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CANNES 2018 Industry

Kosovo and Macedonia sign a co-production agreement at Cannes

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- CANNES 2018: By strengthening their cultural ties, the two neighbouring countries aim to invest in a closer partnership for film production

Kosovo and Macedonia sign a co-production agreement at Cannes
Macedonian Film Agency director Gorjan Tozija and Kosovo Cinematography Center director Arben Zharku

During the 71st Cannes Film Festival, the Kosovo Cinematography Center and the Macedonian Film Agency signed a film co-production agreement. The convention aims to further enhance the mutual cooperation between the neighbouring countries and encourage further development of the cultural and technological ties that the countries already have. Arben Zharku, director of the Kosovo Cinematography Center, represented that institution, while the Macedonian Film Agency was also represented by its director, Gorjan Tozija.

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The countries already have a previous agreement in place to facilitate cooperation in the field of culture, which was signed in Prishtina in February 2013, and the new agreement signed in Cannes focuses on cinema. It highlights the mutual decision of both countries to establish a sustainable, collaborative framework in the field of all audiovisual media, primarily starting with cinematic co-production. The goal is for this to benefit the financial side of the film industry and also contribute to the economic growth of television production and output in other media formats; it is also hoped that this will extend to distribution in Kosovo and in Macedonia.

The director of the Macedonian Film Agency, Tozija, stated: “Macedonia and Kosovo have a very deep cooperation in the field of film, and today, as a result, we have signed this very important agreement for our filmmakers." It is worth noting that in the past year, Macedonia and Kosovo have been active partners in producing four film projects.

"This is a very special moment because the first agreement of its kind has been signed, and it just so happens that it’s with the neighbouring state with which we have an excellent history of co-productions," explained Kosovo Cinematography Center director Zharku.

Finally, at the ceremony, Kosovo’s Minister of Culture, Kujtim Gashi, underlined: "It is a great pleasure to be present at this historic moment of the conclusion of this agreement, which will create even more co-productions in the field of film, but also strengthen the cultural recognition and interaction between the two countries. The Ministry of Culture will always be close to such initiatives that empower good neighbourly relations.”

It is expected that Kosovo will sign similar co-production agreements with a number of other neighbouring countries in the future.

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