Vasily Sigarev’s Living wins Silver Camera 300 and Paolo Sorrentino’s This Must Be The Place receives Bronze Camera 300 at the world’s oldest festival dedicated to cinematographers in Bitola, Macedonia.

The 33rd International Cinematographers’ Film Festival Manaki Brothers took place Sept 15-21 in Bitola, Macedonia’s second largest city.

The main award, Golden Camera 300, went to Polish cinematographer Jolanta Dylewska for her work on Agnieszka Holland’s In Darkness [pictured], last year’s Oscar nominee and a huge hit in Poland, with more than 480,000 admissions sold.

Russia’s Alisher Khamidkhadjaev won the second prize in the main programme, the Silver Camera 300, for Vasily Sigarev’s Living. Khamidkhadjaev also won Best Cinematography at the Open Russian Film Festival Kinotavr in Sochi in June, and the film had world-premiered in the Rotterdam competition.

The third prize was awarded to Italian cinematographer Luca Bigazzi for his work on Paolo Sorrentino’s This Must Be The Place.

The jury was presided by Fred Kelemen, who won the Manaki Brothers’ main award last year for The Turin Horse, and included Belgian cinematographer Virginie Saint Martin, Serbian cinematographer Miladin Colakovic, Macedonian visual artist Ilija Penushliski, and Slovenian director Damjan Kozole.

In the New Visions programme, British cinematographer David Raedeker won the main award for Sally El Hosaini’s My Brother The Devil. Raedeker also won Best Cinematography at Sundance this year, in the World Cinema Dramatic section.

The New Visions jury was composed of German film critic Paul Katzenberg, Slovak film critic Eva Krizkova, and Macedonian actor Vasko Mavrovski.

The Small Golden Camera for best cinematography in a short film went to Portugal’s Vasco Viana for Joao Salaviza’s Rafa. A special mention went to Macedonian cinematographer Vladimir Samoilovski for Marija Apcevska’s Bardo.

Legendary Italian cinematographer Luciano Tovoli, who had shot masterpieces such as Vitorio de Setta’s Bandits Of Orgosolo, Dario Argento’s Suspiria, and Michelangelo Antonioni’s The Passenger, received the Lifetime Achievement Award – Golden Camera 300.

Two Special Awards Golden Camera 300 for Outstanding Contribution to the World Film Art were given to Catherine Deneuve, and to Austrian cinematographer Christian Berger, best known for his collaboration with Michael Haneke on films such as Benny’s Video, The Piano Teacher, Hidden and The White Ribbon, for which he had been nominated for an Academy Award.

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