastry, one could feel the strong odor of onion. Kurshumli an opened its archway and welcomed the audience at the third edition of the Creative Documentary Film Festival “MakeDox”. It was only the first of the many nights to come that are celebrating the documentary film under the starry sky among impressive and historically significant stone walls. Starting from yesterday, Skopje will smell like onion. Because the onion stands for MakeDox. It is a structure without center but with an objective. And the objective is the new onion: the new life justifies the existence of the onion.
Lighting up the candles… Arrange the chairs in several rows, pay attention to the space between them... The catalogue, the book “Anthology of Tears” and a film program for each guest… Guys, we’re counting… Come on,
The scent of the Old Bazaar…
photo: Gallina Strackova
the first guests are arriving… Don’t forget to give everybody an onion and a smile… The time is 20.45. Every chair is taken. An audience ready to experience different film art. The films “Weary Traveler”, “Babies” and “Mama Africa” were screened at the festival opening night. Nostalgic sighs filled the space during the screening of the short documentary made by the famous Macedonian documentary director and photographer Blagoja Drnkov, telling the story about the 18-hour voyage of one small train traveling from Skopje to Ohrid. The wonderful film “Babies” cheered up the audience while “Mama Africa” showed what documentary
films about and hopefully, inspired the present spectators to come again.
photo: Phil Lampron
The locals only one day before MakeDox Before this year’s festival edition starts, it wouldn’t be amiss to see if people know and remember MakeDox. Many would say that documentary films are only interesting for the followers of the alternative cultures but the reality is a bit different. We asked some of passersby and learned that unfortunately, many of the youngsters don’t know that there is a documentary scene in Macedonia and the first thing that comes to their mind when talking about documentaries are those of “National Geographic” which is why they haven’t attended the festival by now. However, once you mention that documentaries are not just about the bears living in North America, they find it intriguing and start asking when MakeDox is taking
place, when do the screenings start and if they could find the festival program on Facebook. “Well, we should all go!” was one of the commentaries that made us smile.
Grownups, too, have divided opinions about documentaries and MakeDox. Some work all day long and can’t remember the last time they went to see a movie. “Trust me girl, my life should be on that wide screen”, said one of the locals. Luckily, others still feel the passion for film. Smiling at the onion-illustrated posters put up in the city, they wait eagerly for MakeDox’s third edition to start and the cool summer twilights at Kurshumli an. For many of the locals it takes only couple of films, couple of drinks and the smell of the Linden trees for June to become their special month of the year.
photo: Phil Lampron
MakeDox and its Guests
MakeDox and Us
Skopje looks unreal in the magic sunset light. Full of theatrical wedding dress shops in the massive monumental architecture that makes the history look like a fairy tale. But in the middle of it a film screen with images of stunning reality. This is MakeDox.
People and films you will never have the chance to see anywhere else but at MakeDox. A spoon full of onion. Petra Seliskar
Nadja Velušček, Kinoatelje
MakeDox is a fantastic initiative and something that was missing in the cultural landscape of Macedonia. It is a reason for many of us to come back every year. “Highly recommended”.
As long as we have MakeDox we don’t have to worry about having onion on the table! Andrijana Papikj
Veton Nurkollari, Artistic Director of Doku Fest
MakeDox also educates: Yesterday evening many locals learned where the The Children’s Theatre Centre (DTC) is located and one of the visitors even understood the difference between DTC and GTC (the main shopping mall in Skopje). photo: Phil Lampron
Program 17.06.2012 (Sunday) 11:00
Program: Kids on planet Onion
DTC
18:00 Passenger 28’ Nicky’s Family 96’ Museum of Holokaust 21:00 Guanape Sur 23’ Summer of Giacomo 84’ Kursumli An
23:00 Little Pioneers 18’ Bombay Beach 80’ Kursumli An