Tokyo Film Festival gives top prize to Manchevski's Sister Brother Manhole Cover

Milcho Manchevski's Sister Brother Manhole Cover won the Tokyo Grand Prix at the 39th Tokyo International Film Festival on 4 November, but the director had already left Tokyo. Producer Jane Kortoshev and leads Sara Klimoska and Filip Trajković accepted the prize at Hulic Hall, and Manchevski appeared by video message. The award, also called the Governor of Tokyo Award, carries JPY3 million ($19,000).

Jury president Rolf de Heer said the jury chose the film "for the humanity and compassion shown towards its characters" and called it "a complex, coherent film that manages to be both touching and playful."

The film is a co-production between North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania, Italy and the United Kingdom. Kortoshev produced it, and Klimoska, Trajković and Sonja Mihajlova star. Malina and Viktor are a sister and brother who steal bronze busts and manhole covers to get by in Skopje. A stolen bust of a national hero lands on Viktor's foot, and the pair tumble into the lowest depths of the North Macedonian capital.

In his video message, Manchevski called the award "a little vindication for a quirky film that almost did not happen," Variety reported. The Japan Times rendered the line as "a modest vindication for an unconventional film." Manchevski described the film as a story of "great love and unconditional acceptance that is not erotic." His debut, Before the Rain, won the Golden Lion at Venice in 1994. His previous feature, Kaymak, also premiered in Tokyo's main competition, and Variety reported that Sister Brother Manhole Cover is his first fiction feature since then.

Main competition winners

The Special Jury Prize, worth JPY500,000 (about $3,200), went to Sun Xun's animated Magic Atlas from Singapore. Lisandro Alonso won Best Director for Double Freedom. Hu Ling won Best Actress for The Night That Binds Us, and Narita Ryo won Best Actor for Two Cigarettes, Three Nights. The Best Artistic Contribution award went to Jelena Maksimović's Until the Day Ends, and the Audience Award went to Teodora Ana Mihai's Heysel 85. The directing, acting and artistic contribution prizes each carry JPY300,000 ($1,900). Narita's win was Japan's only main competition prize, Variety reported.

Other sections

In the Asian Future section for emerging filmmakers, Tareq Daoud's Serife Tavsan won Best Film and JPY1 million ($6,320), with a special mention for Ariani Darmawan's Jani Be Good. Nippon Cinema Now became a competitive section for the first time; Miki Tanaka's silver express won Best Film and JPY500,000, and Shingo Matsumura's Between Us took the jury prize and JPY300,000. In the Asian Students' Film Conference, Running Wild in the Sun, a short by Nguyen Vu Hien Chi, won Best Film and JPY300,000, while the special jury prize was shared by Everything's Peachy and All of Her, which each received JPY100,000. Isabelle Stever's I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming won the Ethical Film Award and JPY200,000. The Kurosawa Akira Award went to Mipo O and Mohammad Rasoulof.

Festival figures

The festival screened 204 films and drew 69,072 admissions, with 89,269 people attending related events, Asian Movie Pulse reported. Organisers give the run as 26 October to 4 November, though Screen Daily reported a 28 October start. The closing ceremony featured Yeon Sang-ho's Colony, with the director and cast in attendance.

What happens next

Festival director Hisamatsu Takeo said he wants the 40th edition in 2027 to be more diverse and vibrant. Coccinelle Film Sales handles international rights to the winner. The film had its world premiere in Tokyo, and no other release dates are set.