Beach Film Festival Begins From today until July 21, the seventh edition of the festival of new European films "Beach Film Festival" will be held at several locations in Ohrid. This year's edition offers a rich program with film screenings, educational workshops and musical performances at four locations in Ohrid, namely: Slavija Beach, the "Armada" ship, Saraiste Beach and the Ohrid Youth Center. This year's edition of the festival will be opened by the film "Alive and Healthy", and the main program will screen six more feature-length European films: "Rodeo", "The Coming Summer", "Afire", "Milk", "Some Birds" and "Pelican". In addition to the main program, the festival will also screen 14 short films, including domestic productions, films by Ana Jakimska, Eleonora Veninova, Jane Spasic and Dimitar Banov, and the musical program will be provided by the bands "Sioto Jazz" and "Xarakiri", DJs Baila, MarTian and the musical duo "SIZ". - This year we have a four-member jury, consisting of: Julian Genison (in cooperation with the Spanish Embassy), Carla Schola, Agim Abdullah and Jeni Zulka (in cooperation with the Goethe Institute), which will award the "Big Wave" award for best feature film and the "Stefan Sidovski-Sido" award for best acting performance - say the organizers. A three-member jury has also been formed that will award the “small wave” award for the best short film, consisting of: Gjoko Simjanoski, Vele Mitanoski and Sveto Stefanovski. – The festival is becoming a recognizable brand of the summer season in Ohrid from year to year, and it especially attracts the young audience that chooses Ohrid for a summer vacation, especially during the period during which the festival is held. For these reasons, this year the festival has been enriched with another type of program – films for the youngest visitors and their loved ones, which will be shown on the city beach Saraiste, where every day from 17 to 21 July, starting at 8 p.m., there will be screenings of children’s films, and admission will be free – the organizers announce. According to them, the "Beach Film Festival" in Ohrid is of great importance as a cultural event in the country because it attracts a young audience (18-35 years old), which nowadays is extremely difficult to be animated and engaged in watching European cinematographic achievements, at a time when new Hollywood blockbusters are being promoted on all platforms. – Encouraging film literacy, the festival serves as proof of the power of cinema in bridging cultures, promoting diversity and igniting the passion for storytelling. Whether you are a film buff, a young film director, a film enthusiast, or simply an individual who wants to explore the wealth of European cinematography, this festival is the right destination for this summer – say the festival organizers. (The text was published in "Nova Makedonija" on 17.07.2024. The author of the text is Vesna Damčevska)