Milcho Manchevski’s Sister Brother Manhole Cover won the Grand Prix at the Tokyo International Film Festival, which ended on a rainy day in the Japanese capital.
The Macedonian filmmaker’s story of fraternal and maternal love on the margins of society is his first feature since Kaymak, which competed in Tokyo in 2022. The Governor of Tokyo Award includes a $19,000 prize, equivalent to 3 million yen.
Lead actors Sara Klimoska and Filip Trajkovikj attended the ceremony. Producer Kortoshev accepted the award for Manchevski, who had left Tokyo and sent a video message.
Argentina’s Lisandro Alonso won best director for Double Freedom. Sun Xun’s Magic Atlas received the special jury prize; it took more than a decade to make and was the first animation selected for Tokyo’s main competition.
Hu Ling won best actress for The Night That Binds Us, a France-Hong Kong co-production. Japan’s only award went to Narita Ryo, named best actor for Two Cigarettes, Three Nights.
The audience award went to Teodora Ana Mihai’s Heysel 85, set around the stadium disaster in which 39 supporters died during the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus. Afghan director Tareq Daoud’s Serife Tavsan won the Asian Future competition for emerging regional filmmakers and a $6,325 prize, or 1 million yen.
The 39th edition of the festival ran for 10 days across the Hibiya-Marunouchi-Yurakucho-Ginza area. Screenings of 204 films drew more than 69,000 attendees, slightly up on the previous year.
