The 3rd Third UNESCO Creative Cities Film Forum: The Creative Industries – The Future of Cultural and Creative Economies / Covid-19 Challenges, organized by Film Center Bitola, aims to promote creative industries and their sustainable development by creating new policies, improving national capacities and organizing promotional events in this field. The event aims to present new approaches for sustainable development of the film industry in cooperation with other creative industries, presenting new support mechanisms for cooperation with economic sectors and reviving the creative economy through new subsidies mechanisms and through creating new jobs. Overall, the forum is one of many projects that have the potential to improve the institutional support and strengthen the entrepreneurial skills among creatives, and thus to increase the opportunities for sustainability of developing countries through the creative industry sector.
Culture is an ecosystem, which not only generates high economic value – 4.4 percent of EU GDP in terms of total turnover and employs around 7.6 million people – but also brings significant social benefits. The cultural and creative sectors and industries contribute to democratic, sustainable, free and inclusive societies and reflect our European diversity, values, history, freedoms and way of life. Never before has the creative economy in Europe experienced such economic devastation, the effects of which will be felt in the next decade.
North Macedonia is taking the first steps towards releasing its full creative potential. In addition, the forum will contribute to a better understanding of the role of the creative and cultural industries, such as film and sustainable development goals. The film industry is one of the most promising cultural industries in the country. In recent years, the film industry has seen steady growth. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, about 88.7% of the films are funded by national funds. Yet despite institutional support and private sector support, the film industry still faces many obstacles and is trying to find mechanisms and ways to be sustainable. However, this phenomenon should no longer be seen as an insurmountable shortcoming in culture, but on the contrary, the possibility of annexation and cooperation with other sectors and industries should be seen. In general, this would mean new market mechanisms and subsidies within creative economies. Thus, the creative industries in conjunction with the creative economy constitute the framework for analysis and support of creative activities, ie they are the engines of the creative ecosystem.
An increasing number of cities are emerging as creative forces thanks to the growing arts and cultural sectors. Bitola as film city, is part of the network of creative cities of UNESCO launched in 2004. As the first city from North Macedonia, along with 116 other cities around the world that are members of this network, the city below Pelister, in the network of creative cities of UNESCO in the field of film, found itself together along with Rome, Sydney, Sofia, Chingdao, Bradford, Galway, Santos, Lodge and others. Bitola, as part of the network of creative cities of UNESCO, gets new opportunities for promotion and further development of the film story of the city. Referring to this, new perspectives have been opened for realization of projects in the creative industries, cooperation worldwide, which will contribute to a positive impact on the further development of the culture, tourism, and thus for promotion of the local economy.
BITOLA / БИТОЛА
Located in the south of North Macedonia, Bitola is second largest city in the country with around 100,000 inhabitants. Te city’s film heritage originated from the early 20th century with the film industry now representing the backbone of the city’s creative economy. Bitola’s history with film dates back to the Manaki brothers, Yanaki and Milton who as film and photog- raphy pioneers, brought to Bitola – formerly named Manastir – the Bioscope 300 film camera. Te brothers famously filmed the very first motion pictures shot in the Ottoman Balkans. Bitola is mostly known for the Manaki Brothers International Cinematographers Film Festival and Non Professional Documentary Film Festival – Camera 300 which celebrated 40 years in 2019. Also, the city is recognized as an open studio and thanks to its famous for the beautiful locations, in and around the city, a lot of films are shot each year in Bitola and the surrounding villages. Near Bitola is Heraclea Lyncestis. It was an ancient city in Macedon, ruled later by the Romans. Its ruins are situated 2 km (1.2 mi) south of the present-day town of Bitola. It
was founded by Philip II of Macedon in the middle of the 4th century BC. Te city was named in honor of the mythological hero Heracles. Te name Lynkestis originates from the name of the ancient kingdom, conquered by Philip, where the city was built.
Bitola became a UNESCO City of Film in 2015, joining 180 members from 72 countries. As a Creative City of Film, Bitola envisages:
- Nurturing the vibrant role of film in Bitola’s creative economy, notably by expanding the scope of the programme Film Center Bitola through public private partnerships involving public cultural centres, universities, academia and private pro- duction companies;
- Fostering the city’s cultural offerings through exhibitions, festivals, workshops and other events especially based on the film heritage of the Manaki brothers;
- Positioning Bitola as an international hub for film creations;
- Exchanging experience and knowledge with other Creative Cities of Film