Bitola was home to the Manaki brothers, Yanaki and Milton, who brought cinematography to the Balkans after buying their first movie camera in London in 1905. The festival is a remarkable event in itself, in that, for once, the men behind the cameras, the directors of photography, get to take the credit for their work.

The event opened with Ang Lee's Oscar-winning Sense and Sensibility and included a number of other award-winners, such as Marleen Gorris' Antonia and Lars Von Trier's Breaking The Waves. One unexpected surprise for programme director Blagoja Kunovski was the appearance of Michael Winterbottom's Jude, a print of which turned up unexpectedly after the festival had heard nothing for a month. 'Perhaps the fact that he was filming part of his new film, Sarajevo, in Bitola last month helped,' said Kunovski.

The Golden Camera 300 award (the model the brothers brought back with them from London) went to Masao Nakabori for Maborosi, for its use of 'colour and contrast in an outstanding way to create a special atmosphere connected with the mood of the story'. A special mention also went to Pierre Aim for La Haine, 'to support the revival of black and white film as a specific means of visual expression'. The award from the student jury went to Kiko de la Rica for his work on Daniel Calpasoro's Salto al vacio (Jump into the Void). John Adair