29-06-2022

Macedonian Cinematheque Premieres Restored Classic Frosina in Celebration of Its 70th Anniversary

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    Frosina by Vojislav Nanović Frosina by Vojislav Nanović credit: Cinematheque of North Macedonia

    SKOPJE: The Cinematheque of North Macedonia has released the digitally restored version of the first Macedonian feature film Frosina by Vojislav Nanović on Blu-ray. This is one of the several activities organised on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the film's premiere. Frosina was the first Macedonian language film to be made.

    Frosina, produced by Vardar Film, is a social drama about existence, the life of a migrant worker, WWII, and the tragedy of a mother who loses her only son. It was recorded in black and white on 35 mm. The screenplay was written by Vlado Maleski and Meri Boskova. Aco Jovanovski and Ljuba Arsova starred. The film premiered at cinema Kultura in Skopje on 25 June 1952.

    The digitalisation of the film was done in 2021 by the Zagreb-based company Klik Film.

    As part of the celebration, an exhibition of photographs from the film was held in Kocani, followed by a lecture and a discussion on its significance in the history of Macedonian cinematography. The Cinematheque also published a digitalised edition of the book Frosina - the First Macedonian Feature Film with a collection of texts from a symposium under the same title held in May 1989.

    On the initiative of the Cinematheque, the Macedonian Radio Television has recently produced the short documentary film 70 Years of Frosina by Sonja Samardzieva and Tomi Aleksov, which was broadcast on 28 June 2022.