Entertainment · Film · 2 hrs ago
Milcho Manchevski’s New Film Enters Tokyo Festival Competition
Macedonian filmmaker Milcho Manchevski’s new feature is screening in competition at the Tokyo Film Festival.
Sister Brother Manhole Cover is his ninth feature and his second film released this year.
It follows siblings Malina and Viktor, who steal bronze busts and manhole covers to make a living.
After Viktor is badly injured during a theft, Malina makes a deal with a corrupt doctor, sending them into Macedonia’s underworld.
The story uses their struggle to explore inequality and family loyalty, with humor as well as danger.
Manchevski says he was blacklisted and had projects halted after reporting corruption at Macedonia’s Film Agency; the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission later upheld his accusations after an investigation.
The film’s next step is its competition screening in Tokyo, where Manchevski sees the festival as a launchpad for movies.
Milcho Manchevski’s feature Sister Brother Manhole Cover is screening in competition at the Tokyo Film Festival.
The film follows siblings who steal bronze busts and manhole covers in post-Communist Macedonia.
After Viktor is badly injured during a theft, Malina makes a deal with a corrupt doctor.
The film is Manchevski’s ninth feature and his second feature released in 2026.
Manchevski says he was barred from producing films in his home country after reporting alleged corruption at the Macedonian Film Agency.
- Who
- Macedonian filmmaker Milcho Manchevski directed and wrote the film.
- What
- Sister Brother Manhole Cover is screening in competition at the Tokyo Film Festival.
- When
- This week, according to the article published on October 27, 2026.
- Where
- The Tokyo Film Festival in Tokyo.
- Why
- Not stated
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Manchevski won the Golden Lion at Venice for his debut feature Before the Rain.
Macedonia saw an explosion of new monuments after the nationalist government decided to reintroduce the country to its past.
Manchevski’s first documentary, Good People, debuted at the Sarajevo Film Festival.
Deadline reported that Sister Brother Manhole Cover was screening in competition at the Tokyo Film Festival.
- Director and screenwriter
- Milcho Manchevski
- Film
- Sister Brother Manhole Cover
- Festival
- Tokyo Film Festival
- Career milestone
- Manchevski’s ninth feature and second feature of 2026
- Main characters
- Siblings Malina and Viktor
- Sales agent
- Coccinelle Film
What people are saying
It’s unusual to have two films come out at the same time, but better two than zero
I wanted to make a film about sisterly and brotherly love—something we rarely see in movies or even in literature.
So many problems in the world go back to this sense of unfairness and inequality.